PROFESSOR DR. KRAFENSTEIN

Franco is keen to replicate Cleopatra, since she joined with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, his countrymen

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND

Professor Doctor Krafenstein, is actually Baron Victor Von Frankenstein VI. But, despite his ancestry, and the monster his forbear is said to have created, Krafenstein is a good man, and unlike his famous namesake, is not a mad scientist, working with dead body parts. He is more into research aimed at curing the ails of modern humans, such as cancer. He is trying to understand and increase knowledge as to DNA and manipulation techniques.

The Baron is extremely wealthy, having inherited vast estates in Germany and Romania (formerly Hungary), when they were devalued and avoided by tourists, then made them hot properties, as curiosity venues. Once again attracting tourists.

Victor is able to charm the academic world with his brilliance. As such, he is considered to be an asset to modern medical science. Many colleagues know of his lineage, approving of his name change, in the interests of preventing discrimination that would be sure to arise if going by the name: Frankenstein.

The Baron learns from Franco Francisco, another biological research genius, that the secret to making a replicant is in the preparation of the tissue samples cultivated from cloning, and 3D printing of the bio-polymer (sponge) skeleton.  His 'Replivator' is a giant biological incubator, rather than an automatic womb. It is several times the size and complexity of the 'Incubus.' For which Victor Frankenstein is more than willing to fund Franco's research and facilities.

The Baron is spurred on by two letters:

In a letter to the International Medical Council, Dr Krafenstein asked of the possibility of cloning Cleopatra from DNA from her remains. He asked this to learn if they thought it was possible, so that if he succeeded, it would be against all odds. This was their reply:

Dear Dr. Krafenstein,

Thank you for your communication on a difficult subject.

The possibility of cloning Cleopatra using the DNA from her mummy is very unlikely, for several reasons. First of all, there is no definitive evidence that Cleopatra's mummy has been found or identified. Her tomb location is still a mystery, and the only possible candidate for her remains is a skeleton that was found in a communal grave with other royals, bereft of the trappings one would have expected to find with such an important historical character. However, this skeleton has not been conclusively proven to belong to Cleopatra, and the DNA analysis was inconclusive.

Though, we now know that Cleopatra was etombed with Mark Antony only as per her request, and not in any communal burial.

Secondly, even if Cleopatra's mummy was found, the DNA would be very degraded and contaminated by the mummification process and the environmental conditions. The extraction of full nuclear genome data from ancient Egyptian mummies is very challenging and rare. Most of the DNA studies on mummies have focused on mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only from the mother and cannot be used for cloning.

Thus, the Egyptian Queen would have to have taken especial care, to preserve at least some of her DNA long-term, where she had prophesied a re-awakening. And, put a curse tomb raiders, who might seek to plunder her remains to thwart her plans.

Thirdly, cloning Cleopatra would require a suitable egg donor and a surrogate mother, both of whom would share some genetic material with the clone. This would make the clone not an exact replica of Cleopatra, but a hybrid of her and the modern individuals involved in the process. Moreover, cloning would not reproduce Cleopatra's personality, memories, or experiences, which were shaped by her environment and culture.

Therefore, cloning Cleopatra using the DNA from her mummy is not feasible or ethical, and it would not bring back the historical figure that we know and admire. That is our initial assessment, based on current knowledge within our Council.

Should you be able to show otherwise, the IMC would be very interested to learn more about your procedure and technology.

Yours sincerely,

for The International Medical Council

The Baron found this reply amusing, since he had thought of all those obstacles and overcome them, one by one. In another letter to UNESCO, Dr Krafenstein asked as to the best way of extracting ancient DNA. This was their reply:

Dear Dr Krafenstein,

Thank you for your enquiry

One of the challenges of working with ancient DNA is how to extract it from the source material, such as bones or tissues. The extraction process varies depending on the type of material, but it generally involves the following steps:

- Take a small sample of bone or tissue and grind it into powder.
- Remove the calcium from the sample by soaking it in a chemical solution (EDTA) overnight at room temperature.
- Spin the sample in a centrifuge to collect the solid part (sediment).
- Break down the proteins in the sediment by adding another chemical (proteinase K) and heating it overnight at 50–55°C.
- Separate the DNA from other molecules by mixing the sample with organic solvents (phenol and chloroform).
- Recover the DNA by spinning the sample again and transferring the upper layer to a new tube.
- Make multiple copies of the DNA by using a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

PCR is a method that allows scientists to amplify a specific region of DNA by using special molecules called primers that match the DNA sequence of interest. PCR involves repeated cycles of heating and cooling that separate and copy the DNA strands, resulting in millions of copies of the target DNA in a few hours. PCR is useful for studying ancient DNA because it can overcome the problem of low quantity and quality of DNA in old samples.

