36,000 year old Blue Babe bison found in Alaska permafrost kept skin and soft tissue

Miners did not expect a body not a fossil

In 1979, miners in Alaska struck paydirt when hydraulic hoses exposed a 36,000-year-old steppe bison nicknamed “Blue Babe.” Kept by permafrost, the carcass retained soft tissues and skin—rare for Ice Age finds. Researchers say the preservation offers fresh clues about how the animal lived, what it ate, and what may have happened in its final moments.