Marketing geniuses at Liquid Death, a brand of canned water, had rocker Ozzy Osbourne autograph and drink 10 cans of their iced tea. The empty cans, which are purported to contain trace amounts of DNA from his saliva, were then carefully placed into a glass container and sold for $450.

The product was dubbed “Infinitely Recyclable Ozzy” and sold out minutes after going live on June 17, 2025. The premise was that Ozzy’s DNA could be harnessed from these cans and used to recycle (i.e., clone) the rock star, if and when such an act becomes ethically permissible.

“Clone me, you bastards!” Ozzy exclaims.

Ozzy’s DNA Contains Interesting Features

This isn’t the first time Ozzy Osbourne’s DNA has been in the news. I’m a biomedical scientist and author of the book, Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are. In my chapter on addiction, I wrote how Ozzy was actively sought out by scientists eager to sequence his genome in 2010. In addition to providing insights into genes and creativity, the researchers were hoping his DNA sequence would reveal how he survived decades of hardcore drinking and substance abuse.

Ozzy’s genome revealed some potentially interesting features, including a never-before-seen variation in a gene called ADH4. This gene makes an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which works in the liver to detoxify alcohol. It has been postulated that Ozzy’s ADH4 variant allowed him to detoxify alcohol faster than the average person. If true, that helps explain why he could rapidly drink an unusually high amount of alcohol. Based on Ozzy’s genomic variants, scientists concluded that he is six times more likely to be addicted to alcohol.

Since 2010, a great deal more has been learned from sequencing the genomes of people suffering from alcoholism and comparing them to those who do not. Several studies have found aberrations in genes associated with the GABA pathway in the brain. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that calms the brain down. It is speculated that people with defects in GABA have an overactive brain and may use alcohol to quiet their racing thoughts.

Of course, the drawback to self-medicating an overactive brain with alcohol is that tolerance to it is built up, requiring more and more to achieve the same effect. This downward spiral can lead to alcohol dependence.

The upshot is that Ozzy’s DNA did not provide a clear picture as to why he was able to survive so many years of alcoholism. Despite interesting variations in some genes, none have been substantiated to be directly related to alcoholism in follow-up research. Much more must be done to understand how genes contribute to complex behaviors. As I wrote in my book, Ozzy’s genome sequence remains “a blizzard of Ozz.”

Why the DNA on These Cans Will Not Make Another Ozzy

Sorry to disappoint, but there is no way someone can clone Ozzy Osbourne—or anyone else. Even if his complete DNA sequence could be retrieved intact, successfully transplanted into an egg, and safely brought to term, the resulting child would not be the Ozzy Osbourne we know today.

The cloned child is likely to resemble Ozzy physically. This is not guaranteed, however, as subtle variations in the in utero environment shared by identical twins can produce differences despite their identical genomes. The mother’s environment, including diet, possible infections, stress, or exposure to toxins and pollutants, could also alter the recycled Ozzy’s appearance or behavior through a process called fetal programming.

The Ozzy clone’s genes would continue to be programmed and reprogrammed throughout his life, depending on environmental factors and unique experiences. Since the recycled Ozzy would grow up in an environment that is wildly different than the first Ozzy, it is virtually impossible to ensure that the clone’s genes will operate like those in the original Ozzy.

In other words, your genes are only part of the equation that makes you who you are. The role of the environment cannot be understated, as it can alter genetic activity. The study of how the environment changes gene activity is called epigenetics, and this mechanism explains why identical twins sometimes look or act differently as they age despite being clones of one another. You can think of your genes as the piano, but the environment plays the song.

A familiar example illustrating the intimate relationship between genes and environment is height. Ozzy Osbourne is 5 feet 10 inches tall. If the recycled Ozzy grew up in a nutrient-poor environment, he is unlikely to achieve that height. Conversely, if he were well-nourished, he could surpass the original Ozzy’s height.

Genetic mutations could also occur during cloning or as the embryo develops. Depending on which genes are affected, these variations could produce physical or psychological changes in the recycled Ozzy.

Finally, we cannot neglect the significant roles that other people and situations play in shaping our interests and who we become. Ozzy got into music thanks to Beatlemania, which would not exist in the recycled Ozzy’s world. True, another musical inspiration could steer him that way, but it is conceivable that he becomes a scientist, perhaps a chiropterologist.

Ozzy was also raised in a stressful environment surrounded by people who drank heavily. Quenching anxiety with alcohol was intimately woven into the culture he was exposed to, a culture that the recycled Ozzy is not likely to inhabit.

Like you and everyone else, Ozzy is one of a kind! Personality and behavior are shaped by a complex interaction between genes and environment, and, just like you cannot step into the same river twice, you cannot clone an exact replica of another person.

Cloning merely produces another individual with the same DNA, but they will be unlike the original in many ways. For fans who want Ozzy forever, there’s no need to despair—you can enjoy “Infinite Ozzy” simply by listening to his music on loop.