X-Message-Number: 13995
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 22:41:08 -0700
From: Bryan Hall <>
Subject: Japanese Store DNA Samples Of Their Dead

Here's an interesting article I found regarding the Japanese:

"Life after death"

IN JAPAN, a culture where cremation is mandatory, a funeral company is
about to offer much more than the customary charred bones: it is also
offering grieving relatives a way of storing the deceased's DNA in their
memorial tablet.

"With the spread of genetic record cards for medical treatments, our
samples will help people complete their family's DNA history," says
Hideo Wakayama, a spokesman for funeral firm Sekise of Nagoya.
The DNA could also be useful in disputes over parentage and claims to
blood ties with the deceased, he adds. But one day the sample could, in
theory at least, be used to clone the dead--although Japan is
 in the process of outlawing the cloning of people. 

From July, for a charge of  120, Sekise will add a sealed capsule 
containing a DNA sample to the ihai--the lacquered wood Buddhist 
memorial tablet. "The ihai is a sacred object," explained Wakayama. "So
it is very suitable for keeping DNA samples over the generations."
Sekise's DNA preservation technology comes from Texas-based Identigene,
which has developed technology for making low-cost permanent DNA
samples.

The story can also be found here:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news_224432.html

- Bryan Hall

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=13995