John Lennon
Dentist wants to clone John Lennon from tooth bought at auction (wiki commons)

A dentist from Canada wants to make a clone of John Lennon from a tooth he bought at auction for $30,000 (£19,000).

Michael Zuk has said if scientists can clone woolly mammoths then they should bring back the Beatles star, who died in 1980.

The dentist from Edmonton bought Lennon's tooth in 2011. Speaking to The Examiner, he said: "If scientists think they can clone Mammoths, then John Lennon could be next.

"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."

Lennon's tooth was removed because it was rotten and it was part of a collection of rock memorabilia owned by Alan McGee, the former head of Creation Records.

Describing the tooth at the time, Karen Fairweather, from Omega Auctions, said: "It's rather gruesome, yellowy, browny with a cavity.

"John Lennon came back from the dentist and gave it to his housekeeper and said to dispose of it 'or better still give it to your daughter as a souvenir'."

The housekeeper he gave it to was Dorothy Jarlett. Her son Barry told CNN the pair were "very close" and that he gave her the tooth while they were "chatting in the kitchen".

Zuk's desire to clone Lennon follows an agreement with Penn State to sequence the musician's DNA.

"Many Beatles fans remember where they were when they heard John Lennon was shot. I hope they also live to hear the day he was given another chance," he said.