Scientists are to study Ozzy Osbourne in a bid to find out why he is still going strong after a life noted for its excesses.

DNA researchers in St Louis said they are part of a team working to determine why decades of substance abuse did not end the reign of the 61-year-old Prince of Darkness.

Jon Armstrong is chief marketing officer for St Louis-based Cofactor Genomics.

He said Osbourne asked a Massachusetts human genomics company to map his DNA. Cofactor is partnering in the effort.

Mr Armstrong said the mapping may not offer definitive answers about the longtime Black Sabbath frontman's relative longevity. But it could help understanding of the relationship between DNA and the environment.

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