Mulleted mammoth called Chris Waddle helps scientists crack creatures’ genetic code

Researchers build genome using 52,000-year-old remains of woolly mammoth named after ex-England footballer

Researchers have reconstructed the genetic code of the woolly mammoth in unprecedented detail after discovering fossilised chromosomes in the skin of a 52,000-year-old carcass preserved in the Siberian permafrost.

The mammoth's lavish mane led researchers to name it after Chris Waddle, the mulleted former England footballer. It became freeze-dried on death, a process that preserved the 3D structure of the chromosomes in the animal's skin.