-Caveat Lector- This seems a bit timely. Hilary -----Original Message----- From: Dan S <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: isml <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 7:53 PM Subject: [InTheShadows] Thai scientists to clone rare white elephant >From: Dan S <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >From: >http://www.exn.ca/html/templates/htmlpage.cfm?ID=19990104-57&Parent=Science >- >Thai scientists plan to clone rare white elephant January 4, 1999 > >Scientists in Thailand are hoping to bring back a royal elephant that >died more than a hundred years ago. They hope to clone the white >elephant from its remains which have been preserved in alcohol for >posterity. > >"If possible, we scientists hope to clone this elephant since it is the >best one ever found in the country," Chisanu Tiyscharoensri at Mahidol >University's Institute of Science and Technology for Research and >Development in Bangkok told the Bangkok Post. > >"Entirely white" and "extremely rare", the animal belonged to the 19th >century monarch, King Rama III, who ruled Thailand from 1824 to 1851. > >The elephant is Thailand's national symbol, but deforestation and >poaching are causing its numbers to dwindle. The white elephant – >characterized by its lighter-coloured skin – is rare. Believed to bring >good luck, all white elephants in Thailand are automatically the >property of the Royal family. > >Inspired by Japanese scientists who are attempting to resurrect the >mammoth, the team of scientists at Mahidol University has already >succeeded in cloning a cow and hope their ten-year project will bring >back a truly white-coloured elephant. > >But, their hope may remain just that – hope. > >"No one has ever succeeded in reconstructing a cell from preserved DNA," >says Dave Evans, acting chair of molecular biology and genetics at the >University of Guelph. "People have been suggesting that they might get >mammoths back from [the remains of] frozen mammoths. But, even with >frozen cells, they're so badly damaged by the freezing, the basic >chromosomal structure is all degraded." > >And alcohol would degrade the genetic material required for a >successful cloning too, says Evans. > >"Alcohol is used as a preservative because it's a dehydrating agent," >says Evans. He can't see how the nucleus (which contains all the genetic >material) of any of the elephant's cells could remain intact when >alcohol kills the lipid membranes which make the nucleus. > >While Evans points out that scientists have recovered some genes from >old DNA and have even sequenced them from the frozen mammoths which >roamed the Earth tens of thousands of years ago, he predicts it will be >a long time before we're able to recover the nucleus required to clone >an animal from such an old specimen. > > >-- > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >To unsubscribe from this mailing list, or to change your subscription >to digest, go to the ONElist web site, at http://www.onelist.com and >select the User Center link from the menu bar on the left. >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >InTheShadows (formally the list known as exploration) is a discussion list dedicated to keeping up-to-date with new technologies, advancements in medicine, environmental concerns, 'conspiracy theories', politics, and, of course, UFO stuff. Discussion is encouraged. Bashing and soapboxing will get you bounced off the list. > >To subscribe to InTheShadows go to: > >http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/InTheShadows > >You can write me at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >List Moderator: Hilary Thomas > DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
