Our world has no shortage of mysteries: Where did life begin? Who killed JFK? Will the BP oil spill ever end? Why is Ozzy Osbourne still alive? For this last conundrum, at least, we may have an answer.
Researchers at the genome sequencing company Knome, based in Massachusetts, are mapping the heavy metal singer's entire genome to get to the bottom of why rock and roll's self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness is still kicking and screaming despite decades of relentless drug and alcohol abuse.
Genome sequencing is an exhaustive process that ultimately determines the order of the 3 billion chemical building blocks -- the bases abbreviated as A, T, C, and G -- that make up the DNA of a person's 23 different pairs of chromosomes.
The first full genome took 13 years to be sequenced and was finished in 2003. Today, analyzing a genome takes about three months and costs around $40,000.
Researchers hope there is some key to Ozzy's longevity in his DNA. It's no secret that Ozzy has abused an astounding number of drugs. This Science Channel report says Ozzy has described himself as a "modern miracle."
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The hallowed history books of rock and roll are littered with rock stars who died of drug overdose, from Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix. But through it all, Ozzy's health has been remarkably unscathed.
Nathan Pearson, the director of research at Knome, tells the Sunday Times of London, “Sequencing and analysing individuals with extreme medical histories provides the greatest potential scientific value,” said Nathan Pearson, director of research at Knome.
As if to rub it in your face, he is about to begin writing a health advice column for the Sunday Times of London. One piece of advice that you can expect from this column, "to a mother for putting her young son off cigarettes, including: “Throw some [cigarette] ash on his cornflakes.”
By no means is Ozzy the only rock star who's been able to survive decades of substance abuse. Researchers still have so much to learn from Keith Richards and David Bowie!
Photo: Referns/Getty Images
Tags: Biotechnology, DNA, Health, Modern Medicine
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