21Sr CENTURY' SCIENCE & TECHNOLOG¥ Vol

21sr CENTURY' SCIENCE & TECHNOLOG¥ Vol. 13, No.2 Summer 2000 Features News SPECIAL REPORT SOl Revisited: In Defense of Strategy 18 13 AIDS and Infectious Diseases Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. Declared Threat to U.S. In order that society might enjoy the benefits of discovered National Security universal physical principles, it is essential to engage cooperation Colin Lowry among the higher, cognitive processes of individual persons. The modern concept of "information," embedded in today's educational IN MEMORIAM and scientific practice, makes such further advancement of 16 Giuliano Preparata (1942-2000): cognition, and therefore of science, impossible. Such are the kind A Physicist in Dialogue of underlying matters which must be addressed, to grasp the flaw in With Nature the arguments surrounding today's missile-defense debate. Emilio del Giudice, Ph.D. ENVIRONMENT 44 It's Time to Tell the Truth About the 60 Yes, the Ocean Has Warmed; Health Benefits of Low-Dose Radiation No, It's Not 'Global Warming' James Muckerheide Dr. Robert E. Stevenson Low-dose radiation is documented to be beneficial for human health but, for political reasons, radiation is assumed to be harmful at any dose. Radiation-protection scientists, and others, who cover De artments up the data that contradict present policy should be investigated for p 2 EDITORIAL misconduct. Science Vs. The Human Genome Hype 56 Russian Discovery Challenges Existence of I Absolute Time' 3 LETTERS Jonathan Tennenbaum 4 RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS Russian scientists discover unexpected regularities in radioactive Cascade Mountain Uplift May decay, linked to astronomical cycles Explain Strengthening Ice Age Cycle Jack Sauers Fruitsof Genetic Tinkering 8 NEWS BRIEFS Are Headedfor U.S. Tables 10 VIEWPOINT Genetically Engineered Crops Can Feed the Wo rld! Genetically engineered Dr. Channaputra S. Prakash crops can help fe ed the world, and, as Dr. C.S. 66 BOOKS Prakash states bluntly in On the cover: A strategic flank that the Viewpoint (p . 70), it is changed the world: Washington Crossing irresponsible and immoral the Delaware, Christmas Day, 1776, as fo r the well-fed to spear depicted by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, head fe ar-based cam Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Cover design by Alan paigns against the tech Yue . nology. EDITORIAL STAFF EDITORIAL Edltor-in;Chief Laurence Hecht Managing Editor Marjarie Mazel Hecht Science vs. Associate Editors Elijah C, Boyd David CherrY The' Human Genome Hype Marsha Freeman Calin M. Lawry 90 Ragelia A. Madura he sequencing of approximately ever, this approach runs into an insolu Elisabeth Pascali Tpercent of the human genome has ble problem in accounting for the regu Charles B. Stevens been hailed by President Clinton as a lation of gene activity, by creating an Books great breakthrough of our time, and has endless string of kinetic events of David Cherry been compared to the discovery of a enzymes binding to DNA sequences, Art Director "Book of Life" by most of the popular and DNA being transcribed into press. Well, the President could have Rasemary Maak enzymes. By this logic, the cell is called a press conference a few years reduced to a complex series of chemi Advertising Manager ago, saying we had sequenced 60 per cal reactions, that in principle are no Marsha Free'nlan cent of the genome, so what has changed, different from a machine. The Human SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD why now is it a "breakthrough"? Genome Project is dominated by this Francesco.Celani, Ph.D. The Human Genome Project is not a type of linear assumption, which then Hugh W, Ellsaesser, Ph.D. scientific breakthrough at all. Lost in all asserts itself onto the intrinsically non Bertha Farfan, M.D. James Frazer, Ph.D. the hype, is the reality that we don't linear living process, mentally blocking John Grauerholz, M.D. know what 97 percent of the DNA off the chance for real discoveries about Emmanuel Grenier already sequenced means. A break what makes living processes unique. Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. through in science signifies that a new Although it will be useful to have a Wolfgang Ljllge, M.D. principle has been discovered that two-dimensional map of the sequence Ramtanu Maitra B.A. Saldano, Ph.D. changes our previous assumptions. The of the genome, it doesn't tell us any Robert E. Steyel'lson, Ph.D. sequencing of the DNA of the genome thing about the function of any of the Jonathan Te nnenbaum, Ph.D. has been going on for decades, yet no genes. What a gene actually does can Daniel R. Wells, Ph.D. new principle about living systems has only be learned from real experiments, 21st Century Science & Te chnology been learned from it alone. The identi examining the activity of the gene in a (ISSN 0895-6820) is published 4 times a year in 2000, every third month, by 21st Cen fication of gene sequences that are living cel l. tury Science Associates, 60 Sycolin Road, invo lved in inherited diseases has 3-D Structure, for Example Suite 203, Leesburg, Va . 