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Anne Mclaren (1927–2007) Committees NEWS & VIEWS NATURE|Vol 448|16 August 2007 OBITUARIES imprinting and the X chromosome. McLaren’s knowledge and wisdom made her a valuable member of many societies and Anne McLaren (1927–2007) committees. Of particular significance was her membership of the Warnock Committee, which advised the British parliament on Inspiring reproductive biologist and mammalian geneticist. potential developments in reproductive medicine and subsequently led to the 1990 On 6 July, Anne McLaren spent a busy day ovulation in mice, retrieved fertilized embryos Human Fertilisation and Embryology at the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, where from one strain and transferred them into Act. For ten years, McLaren served with she had worked since 1992. She prepared a females of the other. They found that the the Human Fertilisation and Embryology talk for a meeting in Germany and answered uterine environment influences the outcome. Authority, which regulated the practice of a large number of e-mails. In the afternoon, This work was the precursor to a human in vitro fertilization in Britain, and she she attended a group leaders’ meeting, as collaboration with John Biggers, with whom continued to participate in many important always paying close attention and ready to she showed that early mouse embryos could debates on the ethics of reproductive offer sensible advice. Towards the end of be cultured for a day or two in vitro and technologies and stem cells. However, her the day, she chatted with colleagues and go on to develop into adult animals after concerns were not restricted to human asked questions about some recent stem-cell transplantation into the uteri of surrogate welfare — she was also a co-founder of the publications. She left promising to continue females. This study was to capture the public Frozen Ark Project, which aims to collect the the discussion. Sadly, this was to be her last imagination. And it provided an essential DNA and cells of endangered animals before working day. backdrop to reproductive research in humans they become extinct. Anne McLaren had an extraordinary life, that led to the development of in vitro McLaren held many prominent offices. both personally and professionally. The fertilization. She was the first female officer of the Royal daughter of industrialist Henry McLaren, McLaren continued her flourishing Society, serving as its foreign secretary from Second Baron Aberconway, and his wife work on reproductive biology and early 1991 to 1996. In this capacity, she travelled Christabel McNaughten, in 1945 she development at the ARC Unit of Animal extensively to stimulate and promote embarked on the study of zoology at the Genetics in Edinburgh, and in 1974 she excellence in science. No matter where she University of Oxford because for her this was returned to University College London as went, she travelled with a single rucksack and an easier option than reading English, for the director of the newly established MRC a plastic bag full of research papers. Among which the entrance examination required Mammalian Development Unit. During this many other offices, she was president of the too much reading in too little time. She period, she wrote two highly influential books: British Association for the Advancement completed her doctoral studies in 1952, and Mammalian Chimaeras (1976) and Germ Cells of Science, the Association for Women in moved to University College London. There and Soma (1981). She became increasingly Science and Engineering, and the British she began her studies on mouse genetics and interested in germ cells — the cells involved Fertility Society. In all of these capacities, reproduction with her colleague Donald in reproduction — which she described as McLaren particularly enjoyed the opportunity Michie, whom she married that same year. “the most fascinating cells of all”. She was to engage with young and aspiring scientists. Initially, McLaren’s research interest was also interested in sex determination, genetic Indeed, she was an enthusiastic and in the interactions between genes and popular teacher at the annual Mouse the environment. One of her findings Embryology Course at Cold Spring — now often ignored in bioassays and Harbor Laboratory in New York. drug testing in mice — demonstrated She received many awards and prizes that, compared with the offspring of for her work; she was elected to the a cross-strain mating, inbred strains Royal Society in 1975 and received of mice showed greater variability its Gold Medal in 1990. She was also in their response to stress. These a joint recipient of the Japan Prize, ideas were elegantly recaptured in a and of the March of Dimes Prize in review, “Too late for the midwife toad”, Developmental Biology. written more than 40 years later. The Anne McLaren was frugal in her article encompasses not only Conrad personal life, but displayed great Waddington’s theories of canalization generosity towards those who sought and the inheritance of apparently her help; she always had a