Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcsun!ukc!educ-isis!teexmmo
From: teexmmo@isis.educ.lon.ac.uk (Matthew Moore)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Bringing Back Extinct Species
Message-ID: <1990Apr6.104800.1367@isis.educ.lon.ac.uk>
Date: 6 Apr 90 10:48:00 GMT
Reply-To: teexmmo@isis.educ.lon.ac.uk (Matthew Moore)
Organization: Institute of Education University of London
Lines: 17

Wen-King Su writes:
Vincent Catewrites:

>>The idea is to take some DNA from a mammoth cell and use this to clone a
><mammoth.  The nucleus from a mammoth cell would be put into a elephant egg
>
>What about the beta-decay of C-14 isotope.  Anybody knows the approximated
>number of C-14 atoms per mammoth DNA?  C-14 undergoes beta decay into N-14
>with a half life of 5730 years.  If there are many C-14 atoms in each piece
>of DNA, the mammoth DNA could be pretty badly chopped up by the time we dig
>them out of the ice.

An interesting thought! Isnt it likely to be the same as the 'natural'
occurence (ie in the atmosphere etc) and isnt the ratio of
C14  : C14 pretty low?
-- 
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