In the oddest bit of dead celebrity body part news since Michael Jackson's hair was turned into a roulette ball, scientists are trying to sequence John Lennon's DNA using an extracted molar.

Lennon's tooth, which the former Beatle gifted to his housekeeper after it was extracted in the '60s, has enjoyed a certain measure of celebrity in recent years -- it was purchased for more than $30,000 at an auction, with the winning bid placed by a dentist named Michael Zuk.

The enthusiastically weird Zuk, who has written a song and a book about the tooth in addition to supervising a sort of world tour for it, has high hopes for the DNA project. As he told via the Examiner, "If scientists think they can clone mammoths, then John Lennon could be next."

Added Zuk, "To potentially say I had a small part in bringing back one of rock's greatest stars would be mind-blowing. 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."

To keep closer tabs on Zuk's efforts, you can visit the John Lennon Tooth website.

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