An international expedition in the republic of Yakutia has found intact cells in the remains of one of the huge beasts, but it’s not yet clear whether the find includes the living cells necessary for cloning.

Semyon Grigoryev, a professor at North-East Federal University, told Reuters that it’s possible, but unlikely, that the permafrost of the far northern region has kept cells alive. If found, a single living cell could be multiplied, bringing the creatures back to life.

Controversial South Korean scientist Hwang Woo Suk, whose company did the world’s first commercial dog cloning, will examine the mammoth remains in the hopes that they can be cloned. In 2006, Hwang was found to have fabricated data and used unethical methods in human cloning experiments.

Since at least 2008, scientists have been talking about the possibility of bringing mammoths back to life. One method that has been discussed is modifying the DNA of an elephant’s egg based on the sequencing of mammoth DNA from ancient remains.

Of course there’s the question of why anyone would want to bring a huge hairy monster to life. The most obvious reason is to put mammoths in a zoo to give modern humans a sense of what our ancient ancestors were up against on their hunting expeditions. But developing the technology could also lead to the reversal of more recent extinctions.

The X Prize Foundation, which organized a race in 2004 to put the first private vessel into space, has announced a “Jurassic Park X Prize” for the creation of a “safe, repeatable and reliable” method for bringing extinct creatures back to life. Despite the ominous name, the foundation’s purpose is to find a way to rebuild the populations of some of the many species that humans have driven out of existence.

Main image credit: Charles R. Knight/Wikimedia Commons

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It appears that electric cars are part of the social ranking system in the global auto industry. All the cool kids are doing it, and if you’re an auto maker that isn’t working on adding EVs to your lineup, you might find yourself sitting alone at lunch. A lot.

Hoping to keep pace with its global competitors, Russian automaker Lada recently unveiled its first all-electric concept at the 2012 Moscow Auto Show. Boosted by Renault and Nissan, which are 50 percent owners in the company, the car’s design builds on the already existent Kalina model. Instead of a combustion engine, however, the El Lada will feature a Chinese lithium battery they claim will allow 93 miles of travel on a single charge, with a top speed of around 80 miles an hour.

According to Technologic Vehicles, the El Lada’s specs do not indicate a vehicle for a cross-country travel, but rather an efficient compact car for Russian urban centers with problematic air pollution. Inside Line reports that the car is mainly intended for taxi use in the Caucasus region of Russia.

Although taxi cab companies will love the fuel savings of the El Lada, experts say individual drivers might not be as enthusiastic. A regular Lada Kalina costs between $8,000 and $10,000, while the El Lada will cost the equivalent of $31,148. Still, Nissan doesn’t sell the LEAF in Russia, so Lada may have the advantage of an open market, at least for the time being.

Main photo credit: Avtovaz/Green Car Reports; video credit: Lada

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In addition to the dead, more than 300 people sought medical assistance, more than 500 homes were flooded, and five people were electrocuted when power lines crashed into the water.

CBC News reports that the rain storm dropped 300 millimeters of water in less than 24 hours. That’s five times the average monthly rainfall, according to the state meteorological service. Residents of Krymsk, which was torn up by the flooding, described a wave so large it washed over cars and beat on one-story homes.

Many Krymsk citizens believe that the flooding was also due, in part, to the release of water from a reservoir in the mountains. Government officials deny this theory, having inspected the reservoir via helicopter.

Residents of the now devastated region say they weren’t given adequate warning of the storm or the potential for flash flooding. Authorities today admitted their failure to properly warn citizens about the flooding. The Emergencies Ministry said that warnings were sent via text message, but that they were not able to reach everyone in time. In addition, the city of Krymsk set off a siren at about 4:30 a.m., but many residents did not hear it.

Main photo credit: Arria Belli/Flickr

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