Scientists are talking for the first time about the old idea of resurrecting extinct species as if this staple of science fiction is a realistic possibility, saying that a living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million.

Japanese scientists hope to use parts of a mammoth preserved in the Siberian permafrost to impregnate an Indian elephant with its sperm and clone the extinct animal for display at an Ice Age wildlife park.

Australian scientists announced on Tuesday a breakthrough in efforts to clone the extinct Tasmanian Tiger, saying they had replicated some of the animal's genes using DNA extracted from preserved male and female pups.

Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History are building a 21st
century version of Noah\'s Ark. Except this time, instead of two by two, the
animals will go in little bits and pieces, deep frozen. The tissue specimens - from whole insects to leeches to small pieces of whales - will be a treasure trove for researchers using genetic techniques to study wildlife, and perhaps one day will become the source material for creating clones of endangered or extinct animals.

A sign by the small enclosure near the Bonorong Park Wildlife Center entrance says \'\'Tasmanian tiger\'\' but the fabled carnivore is nowhere to be seen. The last known Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, died in captivity in 1936, but a team of Australian biologists believes the animal\'s extinction may simply be a 70-year hiccup. DNA from a Tasmanian tiger has been found and cloning is underway.

An international group of scientists is proposing the setting up of a worldwide network of DNA banks to preserve the genetic material of endangered species.

A researcher who sees cloning as one tool to be used in saving endangered species said scientists should keep open minds.