Two art students are planning to grow trees containing the genetic identity of human beings.
The idea is to replace the unused “junk” DNA in trees with entire human genomes. Scientists have advised the pair that it is perfectly feasible.
The “humanised” trees would be unaffected by the change, but still carry the biological essence of the DNA donors. One possibility envisaged is that the trees could replace gravestones as a way of preserving the memory of loved ones. Telegraph/UK
Walt Whitman envisioned this a century and a half ago:
I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,
If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.
— from Song of Myself (1855)
