Watch a preview of the highly anticipated documentary, National Geographic: Waking the Baby Mammoth; Photos, Video here. The program will air on Sunday on April 26, 2009 on National Geographic Channel at 9 p.m. ET/PT with an encore presentation on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The baby mammoth is also the cover story of the National Geographic magazine May 2009 issue. The two-hour documentary, narrated by actor Victor Garber was produced by Adrienne Ciuffo and directed by Pierre Stine.

The fascinating story began back in 2007 with the discovery of a baby mammoth, incredibly lifelike and well preserved. It was a chance discovery in Siberia by a reindeer herder and turned over to research scientists. The frozen baby mammoth is an amazing, lifelike specimen which they named Lyuba, which means ‘love’ in Russian. Quite a find indeed, as this was the most perfectly preserved woolly mammoth ever discovered. As such, Lyuba has given scientists new insight into the Ice Age, climate change, extinction of species and offered the tantalizing possibility of extracting DNA. Essentially it was, for scientists, like finding a time capsule.

The Waking the Baby Mammoth documentary chronicles the extensive forensic study of the baby mammoth which took place in Europe, North America and Japan. Scientists hoped to solve mysteries, not lest of which, how could a 40,000 year old woolly mammoth be so well preserved. As the baby mammoth photos show, Lyuba literally looks as if she is alive and sleeping.

The National Geographic ‘Waking the Baby Mammoth’ is so named as it is reflective of the efforts of scientists to ‘awaken’ the baby mammoth, so captivating and lifelike, with a range of state of the art investigative methods, including CGI animation, advanced computed tomography (CT) scanning and DNA analysis in efforts to increase knowledge of the woolly mammoth species and learn more about what caused their ultimate extinction.

The baby mammoth sudden death may have been caused by mud slide, scientists have theorized. Preliminary analysis reveals that the remarkably preserved condition of the frozen baby mammoth may have resulted from the clay and silt that covered her. Essentially it may have “pickled” her according to statements paleontologist Dan Fisher of the University of Michigan, made in an interview with USA Today. He is a member of the international team of scientists conducing research on Lyuba. (See: ‘Pickled’ baby mammoth opens window to Ice Age)

In another interview, Dan Fisher discussed what the team is learning about why and how the woolly mammoth species went extinct 10,000 years ago, and what factors were involved.

“We are learning more about what [mammoths] ate and how to recognize animals that are healthy versus stressed…This quirky line of investigation is a tool by which we’ll be able to solve the late Pleistocene extinction…We’ll be able to distinguish between the two main competitors: climate change and hunting.”

Source: Baby mammoth Lyuba, pristinely preserved, offers scientists rare look into mysteries of Ice Age

The highly anticipated National Geographic Channel Waking the Baby Mammoth airs on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. See the Web site for an overview, photos and videos: National Geographic Waking the Baby Mammoth

Top photo: ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: Daniel Fisher (From left), Bernard Buigues, Naoki Suzuki and Yuri Khudy attend microsurgery on Lyuba, a baby mammoth that discovered on the shore of a remote Siberian river in May 2007. Ten thousand years after her species became extinct, she is in amazing condition and unlike any other animal ever dug out of the frozen earth. (Photo credit © Florent Herry)

More baby mammoth photos and National Geographic Waking the Baby Mammoth video below.

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: Bernard Buigues, Alexei Tihkonov, Daniel Fisher, Yuri Khudi, and Kirill Seretetto attend microsurgery on Lyuba, a baby mammoth that discovered on the shore of a remote Siberian river in May 2007. Ten thousand years after her species became extinct, she is in amazing condition and unlike any other animal ever dug out of the frozen earth. (Photo credit © Pierre Stine)

Video “Inside the Mammoth” – Scientists used high-tech tools to make the most of their amazing mammoth discovery. Video Link



Video “Mammoth Meditation” – For researchers trying to understand the baby mammoth, creativity and imagination are as important as the scientific method. Video Link





Video “Investigating Baby Mammoth” – Before cutting into a newly discovered baby mammoth, scientists use modern technology to gather information. Video Link

Photos and video courtesy of National Geographic Channel

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National Geographic: Waking the Baby Mammoth Photos, Video (4-26-09)