Jerry citing: SF Chronicle, 11/5/95
Michael Z.
excerpts for your edification (I don't make this stuff up, folks):
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The San Francisco Chronicle Sunday, November 5, 1995 · Page 6/Z7
© 1995 San Francisco Chronicle · All Rights Reserved · All Unauthorized
Duplication Prohibited
From Hair to Eternity
Nobel chemist and `untamed genius' Kary Mullis is
banking on a market for jewelry made from the DNA
of dead celebrities
Torri Minton, Chronicle North Bay Bureau
Underwear, hair locks, even samples of tooth plaque were once the most
intimate of star collectibles. Now, through a bizarre bonding of art and
science, it is possible to procure a celebrity's molecular spirit.
StarGene, a San Rafael company, plans to make jewelry featuring the DNA of
the famous. This means you'll soon be able to wear Elvis' genes. Or George
Washington's. Or Marilyn Monroe's.
DNA jewelry is the latest weird venture of Kary Mullis, the colorful
chemist who won the 1993 Nobel prize for his method of replicating and
magnifying deoxyribonucleic acid.
In StarGene jewelry, a star's magnified DNA looks like baking powder. The
powder is mixed with gold dust and encased in a clear polymer blob called
a GeneStone, which resembles a melted ice cube. The first GeneStones may
come as pendants to be worn on a chain.
. . .
Mullis' DNA amplification process is better known for its serious uses --
from matching dinosaur remnants to living relatives to identifying
soldiers who died in Operation Desert Storm.
The method was used in some of the DNA tests in the O.J. Simpson trial.
Mullis, in fact, was scheduled to testify as a defense witness but never
did. Prosecutors said they were eager to cross-examine him about his
colorful background.
Mullis, 50, who has been called an ``untamed genius,'' is also known for
his affinity for psychedelic drugs and surfing. He has an apartment in La
Jolla, and a house in Mendocino he calls ``The Institute for Further
Study.''
. . .
StarGene currently has rights only to the DNA of dead people, although
some live celebrities are underconsideration.
``We're certainly not digging up any graves,'' said Carol Zimmerman,
StarGene's marketing director. Instead, the company has an exclusive
arrangement with University Archives in Stamford, Conn., which houses the
Reznikoff
hair collection. It contains more than 80 locks of the likes of Lincoln,
Napoleon, Einstein, Elvis, John F. Kennedy, Charles Lindbergh and Jenny
Lind.
. . .
``People used to save the hair of people they lost during the Civil War,''
Zimmerman said. ``We are saving a piece of Jerry Garcia, maybe.''
``Some people feel that fooling with DNA is taboo and are disturbed by the
idea that man is playing with it,'' acknowledged StarGene co-founder Ron
Cook. ``But we feel that DNA, as the molecular basis of life, is perhaps
the most remarkable discovery in the history of man.''
. . .
StarGene is contemplating a lot more than pendants and ancient hair
follicles. The company holds the exclusive worldwide license from Hoffman
LaRoche to market DNA Bio-Collectibles. In the works are a line of Marilyn
Monroe DNA wristwatches, Michael Jordan DNA tennis shoes and an Elvis
Presley DNA belt buckle.
Mullis has even considered DNA bracelets cloned from Mick Jagger's lips.
. . .
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Michael Zelner
Oakland CA USA
e-mail: mich...@zoka.com
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