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September 1971
child in
1967
told scientists at the
Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel
that he regarded cloning people as a
near
possibility. But the very possibility
brings up vital questions which demaod
answers: Who would be allowed to
clone themselves? What kiod of con–
trols would be established? And who
would control the controllers? And
most basic:
Should
cloning be done at
all?
T est-tube Babies?
Another avenue of current research
involves the production of test-tube
babies and generates the same important
questions.
ltalian experimental scientist and sur–
geon Daniele Petrucci has taken a fe–
mate ovum, immersed it in amniotic
fluid and then admitted male sperm.
One of the sperm fertilized the
egg. The embryo lived for twenty–
nine days, when the experiment was
terminated.
Will society one day in the not-too–
distant future have artificial "baby fac–
tories" so women will no longer carry
their offspring in their wombs? Will
the "bother'' of pregnancy be avoided
?
Will the very words "Mother" and
"family" - in the sense we use them
- become obsolete? Will we see com–
puterized baby factories to produce
babies, and computerized educational
factories, so "parents" would no longer
have to bother with teaching their "chil–
dren," toilet training, feeding, diaper–
ing, nursing, dothing, or caring for
their infants?
These are sorne of the ideas held out
as possibilities for tomorrow. But do
any of us really
want
such a world as
that?
No doubt, unless something happens
to stop it, sooner or later many women
will prefer the comfort and ease of test–
tube pregnancies to the rigors of normal
pregnancy and childbirth. No more
morning sickness, no more kicking
baby, no more labor pains. But with
such "convenience" may also come a
host of serious medica! and social side
effects which science hasn't even
begun
to recognize.
The
PLAIN TRUTH
From Genetic Microsurgery
Another aspect of the biological revo–
lution is man's growing ability to tam–
per with human heredity itself.
Molecular biologists have already
begun to crack the "code of life." They
have studied the basic building blocks
of all hereditary characteristics - the
DNA ( deoxyribonucleic acid) molecule.
Although scientists are as yet in the
Pocilic Science
Foundotion
CRACKING THE "CODE OF
LIFE"
-
Girl stands next to
model of ONA molecule.
kindergarten stage of really under–
staoding the structure of human DNA,
and precisely what govems what in the
sequence of genetic events, they are
gathering knowledge at a rapid rate.
British scientist Dr. James Danielli
announced in
1970
that he and his
25
coUeagues succeeded in putting together
a living cell from isolated parts. Thcy
removed the nucleus and sorne
cytoplasm from an amoeba, and then in–
serted cytoplasm and a new nucleus
from other amoeba, and about
80
percent of the reassembled organisms
lived.
On another frontier of biology, scien–
tists at the University of Wisconsin
announced recently they had assembled
the ficst totally synthetic gene. Dr. H.
Gobind Khorana, co-winner of the
1968
Nobel Prize for medicine, and his
team built their gene from simple
organic chemicals. According to him,
the structuring of a gene opens thc way
for man to manipulate the biology of
living things, including man. This could
lead to future genetic planning of
people, "tailoring people to fit patterns,
turning out athletes or intellectuals."
Already scientists are able to modify
hecedity by crude methods, such as X–
ray bombardment, use of chemical
mutagens - but invariably the resultant
chaoge is detrimcntal and often lethal
to the organism.
Though current techniques are crude,
geneticists foresee the possibility of tin–
kering with genes and performing gen–
etic surgery to delete unwanted genes,
supply missing genes, or even to change
existing genes.
Such microsurgery may be achieved
by pulsed X-rays, laser light beams or
other radiation. Scientists hope that
eventually they will be able to examine
human embryos and to use such surgical
techniques to eliminate specific genetic
defects such as hemophilia.
... to Creation of NEW
CREATURES
From the current embryonic knowl–
edge of genetics, it is a long step to
actually producing mao-made genetic
blueprints. But, says Albert Rosenfcld,
"When this kind of biochemical sophis–
tication has been attained, when man
can write out detailed genetic messages
of his own,
his powers become
tmly
godlike" (The Second Genesis,
p.
143).
Man is now considering the idea that