A huge treasure trove of ancient DNA from animals including extinct woolly mammoths has been discovered in frozen Squirrel faeces in Canada’s remote Yukon Territory, scientists said on Tuesday.The DNA found deep inside sealed-off burrows is between 3,000 and 700,000 years old, offering a rare window into how life has changed over the millennia.As well as DNA from woolly mammoths – which the US company Colossal claims it is trying to “de-extinct” – genetic material was also found from wolves, Bison, horses, a Cheetah and hundreds of plants.
SRCSouth China Morning Post
LANGEN
LEANCenter-Right
WORDS88
ENT11
TUE · 2026-06-09 · 22:53 GMTBRIEF NSR-2026-0610-83123
NSR-2026-0610-83123News Report·EN·Environmental
Scientists find woolly mammoth DNA while digging through squirrel faeces
Scientists have discovered a significant collection of ancient DNA in frozen squirrel feces within the Yukon territory of Canada. This DNA, dating from 3,000 to 700,000 years old, was found in sealed burrows and provides insights into past life forms.
Agence France-PresseSouth China Morning PostFiled 2026-06-09 · 22:53 GMTLean · Center-RightRead · 1 min
South China Morning PostFIG 01
Reading time
1min
Word count
88words
Sources cited
1cited
Entities identified
11entities
Quality score
100%
§ 01
Briefing Summary
AI-generatedNEWSAR · AI
Scientists have discovered a significant collection of ancient DNA in frozen squirrel feces within the Yukon territory of Canada. This DNA, dating from 3,000 to 700,000 years old, was found in sealed burrows and provides insights into past life forms. The genetic material includes DNA from extinct woolly mammoths, as well as wolves, bison, horses, a cheetah, and numerous plants. This discovery offers a rare opportunity to study changes in life over millennia.
Confidence 0.85Sources 1Claims 4Entities 11
§ 02
Article analysis
Model · rule-basedFraming
Environmental
Human Interest
Tone
Measured
AI-assessed
CalmNeutralAlarmist
Factuality
0.90 / 1.00
Factual
LowHigh
Sources cited
1
Limited
FewMany
§ 03
Key claims
4 extracted01
The US company Colossal is attempting to 'de-extinct' woolly mammoths.
quoteColossal
Confidence
1.00
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Genetic material from wolves, bison, horses, a cheetah, and hundreds of plants was also found.
factualscientists
Confidence
1.00
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The discovered DNA is between 3,000 and 700,000 years old.
factualscientists
Confidence
1.00
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Ancient DNA from woolly mammoths and other extinct animals has been discovered in frozen squirrel faeces in Canada's Yukon territory.
factualscientists
Confidence
1.00
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Full report
1 min read · 88 words§ 05
Entities
11 identifiedKey playerOppositionContextPositiveNeutralNegative
Organizations4
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Keywords & salience
8 termswoolly mammoths
1.00
ancient dna
1.00
squirrel faeces
0.90
yukon territory
0.80
paleontology
0.70
de-extinction
0.60
genetic material
0.50
prehistoric life
0.40
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