201 75. Te l. (703) been usefu l for early screening and One example of how limited is the 777-7473. · . Address all correspandence to.21 st Cen treatment of people at risk, although usefu lness of the linear sequencing that tury, P.O. Box 16285, Washington, D.C. the development of treatments has has been accomplished, can be seen by 20041 . Second-class postage is paid at Lees come from entirely different areas of considering the problem of three burg, Va . and additional mailing offices. research. The Human Genome Project dimensional position. The activity of a 21st Century is dedicated to the pramo is baSically a brute-force application of gene is controlled first by its three tion of unending scientific progress, all directed to.serve the proper common aims of automated DNA sequencing tech dimensional structure and location mankind. niques, which have become quicker within a chromosome. The familiar Opinions expressed in articles are nat nec essarily those of 21 st Century Science Asso and more sophisticated over the years. double-helix structure of a single DNA ciates or the scientific advisory board. Behind the hype is a more devastat strand is actually wound around myriad We are not responsible far unsalicited ing error of method, associated with the protei ns, and packed and reshaped at manuscripts. '... Subscriptions by mail are $25 for 6.issues reductionist assumptions of Information several levels of organization within a ar $48 for 12 issues in the USA and Canada. Theory that dominate nearly all scien chromosome. DNA can be wound up Airmail subscriptions to. other countries are $50 for 6 issues. Back issues are $5 each tific thinking today. Just as Information into loops, or structures resembling an ($6 foreign). Payments must be in U.S. cur Theory applied to the human mind can electrical solenoid. When DNA is pack rency. never describe the generation of a new aged very tightly, it is in an inactive POSTMASTER: Send address changes to.21st CenturY, P.O. Box 16285, Washing thought, the sequencing of the so-called state, and cannot be transcribed by ton, D.C. 200'41 .0285. DNA code can never describe life. The enzymes into messenger RNA, the first Website' radical reductionist view of the Human step toward making a protein based on www.21stcenturysciencetech.com Genome Project rests on genetic deter the gene sequence. None of the gene's minism: whatever happens in the cell is activity, or three-dimensional structure Copyright © 2000 21 st Century Science Associates said to be "all in the genes." can be known from the linear sequence. This view turns living processes A classic example of the importance Printed in the USA ISSN 0895-682 upside down, and views the cell as of the three-dimensional structure regu existing fo r the sake of the DNA. How- lating gene activity comes from the 2 Summer 2000 21 st CENTURY EDITORIAL hemoglobin gene fa mily, which is would give us the kinds of break the field fooling themselves into think developmentally regulated. In human throughs that may make the DNA ing that this type of "speculative" beings, the genes that code for the pro sequence information usefu l. For exam research will lead to a breakthrough, tein are found in the same region of the ple, how many researchers are looking which even if fo und, will ever be used chromosome. Looking at the DNA in a at the electromagnetic characteristics of for the benefit of the health of the pub linear way, scientists assumed that the living systems, or the potential of three lic? The next time someone tries to sel l regulatory region of the DNA for the dimensional DNA structure to act as an you a "Book of Life," it would be wise hemog lobin family would be in close electromagnetic transmitter and to ask who the author is. proximity to the gene sequences, but it receiver? Where is the research looking For clarity, we should add that we do was not found there. for the fundamental diffe rences between not in any way endorse the argument After research revealed that the three living and non-living processes? Most of that because advanced genetic research dimensional structure and location of it has been sidelined, while private could be used for extremely evil pur the hemoglobin family was crucial to its research efforts, like that of Celera, are poses, it should therefore be stopped. regulation, researchers discovered that conducted for the purpose of "privatiz Horror scenarios could be, and are, con the DNA region that regu lates the pat ing" the use of the ,human genome, ceived in connection with nearly all tern of expression of the genes was very through patents and other means.

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