The Wisconsin Historical Society has asked University of Wisconsin textile expert Majid Sarmadi to run a blood test on a bedspread that may have covered President Abraham Lincoln after he was shot 150 years ago. Sarmadi and the state's crime lab have run their own preliminary tests, and the FBI may be asked to conduct its own test.
If blood is present, Sarmadi said he hoped to confirm eventually whether it was Lincoln's blood through DNA tests on other assassination artefacts.
No DNA test has been conducted on any artefacts such as a pillow on display at the Ford's Theatre museum known to contain Lincoln's blood, because of fears of ruining them, Bellais said.
"Technology now has it that you can actually test these things without destroying the pieces," Bellais said. "I wouldn't be surprised that fairly soon we will have Lincoln DNA on record."
Yes, it is almost time to clone Lincoln.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday April 14 2015, @09:25PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @09:39PM
Spied on telegraph communications, suspended habeas corpus, usurped the rights of congress and the states, ruled by executive order, waged war against American citizens, ... what kind of sick twisted person would want to clone this evil tyrant?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @10:11PM
... what kind of sick twisted person would want to clone this evil tyrant?
Anybody from the north?
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @10:13PM
The South wants a Lincoln clone so they can lynch him.
(Score: 4, Informative) by nyder on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:00PM
Republicans.
(Score: 3, Touché) by frojack on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:43PM
If Republicans wanted those things they'd vote for Democrats, especially the current sitting ones.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:11PM
>what kind of sick twisted person would want to clone this evil tyrant?
Non-enslaved black people would like a chance to thank him for their freedom.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:37PM
"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it."
Abraham Lincoln did not care about black people.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by wisnoskij on Wednesday April 15 2015, @02:43AM
What was he saving it from? It is now like 2 centuries after the north destroyed the economy of the south and they are all still just the illiterate trailer trash of America. Whatever it was he seems to have failed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @10:46AM
Every nation needs an underclass.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:43PM
The fact that he was right in one way (about freeing the slaves) does not make him overall good. He was a perfect example of sacrificing fundamental liberties for safety, which made him an enemy to freedom.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @12:08AM
I assume you refer to the Emancipation Proclaimation. Please explain how a president of one nation can issue an edict that changes any law or custom in a separate nation. Said proclaimation had no effect on the slaves in the Northern States, and slavery continued in the United States' North for years after the "Civil War" ended.
I grew up in the North and believed the "Civil War was all about black slavery" lie until I started testing ALL my premises. (Speaking of premises, slave economies of the period were dying off around the world and had all the appearances of dying off completely in the Western world as even the most embittered stereotypical Southern slaveholders were still subject to the laws of economics. There's no reason to pay more for slave-raised cotton if free-raised cotton is less costly.)
I cannot speak for Abraham Lincoln's privately-held intentions, but his actions were evil.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @12:14AM
That's not the point. Even someone who believes that should admit that violating people's fundamental liberties while pretending to be in favor of freedom is disgusting.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @02:35AM
Yes, Lincoln was disgusting.
(Score: 1) by wisnoskij on Wednesday April 15 2015, @02:52AM
Wait, are you implying the the South was a separate nation from the North at the time?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @03:02AM
Yep, the CSA had Confederate dollars and everything.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @12:32AM
Sometimes civil war is bloody. Sometimes it isn't.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @04:54AM
Bloody or not, violating the constitution is unacceptable.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Tuesday April 14 2015, @09:43PM
It'll be interesting to see the genealogy analysis of that dude's DNA.
In those olden times before mass media, politicians could be truly ugly because almost no one ever saw them, and I always thought Lincoln was pretty hideous and if he hadn't been assassinated and thus deified, he'd probably be the butt of jokes about ugly politicians today.
If you really want to mess with people WRT mass media, I'm ALMOST old enough to remember when musicians were allowed to be ugly before it became all about lipsyncing and dancing on MTV.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @09:50PM
In contrast, Adolf Hitler was an attractive man.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday April 14 2015, @10:05PM
The story said that no assassination artifact had been tested.
But does that mean that no sample of Lincoln's DNA has ever been looked into?
I dono.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @09:52PM
As it turns out. On his mother's side.
(Score: 2) by vux984 on Tuesday April 14 2015, @10:05PM
Its time for another 'very special episode' of Clone High!
http://www.clone-high.com/index.asp [clone-high.com]
(Score: 4, Funny) by TheGratefulNet on Tuesday April 14 2015, @10:15PM
oh right, he was on star trek once, right?
that the same guy?
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday April 15 2015, @07:46PM
No, stupid, they're talking about the guy from Prison Break.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 14 2015, @10:17PM
He was both presidents playing the two sides against each other! Wake up people!
(Score: 4, Funny) by toygeek on Tuesday April 14 2015, @10:58PM
Abraham Linclone?
There is no Sig. Okay, maybe a short one. http://miscdotgeek.com
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:46PM
no, "abraham linc, secret clone"
(GOML)
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 4, Funny) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday April 15 2015, @08:04AM
B-braham Lincoln.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 3, Interesting) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:09PM
>No test has been conducted on ... a pillow ... for fear of ruining it.
It's 150 years old and covered in blood. Pretty sure it's ruined already. I appreciate that it has historical value, but surely that means that it's value comes from its potential to teach us about the past. It has no other intrinsic value. It's not like it's a beautiful work of art or some holy relic that people come to gaze upon, it's a goddamned pillow.
We already know what historical pillows look like, and we all know what blood stains look like. If there could be valuable DNA info in there, test it now before its too late.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:46PM
One could find relatives and possible markers for various psychological properties.
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Wednesday April 15 2015, @03:03PM
One could find . . . possible markers for various psychological properties.
Is there a need for that? Lincoln's bouts of "melancholy" are well documented, so we already know that he suffered from clinical depression. The best you'd get from DNA analysis is correlation against the already-know behaviors he showed. Analyzing DNA from a modern subject who could be interviewed in person instead of studied via historical documents would be more useful.
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday April 14 2015, @11:53PM
If there could be valuable DNA info in there
DNA Valuable to who?
I mean, look, this is all idle curiosity at best. There is no medical secrets of value to any person living or dead, no medical breakthrough held in abeyance, and no real chance of a clone, and no right to do so even if possible. There is literally nothing to gain here other than trying to diagnose his geeky appearance. A full diagnosis changes nothing.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by sigma on Wednesday April 15 2015, @02:47AM
It's not like it's a beautiful work of art or some holy relic that people come to gaze upon
Yes it is, it's exactly like a holy relic.
A large part of the problem with US politics is that the people of the USA have chosen to behave as though their presidents are deities or demigods, instead of servants of the people. It's no surprise to see the same religious fervor applied to presidential relics as saintly ones.
(Score: 1) by gumby on Wednesday April 15 2015, @12:33AM
Yet another case of the future being predicted by Philip K Dick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Can_Build_You [wikipedia.org]