X-Message-Number: 4978 Date: 13 Oct 1995 06:15:57 U From: "Norton, Brook" <> Subject: Storing youthful DNA A company called Third Millennium Research offers a service to store a sample of your DNA in a time-hardened container. They generally appeal to those who want to be immortalized by knowing their DNA will survive for centuries and the co also mentioned that some are interested in this service so that a clone could someday be made of them, Jurrasic Park style. Neither of these scenarios would be of interest to a cryonicist, but I pluncked down my $55 for another reason. I once felt that your DNA was your DNA was your DNA, and so DNA from an elderly person could be used, without modification, to construct a clone (in which to place the reanimated brain someday; how we rejuvinate the brain cells is another story). However, my lay knowledge of cell activity has indicated that the DNA undergoes changes overtime. That the cell is constantly repairing DNA which is constantly mutating. As one ages, the repair mechanisms don't keep up with mutations and so damaged DNA starts resulting in declining health. Therefore, some or all of the DNA in an elderly deanimated patient may be damaged to the point that it is not obvious how the "healthy" DNA should look. Therefore, I've had a sample preserved as a snapshot of my DNA at age 35, to possibly aid future doctors in restoring me to youth. I think its extremely likely that the DNA in an elderly patient will prove adequate for creating a youthful clone. Either some DNA will be undamaged and can be used straight, or the damage can be removed through statisical analysis of many cells' DNA, or by some other clever procedure. However, to my level of understanding, damaged DNA = lost information, and so I played it safe by storing a sample. The procedure is: they send you a cotton patch that you wipe on the inside of your cheek and send back to them. They extract the DNA and store it on a piece of filter paper in a glass vial with inert gas that is heat sealed. The vile is put in a plastic container for vibration protection, and the plastic container is dropped into a chamber in an aluminum block, sealed off with a removeable screw. Pertinent info is engraved on the aluminum block. Cost $55. Third Millennium phn 206-524-6376. Brook Norton Aerodynamics Engineer McDonnell Douglas Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=4978