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Science

How to Tell Time with an Amino Acid Clock 24

Posted by michael from the deep-time dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Jet Propulsion Lab and Russian Academy of Sciences are reporting today that when held in suspended animation, permafrost bacteria can continue key molecular maintenance for at least 30,000 years. Since Martian permafrost is the most likely place to identify such still-living bacteria in the novel state of suspended animation, this new deep-freeze clock has considerable research promise as a biomarker. If the urban legend of Walt Disney being cryogenically-preserved under Disneyland's Pirates of Penzance amusement ride were true [it isn't], then his body would continue to repair radiation cell damage until, say, the year 30,000 A.D."
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How to Tell Time with an Amino Acid Clock More

How to Tell Time with an Amino Acid Clock

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  • That is... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by hackwrench ( 573697 )
    If his body were composed of bacterial cells, which it isn't.
  • The Disneyland ride is Pirates of the Caribbean. [google.com] Pirates of Penzance [boisestate.edu] is a Gilbert and Sullivan opera.

    • Re:Pirates (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      See, that's the trick. The urban legend about Walt being frozen under Pirates of Penzance is false, because that's not a ride. The legend about Walt being frozen under Pirates of the Caribbean must therefore be true!
      • RTFA! http://198.64.129.160/disney/info/wd-ice.htm clearly states Nearly everyone familiar with the name 'Walt Disney' has heard the story that Disney's corpse is stored in a deep-freeze chamber somewhere -- directly under Disneyland's "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction is the most frequently mentioned site -- awaiting the day when science can repair the damage to his body and bring 'Uncle Walt' back to life. .
  • If the urban legend of Walt Disney being cryogenically-preserved under Disneyland's Pirates of Penzance amusement ride were true [it isn't],

    Well, of course that's not true. He's frozen under the Teacups ride!
    • I would have thought he'd be under It's A Small World. Or actually, somewhere in Epcot would make more sense, wouldn't it?
      • Epcot would make sense if only it hadn't been built a couple of decades after Walt died. Haunted Mansion, maybe?

        But seriously, if he had been cryogenically frozen, don't you think he'd be on display in Tomorrowland somewhere? If not in person, then as an Animitronic figure? (OK, not Animitronic because it wouldn't be moving, but you know what I mean.) This is exactly the kind of groovy, Jetsons-type futuristic stuff Walt loved to promote.

        • Epcot would make sense if only it hadn't been built a couple of decades after Walt died.

          Well, yeah, but they could have moved him there after they built it. You're right about Tomorrowland, though, that's the perfect place for Walt's corpsicle.

  • Holy Mathematics! (Score:3, Funny)

    by jmoriarty ( 179788 ) on Wednesday August 14, 2002 @05:44PM (#4073083)
    So if Disney's cells can last for 30,000 years, and he can make it to 30,000 A.D., then that would mean he died in 0 A.D.

    If that is the case, then maybe Disney's biggest secret isn't cryogenics but rather the secret identity he had running around Israel back in the day. You know, I've met people who worship Disney... this is all starting to make sense now. Maybe him coming back from the dead isn't such a long shot after all...
  • Its pirates of the caribean. Pirates of penzance is a gilbert and sulivan musical. Common now :)

    I am the major model of a modern major general!

  • disney (Score:1)

    by XO ( 250276 )
    I know no one is going to believe me -- no one ever DOES believe me. But one night, when I was like 5 or 6, I was staying at my grandmother's house for the weekend, and my 10/11-year old brother had basically taught me the joys of staying up until 4 or 5 in the am... i was playing some board game with my brother, and we had the disney channel on behind us.. and THEY FREAKING PLAYED A VIDEO RECORDING OF WALT DISNEY TELLING THE WORLD THAT HE WAS BEING FROZEN!

    I swear to Any Supreme Being You Might Believe In, that this is true -- but my brother doesn't remember it. :(

  • If the urban legend of Walt Disney being cryogenically-preserved under Disneyland's Pirates of Penzance amusement ride were true [it isn't]...

    Of course it's not true. Everyone knows that he's under Cinderella's Castle! Sheesh!
  • The old saw in biochemistry is that a 10 K drop in temperature will cause an order of magnitude drop in the rate of biochemical reactions. But if the reaction is thermodynamically favorable it will still continue to move towards equilibrium. Kinetically hindered but exothermically favorable processes keep going at low temperature.

    Just, they're 30,000 years or so slow :>

    It sounds spectacular, but its the expected result. More so, its the result a freshman chem/biochem major should expect.

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