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How to Tell Time with an Amino Acid Clock

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."

24 comments

  1. That is... by hackwrench · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If his body were composed of bacterial cells, which it isn't.

    1. Re:That is... by The+Rogue86 · · Score: 1

      so you disagree with the statement that Disney has spread like a cancer throughout the world?

      --
      This is how you know you're a geek the power goes out and you are unemployed and unemployable. Yes I know I can't spell
  2. Pirates by hilker · · Score: 1

    The Disneyland ride is Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of Penzance is a Gilbert and Sullivan opera.

    1. Re:Pirates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      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!

    2. Re:Pirates by Yottabyte84 · · Score: 1

      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. .

  3. Walt Disney by Wrexen · · Score: 1

    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!

    1. Re:Walt Disney by ShavenYak · · Score: 2

      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?

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
    2. Re:Walt Disney by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 2
      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.

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
    3. Re:Walt Disney by ShavenYak · · Score: 2

      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.

      --

      Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
  4. Re:Fink Perst by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    no shizza my nizza!

  5. Holy Mathematics! by jmoriarty · · Score: 3, Funny

    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...

    1. Re:Holy Mathematics! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      maintenance for at least 30,000 years

      If you have had a quantative lab course, then you will understand that he was referring to a larger value of 30,000. :P

    2. Re:Holy Mathematics! by JanneM · · Score: 1

      Of course, he can make it to 20,000AD, 5,000AD and 2004AD as well. Nothing wrong with the mathematics. /Janne

      --
      Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
    3. Re:Holy Mathematics! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Somebody must have used a flawed Pentium processor to do the math :)

    4. Re:Holy Mathematics! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This assumes that we get through the Y10K problem as smoothly as the Y2K problem. Start expanding those fields now. No sense in waiting until the last decade.

    5. Re:Holy Mathematics! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IIRC the bug only effected floating point division. Also, I know that at least Linux has long had a software fix.

  6. Pirates of WTF? by Monkelectric · · Score: 2
    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!

    --

    Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

    1. Re:Pirates of WTF? by shrikel · · Score: 1

      I am the very model of a modern major general.

      --
      Any sufficiently simple magic can be passed off as mere advanced technology.
  7. disney by XO · · Score: 1

    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. :(

    --
    "Champagne for my real friends - and real pain for my sham friends!" http://ericblade.postalboard.com/
    1. Re:disney by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't believe you. I never believe you.

  8. Re:That is..try again. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It has been calculated that the normal human houses about a trillion bacteria on the skin, 10 billion in the mouth, and 100 trillion in the gastrointestinal tract. The latter number is far in excess of the number of eukaryotic cells in all organs which comprise the human host. It is sometimes said quite simply that there is more of "them" than "you'' in you

  9. It's common knowledge... by Dread_ed · · Score: 1

    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!

    --
    When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
  10. Temperature and biochemical processes by grayhaired · · Score: 1

    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.