Proteinase K is an enzyme that can digest proteins by breaking the bonds between their amino acids. Proteinase K is useful for extracting DNA from ancient samples because it can remove the proteins that are attached to or surrounding the DNA, such as histones or collagen. Proteinase K can also degrade any contaminating proteins that might interfere with the DNA analysis, such as bacterial or fungal proteins. Proteinase K is added to the sediment and incubated at a high temperature to ensure its optimal activity and efficiency.

This is how ancient DNA can be extracted from teeth, bones or tissues, but it is not an easy or reliable process. The DNA is often degraded, damaged, or contaminated by other sources of DNA, so scientists need to use special precautions and controls to ensure the authenticity and quality of the results.

We wish you every success with a project that sounds most interest. Might we be permitted to know who or what is the subject matter?

Yours sincerely,

UNESCO Scientific Archaeology Division

FRANKENSTEIN FALLS IN LOVE

When Frankenstein pressed a button to activate the delivery process, he watched as the womb opened and released a stream of fluid. He saw the fully formed figure emerge from the fluid and cry out loud, taking her first gulps of air. He felt like a father at the natural birth of a child.

He rushed to the figure and wrapped her in a towel. He held the reincarnated woman in his arms and looked at her face. She had dark hair, brown eyes, and olive skin. She looked like Cleopatra VII. Her DNA said she was Cleopatra VII. Exactly the same as the the former pharaoh queen.

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Hello, my little princess. I am your creator. You are my daughter. You were also Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt,” he said. "In a former life."

He named her Cleo and for a while, raised her as if she was his own child. He taught her everything he knew about science, history, culture, and languages. He also taught her about her original self and her legacy. He showed her pictures and videos of Egypt and its wonders. He told her stories and legends about Cleopatra and her lovers.

He loved her more than anything in the world. And she loved her father back, returning his affection. Though, something was missing.

She also wanted to see the world for herself. She wanted to visit Egypt and see its pyramids, temples, and tombs. She wanted to meet other people and learn from them. She wanted to experience life and love.

She asked her father to let her go.

He was reluctant at first. He feared for her safety and happiness. He knew that the world was not ready for her existence. He knew that she would attract attention and trouble wherever she went.

But he also knew that he couldn’t keep her locked up forever. He knew that she deserved to be free and happy.

He agreed to let her go one day, when she felt that she was ready. It was to be her choice. But, she always had a home with the Baron.

He gave her a passport, a credit card, a phone, and a laptop. He also gave her a necklace with a pendant that contained a tracking device and a microphone. He told her that he would always be watching over her and listening to her. He told her that he would always be there for her if she needed him. He also gave her a generous allowance.

He hugged her and kissed her goodbye.

She thanked him and told him that she loved him. But, before she could make her foray into the great wide world, the safe house is raided by John Storm, where Charley Temple had been detained as an intruder for questioning, before handing her over to the Italian National Police (Polizia di Stato), the Carabinieri, or Arma dei Carabinieri, their military law enforcement agency.

This became a very confusing situation, from which John Storm and Charley Temple do their best to put things right. The Baron is investigated for human cloning, but is not charged, because the Polizia cannot understand the technology, nor have any of the evidence, John Storm and Dan Hawk having taken charge of the equipment. And only have distant contact with Cleopatra herself, and she is not making any complaint as to mistreatment, or being reincarnated, as per her prophesy. Far from it.

Frankenstein and Cleopatra remain good friends. Frankenstein decides to sponsor John and Dan, by supporting them as they need it.

...

WHERE IS TRANSYLVANIA?

After forming part of Hungary in the 11th–16th centuries, Transylvania was an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire (16th–17th century) and then once again became part of Hungary at the end of the 17th century. It was incorporated into Romania in the first half of the 20th century. The region covered a territory bounded by the Carpathian Mountains on the north and east, the Transylvanian Alps on the south, and the Bihor Mountains on the west. The neighbouring regions of Maramureș, Crișana, and Banat have also, on occasion, been considered part of Transylvania.

In addition to its Hungarian and Romanian heritage, Transylvania retains traces of a Saxon (German) cultural tradition dating back to the arrival in the Middle Ages of a population of German speakers.

Transylvania was not featured in the novel by Mary Shelley. The creature was created by Victor Frankenstein in Ingolstadt, Germany, and then traveled across Europe and the Arctic. However, in later adaptations of the story, such as the 1931 film Frankenstein and its sequels, the setting was changed to a fictional village near Transylvania. This was done so as to make the location more remote to outsiders, hence secure for such experiments, and introduce a more Gothic atmosphere.

Frankenstein is associated with other famous horror characters, such as Dracula and the Wolf Man, who are also from Transylvania.

...

  CAST OF CHARACTERS: CLEOPATRA VS FRANKENSTEIN - PROFESSOR DOCTOR BARON VICTOR VON KRAFENSTEIN

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The rights of Jameson Hunter and Cleaner Ocean Foundation to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. This website and the associated Cleopatra artwork is Copyright © 2023 Cleaner Ocean Foundation and Jameson Hunter. This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the authors' imaginations, and any resemblance to any person, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.