| The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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Life on the Edge It's A Question Of Breeding Keith K. Howell Those three monkeys who could neither see, hear, nor smell evil must have been direct ancestors of the “three chimpanzees” species currently extant—common chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees, and humans, their closest relative. Evil leads to antagonism and antagonism leads to aggression, and these three species have evolved all manner of behaviors to help them avoid a fight. Nina Jablonski in “The Three Chimpanzees” describes the various methods we use to reduce tension, including, in the case of Homo sapiens, becoming permanently bipedal to look potential foes full in the face. But it is the pygmy chimpanzees, or bonobos, that have come up with the most conciliatory activity of all. Recently, there has been a lot of aggression over a new technology that threatens to revolutionize our lives: stem cell research. Among those at the forefront of this activity is Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), who I recently interviewed. As a student, Lanza found opportunities to study under Jonas Salk, Christian Barnaard, and B.F. Skinner. Today, he is making his own breakthroughs in two areas of science. One is animal cloning, especially of high-yield agricultural animals. But ACT has also offered assistance to other organizations cloning recently extinct and near-extinct species. And though such animals are obviously facing a genetic bottleneck, cloned cells inserted into an egg and assisted by the womb of a closely related species offers the possibility of continuity. (One area in which his company is not directly involved is cloning pets—their owners are destined for disappointment.) Lanza’s other area of expertise is in the remarkable field of tissue engineering, otherwise referred to as nuclear transplantation or therapeutic cloning. Technologies now exist to transform stem cells into whatever type of cell is needed to repair a damaged organ—the liver, heart, kidney, etc. Once these cells are injected into a patient, they adapt to fulfill their needed role. There are many hurdles to overcome, probably the highest of which has been erected in Washington, D.C. But the genie is out of the bottle, and the only question that remains is which country, or countries, will allow the research. One activity that Lanza’s company has no interest in is cloning human beings. Another issue centered on breeding concerns the Lahontan cutthroat trout, a magnificent fish that evolved in Lake Lahontan, which covered much of the Great Basin 8,000 years ago. Climate change dried up much of the lake, but the fish survived in pockets such as Nevada’s Pyramid Lake. When word got out, the fishing fraternity descended. But a series of dams, together with development around Reno, have proved far more injurious. Now two teams are competing to restore the Lahontan. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is attempting to recreate the best genetic match. Meanwhile, the Paiute Indians, looking for a little more action in Pyramid Lake, are breeding them the old-fashioned way, where bigger is best. Betsy Mason in “Legend of the Lahontan Trout” writes about the likelihood of success for either venture. Stars evolve with less apparent external interference, at least from us. Yet they, too, have their entrances and their exits, and one atom in its everlasting life plays many parts, moving from sun to sun and from hydrogen to helium and on up the periodic table. In Bing Quock’s “A Star is Reborn,” we learn about the intricacies of this progression and the questions yet to be tackled. Replacement organs will not let us rival the lifespans of suns, but our descendants may one day live long enough to learn the answers. Keith K. Howell is Editor of California Wild. |