Okay, so we’ve all seen Jurassic Park and know that no good can ever come of hatching dinosaur eggs.

 Nevertheless, like the nightie-clad heroine in a horror film, somebody just HAS to go into the dark basement of science and see what extinct critters they can conjure up out of archeological DNA.

 http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126905.000-ten-extinct-beasts-that-could-walk-the-earth-again.html?full=true

 So, the exotic pet market can stay tuned. Want a woolly mammoth? There’s apparently a mammoth genome project with a genetic map on the way. I just hope they simultaneously recreate woolly mammoth food. I doubt our modern plants are quite the same.

 Not so much of a problem for the proposed saber-toothed tiger, who could have a tasty scientist to go if kitty kibble doesn’t turn his crank. Apparently lions are close enough relatives that one could serve as a surrogate mom.

 Speaking of which, one of us could be an incubator for a brand-new Neanderthal baby, though I’m not sure they’ll get a whole lot of volunteers. Some might even claim to already have a few teenaged models living in the basement.

 Other interesting possibilities include the short-faced bear (a third taller than a polar bear), the Tasmanian tiger (actually a marsupial), a glyptodon (armadillo as large as a car), a woolly rhino, the dodo, the giant ground sloth, the moa (ostrich-type bird), the gigantic Irish elk, the giant beaver (why?), and the gorilla. Yup, the gorilla’s populations have dwindled to the point that they’re collecting DNA just in case.

 There are problems with the quality of extant DNA and in finding suitable surrogate mothers. The odds aren’t great for successful resurrection in some cases, but the idea of seeing some of these beasts on the hoof is admittedly intriguing. Ethical questions aside, there’s a little kid inside that really, really wants to see a saber-toothed tiger. From a safe distance.

Today is my first time blogging at Novelists Inc.! The link is here: http://www.ninc.com/blog/index.php/archives/novels-more-than-clever and the topic is Novels: More than clever devices for trapping and holding house dust.

Please come visit!

Check out the interview with the Demon Lord of Kitty Badness at the Chatty Cat Cafe here:  http://myblog.susannesaville.com/ and enter to win a copy of RAVENOUS

Okay, so the decorations are down, the new calendars up, the fridge cleaned out, and today was back to the day job. Here’s the holiday in review:

Most boring task over holidays:  cleaned closets and caught up on schoolwork.
Most time spent:  online sorting out book promotion and/or shovelling driveway
Best present:  Grind and brew coffeemaker from mom

Best unexpected treat:  Demon kitty consented to sleep in my lap
Worst moment:  Outlook going spazz and mailing multiple copies of newsletter
Best social:  New Year’s Eve
Best food discovery: olive tapenade
Main writing accomplishment:  drafted two book outlines
Main writing surprise:  one outline for a book I didn’t expect
Best read: Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Biggest disappointment:  having $, going to the mall, and finding nothing to buy
Biggest relief: Car repair half of what I expected
Best warm fuzzy:  5-ribbon review from Romance Junkies

And let’s just say that back at work there was plenty to keep me from getting bored ….

First of all, we have special guest Jessica Andersen at the Silk and Shadows blog today (www.SilkandShadows.com).  Drop by to leave a comment and you’ll be automatically entered for a prize in our weekly draw!

Second, I was cleaning up the mountains of paper in my personal batcave and discovered an article I’d saved:

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=54ede0a1-5e14-4459-98e1-925afe68e3da

The gist is that a University of Victoria professor, Paul Zehr, has written a book called The Possibility of a Superhero. Zehr is a prof of kinesiology and neuroscience. He’s examining the ability of the human body to achieve the kind of strength, agility, and endurance needed to do the caped crusader schtick. Batman doesn’t have superpowers per se (just lots of R&D cash), so it would be theoretically possible to pull off the things he does. Of course, one’s body would wear out very quickly, just like a pro athlete’s.

Interesting stuff, but I’d be happy if I could just make it to the gym on a regular basis! Instead, I’m drinking coffee and watching the rain.