spare acquired characteristics, but also the bed for a visitor or student who recent molecular explanations for needed a refuge. She was passionate morphological evolution based on about social justice, and frequently studies in flies. emphasized that scientific advances But McLaren’s abiding interest in should be for the welfare of all. She “everything involved with getting from was a member of the Communist one generation to the next” began with Party of Great Britain during the cold an observation on the differences in war, was committed to socialism, and the number of lumbar vertebrae in enthusiastically participated in anti- two strains of inbred mice. She wanted war demonstrations. At the ceremony to know whether such variability was at which she received her joint award due to inherent differences between of the Japan Prize, Anne chose to the embryos of the two strains or hear Where have all the flowers gone? because of differences in their uterine sung by Joan Baez as “a lament for environments. To answer this question, all wars”, and John Lennon’s Imagine, McLaren and her colleagues induced which she said is “about a world of 764 NATURE|Vol 448|16 August 2007 NEWS & VIEWS peace and love and social harmony”. scientists have been established in their time and money. Its criticisms were so fierce McLaren and Michie had three children memories. as to cause a scandal. It was the only ‘internal’ together. Although they had divorced in Azim Surani and Jim Smith research-council report to be published, 1959, they remained good friends and Azim Surani and Jim Smith are at the Wellcome together with extensive rebuttals — including started to live together again in 2005. They Trust Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, nine pages from Michie. died together in a car accident on 7 July Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK. The Lighthill report stalled AI research 2007, while travelling from Cambridge to e-mails: [email protected]; in Britain for a decade. Morale and funding London. Memorial funds in support of young [email protected] reached a low ebb, with several prominent researchers fleeing to the United States. Michie was also sidelined at Edinburgh: a new Department of Artificial Intelligence was formed and inherited most of its predecessor’s resources, whereas Michie was Donald Michie (1923–2007) put in charge of an independent Machine Father of artificial intelligence in Britain. Intelligence Research Unit, and forbidden to work on robotics. Research in AI was officially rehabilitated Donald Michie was a man of many parts, virtually single-handed. ten years later, when in 1982 Japan launched irrepressible energy and great personal His first task was to overcome what he later its ‘Fifth Generation project’, a huge financial charisma. His first significant scientific called “the national computer-blindness”. and industrial commitment to base its future contribution came in the field of genetics. Even Britain’s science minister in the early economy on AI, predicting world supremacy With his second wife Anne McLaren, tragically 1960s knew nothing of the wartime code- as a result. The response, in Britain as in the killed in the same car accident in which he busting efforts, and thought that ‘computing’ United States, was an injection of government died, he published research in the 1950s meant desk calculators. funds into both military and civilian AI that helped lay the groundwork During his relentless lobbying, research. Michie’s urbane comment was for modern reproductive Michie persuaded the Royal that the Lighthill incident had been a technology, and later Society to provide “a few “mishap of scientific politics” due to all-too- earned him a Pioneer hundred pounds” to human frailties — specifically, “nothing but Award, with enable him, with ignorance at the top”. McLaren, from Bernard Meltzer, Michie’s contributions to the theory of the International to set up a small AI began in the 1960s, when a colleague Embryo Transfer AI research group had insisted that learning machines were Society. But even at the University impossible, and had challenged Michie to while developing of Edinburgh in prove him wrong. Edinburgh still lacked those ideas, he 1963. Its existence a digital computer, and so Michie built “a became inspired by a was made official contraption of matchboxes and glass beads” very different scientific as the Experimental to master the art of noughts and crosses passion: intelligent machines. Programming Unit in 1965, (tic-tac-toe). He called it the Matchbox He had first encountered this and in 1967 it became the Department Educable Noughts And Crosses Engine, or revolutionary idea in the company of Alan of Machine Intelligence and Perception. MENACE. He followed that in 1968 with the Turing at Britain’s code-breaking centre, Right from the start, the department received first reinforcement-learning program, the ‘pole Bletchley Park, during the Second World frequent visits from AI pioneers in the United balancer’, involving a pole balancing on a cart.
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