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Resurrect Dead Relatives for $10 Million
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by Erik Larson | November 25, 2008 at 10:28 am
198 views | 22 Recommendations | 9 comments
Scientists are working on creating a living Mammoth (extinct elephant relative) from recovered hair, and expect to be able to do it for less than $10 million (the price of one of McCain's homes- before the housing market blew out). If they're successful, this means that, technically, they'll be able to resurrect anything- as long as it died in the last 60,000 years. If the Shroud of Turin isn't a fake, could this be the method by which Jesus will return?
Regenerating a Mammoth for $10 Million
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.
The same technology could be applied to any other extinct species from which one can obtain hair, horn, hooves, fur or feathers, and which went extinct within the last 60,000 years, the effective age limit for DNA.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 11:21 on November 25th, 2008
Funny that this post turned up.I was talking to my mother about technology progressing at a much increased pace.And the subject came up that if it were possible to Resurect would she want me to Resurect her when she died.Her answer was a quick and result No!They say that they will be able to download your brain in the near future.All your thoughts and memories.So then would you resurect and download back into the new body?As if life were'nt compliacted enough.Personally I feel like the variation of a Woody allen or was it Grocho Marx line:
I would't want to belong to any-body that would have me as a member!
at 11:26 on November 25th, 2008
everyone i ask, even twenty-somethings, has the experience that technology is evolving faster now than when they were a kid.
Accelerating Change
We are much more than our bodies, though it's easy to forget. Personally, i'd like to have a dozen tentacles when i'm on Earth, and be able expand my mind to the size of a dozen universes when i get bored ; )
at 11:27 on November 25th, 2008
at 11:30 on November 25th, 2008
Interesting. I'd be quite excited about the prospect of having ancient creatures around, Jurassic Park style, though at the same time - isn't there a reason why some of them became extinct in the first place?
I'm wondering how a mammoth would survive in Vancouver, for instance :)
at 11:31 on November 25th, 2008
Impressive thanks for sharing this!
at 11:37 on November 25th, 2008
at 12:03 on November 25th, 2008
I wonder what it would look like? Like a walking corpse or 'normal'? Weird.
at 12:13 on November 25th, 2008
I'll pay you 10 million dollars NOT to resurrect my dead brother in law!
at 17:15 on November 25th, 2008
thanks for all the recs people, i agree these are fascinating developments and raise all kinds of interesting philosophical questions (some may have to wait for the development of AI superior to our evolved 3 lbs of mush in skulls to answer).
Rachel- good point- Dolly the cloned sheep didn't live very long
Fairbanks- one of the interesting things noted in the Accelerating Change article is that human knowledge and technological ability is expanding at an exponential rate; meaning the ability to solve problems is also increasing at an exponential rate- just because something is unknown or can't be done now, or in 10 years, doesn't mean it will still be impossible or unknown in 11 years.
Check out this chart Ray Kurzweil made of lists of significant events in the development of this universe, that were compiled by other researchers, such as Carl Sagan and Encyclopedia Brittanica. The trend has been consistent since the birth of the universe; about 13.9 billion years ago, latest estimate.