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I actually tried
that once. I found a bunch of Einstein's DNA in some petrified
tree sap, extracted it, and used it as a model to create a
whole island of giant Einsteins. But then, the power went
out, the Einsteins got out of their cages, ran amuck, and
started chasing everybody around the island…
Oh. Wait a minute.
That wasn't Einstein. That was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. And come
to think of it, that wasn't anything I tried; it was the plot
of that movie a few years ago. Whoops…
But seriously, although
a bunch of Einsteins sounds wonderful, there is no guarantee
that any of them would wind up having new earth-shattering
ideas. Albert Einstein's genius was most likely a combination
of his genes and his environment. Having potential
for brilliance is one thing; having the right opportunity
to be brilliant is another. After all, you can be born
one smart cookie; but if you never get out of the jar, who's
ever gonna know?
Clones of a genius
like Einstein would share genes, but their environments would
definitely be different – even just growing up in a different
time period would affect their ideas and creativity. In any
event, I don't think a clone of Einstein would appreciate
being constantly reminded of how smart he was “supposed” to
be - can you imagine that kind of pressure? You'd have to
be brilliant all the time! Or at least spend all kinds of
energy trying to LOOK brilliant…no thanks. Life would be easier
as a dinosaur!
To
learn more about cloning, see Cloning Pets.
Glossary terms:
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June 2007
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