A man who bought John Lennon’s tooth at an auction two years ago is now hoping to clone the music icon using DNA from the molar.
“If scientists think they can clone mammoths, then John Lennon could be next,” Canadian dentist Dr. Michael Zuk told The Examiner.
Zuk made headlines when he bought the ex-Beatle’s tooth for $30,000 at auction in 2011.
At the time, he said: “Most people would say I was crazy, but I think it’s fantastic.”
And now we know why.
Zuk, from Edmonton, Canada, has launched a project to extract the DNA from the rotten tooth which Lennon – who was shot dead in New York in 1980 – gave his housekeeper in the 1970s.
“To potentially say I had a small part in bringing back one of rock’s greatest stars would be mind-blowing,” Zuk told The Examiner.
“I am nervous and excited at the possibility that we will be able to fully sequence John Lennon’s DNA, very soon I hope. With researchers working on ways to clone mammoths, the same technology certainly could make human cloning a reality.”
Since buying the tooth, Zuk has used it to promote cancer awareness and it has featured in TV programs about DNA.
The dentist, who has also written a song in honor of the tooth, has a website for fans to track the progress of the project.
This story originally appeared on news.com.au.