Cloning Beethoven!

[Joy]

This was on NPR last night.

"In 1994 four members of the American Beethoven Society bid and won the Sotheby's auction for a locket containing hundreds of strands of Beethoven's hair. The lock of hair was then given to Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose University, which arranged for scientific tests on the hair, including DNA analysis.

NPR's Lisa Simeone spoke with physician and researcher Paul Blumenthal of Johns Hopkins University to learn more about this unprecedented collaboration between the worlds of science and music.

"It's my understanding that they found a lock of hair, and that from this lock of hair, it's child's play to extract some DNA and then insert that DNA into another cell –- a live cell," says Blumenthal. "Then the cell with Beethoven's DNA starts to replicate, and then -- voila! -- a new Beethoven."

The cloned stem cells would then be implanted into a surrogate mother. Blumenthal believes there's no shortage of "ambitious young women who would like to give birth to the next Beethoven."

An April Fool's joke perhaps?? Truth or fiction??

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Rutradelusasa]

As stupid as it is, I guess it is true, for I recall this story from some time ago. It's quite stupid (I guess it didn't sound that stupid in '94) now because it's now know from researchers that clones share the DNA alone and that is pretty much about it. The physical side of a person can be cloned, not the mental. Clones can be considered twins, same DNA, scarcely the same mind. So the new Beethoven would be only a guy with his looks.

[Gurn Blanston]

I suspect it is on the lines of an April Fool's joke, because on the face of it, the statement "... they found a lock of hair, and that from this lock of hair, it's child's play to extract some DNA ...a live cell" is simply untrue, in that there is no DNA in hair, it is only present in the root bulb of the hair (the follicle), and not only was this lock of hair scissored off his dead head, so there are no roots present, but there is a certain time span where even if there were DNA present it must have been extracted before decay took place, and I think this is a few years at most without unusual preservative conditions (thus the amber being used in Jurassic Park, for example). And this, of course, doesn't even address the issue of whether a clone would possess the genius of the rootstock, which is surely as much a case of nurture as nature. Oh well.


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Rutradelusasa:
As stupid as it is, I guess it is true, for I recall this story from some time ago. It's quite stupid (I guess it didn't sound that stupid in '94) now because it's now know from researchers that clones share the DNA alone and that is pretty much about it. The physical side of a person can be cloned, not the mental. Clones can be considered twins, same DNA, scarcely the same mind. So the new Beethoven would be only a guy with his looks.

The physical makeup of the brain would be controlled by the DNA instructions as much as the makeup of muscles or facial characteristics. Inasmuch as nobody has ever proven that there is any other verifiably existent part of the mind other than what the physical brain provides, I would disagree with the above statement. Whether
the DNA is present or adequate in such a case to clone an individual, even at a future level of technology, I don't know. But if it was done, I think there is a good likelihood of having the same mental characteristics, including consiousness, spirit, or what have you, as the original.
(Environment is another story, but he could probably be provided with a drunken foster father!!)

[Opus131]

People fail to see that nature is cloning hundreds of Beethovens each day.

It was his upbringing and education that made Beethoven who he was, not just his genes.

Even if it's just a joke, i consider the mere idea an affront to my intelligence...



[This message has been edited by Opus131 (edited April 03, 2004).]