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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS holding test tubes, since I wanted to be like my father—a chemist. On a Saturday afternoon in October 1957, Life on the River of Science Dad came across the meadow to where my brothers and I were playing ball to bring us Peter Agre home for dinner. As we walked, he spoke of the breaking news story on the radio: the THE YEAR 2010 MARKED THE CENTENNIAL Although it occurred more than 50 years launching of Sputnik. We scanned the sky of Mark Twain’s death. More than any other ago, I distinctly recall Wernher von Braun and failed to see the satellite, but it was no American author, Twain exemplifi ed the use discussing rocketry and space travel. In an less real. More than any other single event, of personal anecdotes to illustrate events in unforgettable Disney program, University the launching of Sputnik began a remarkable our nation’s history. With this in mind, I will of California Berkeley Nobel laureate Glenn renewal of the already strong American sup- attempt to share my experiences in science, Seaborg provided a remarkable demonstra- port for science. The motivation was based on beginning one half-century ago, with a view tion of the chemical chain reaction. Holding the national humiliation of being beaten into for how we as individuals are part of the great a spring-loaded mousetrap with a ping-pong space by our adversary, the Soviet Union, but river that science has become. ball on it, he sprung the trap and the ball the outcome was very positive. It is my hope to stimulate young scien- fl ew. The camera then panned a room with The outpouring of funds for science and tists and inform the nonscientifi c public that the fl oor covered with activated mousetraps, science education affected us directly. Dad achieving success in science involves several each with a ping-pong ball on it. Seaborg wrote a National Science Foundation Fellow- features. But if my experience is represen- tossed in one ping-pong ball, and within sec- ship that allowed us to move to Berkeley, Cal- tative, the most important features include onds the room was a cloud of fl ying mouse- ifornia, for a sabbatical year at the University basic curiosity, the will to take chances, traps and ping-pong balls. of California. Perhaps resembling the Nor-

and the generous attention of family mem- on January 28, 2011 bers and teachers. Probably for most indi- viduals who became scientists during this time, guarantees of fi nancial success were not considered, and with no large fortune to lose, it is no surprise that many scientists came from America’s large middle class.

Science and Growing Up in the 1950s While I was a child in the 1950s, “science” www.sciencemag.org was a word familiar to American schoolchil- dren. Just a decade earlier, the end of World War II, brought about by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, made everyone aware that we had entered the nuclear age. Because the polio epidemic

had touched tens of thousands of American Downloaded from Seal River enters Hudson Bay, 2004 families, the name of vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk was universally recognized. The widespread introduction of tele- Of course, actual hands-on science wegian equivalent of the Beverly Hillbillies, vision into American homes in the 1950s trumped even television, and having a father we packed our old Chevrolet station wagon allowed American children to see the special who was head of the department for the drive across the country. We arrived magic of science by watching Don Herbert at St. Olaf College, a small liberal arts school in Berkeley, a forward-thinking, multicultural as “Mr. Wizard” on Saturday mornings. On in the rolling farmlands of southern Minne- community markedly unlike our quiet farm- Sunday evenings, children viewed the Dis- sota, gave me opportunities available to few ing community in southern Minnesota. ney show, whose format refl ected the four children. My brothers and I marveled as we kingdoms of the Disneyland amusement added a drop of a colorless solution to a bea- A Family’s Scientifi c Hero park, one of which, Tomorrowland, focused ker containing another colorless solution Hero fi gures are important in the development on science. that instantly turned brilliant pink. Addi- of a child. During our year in California, we tion of a drop from a third solution caused became familiar with Dad’s new colleagues, the pink color to disappear again. What we including a chemist from Caltech with whom Peter Agre is university professor and director of the Johns Hopkins Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins fi rst viewed as “magic” became understand- Dad served on the American Chemical Soci- Bloomberg School of Public Health. He served as the presi- able when we learned about alkali, acid, and ety Education Committee. dent of the American Association for the Advancement of indicator dyes. Marked by the experience, had an exuberant personal- Science (AAAS) from February 2009 to February 2010. I recall our third-grade teacher asking us ity, and we got to know him when he stayed at This article is adapted from the Presidential Address he delivered at the AAAS Annual Meeting in San Diego on 18 to draw ourselves as adults performing our our house. Eating cornfl akes at the breakfast February 2010. life’s work. I proudly drew a picture of a table with the tall, grinning Pauling, wearing BOB FRENCH CREDIT:

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a black beret over his curly white hair, was a farm girl who never had the simply unforgettable. Dad always beamed opportunity to attend college, about Pauling, who had received the 1954 was self-taught through a love for Chemistry for elucidating of reading. And she read to us the of the chemical bond and solv- every night from the children’s ing structures of proteins. That he discovered Bible as well as great books hemoglobin S, the molecular cause of sickle like the Laura Ingalls Wilder cell anemia, was no less astonishing. series. I remember snuggling In addition to his brilliant laboratory with my siblings on the sofa research, Pauling also had a unique role as a during cold Minnesota eve- science activist. Well known in the 1950s for nings as Mother read. his opposition to U.S. nuclear weapons devel- Although I was just a small opment, Pauling’s public visibility caused the child, it became obvious to me U.S. State Department to revoke his pass- that two of my five siblings port. Falsely accused of being a communist, were already manifesting life- Pauling frequently provoked the right wing long disabilities: a brother of American politics during and after the diagnosed with mental retarda- McCarthy era. tion and motor skill dysfunc- Lecturing prodigiously around the world, tion and a sister with a variant Pauling often presented technical lectures of Tourette syndrome and a about chemistry during the day and edu- lack of impulse control. While cational lectures to the public at night. my parents did not dwell on it

The public lectures focused on the danger excessively, we were neverthe- on January 28, 2011 of thermonuclear weapons testing, made less reminded that all were not internationally famous due to publication equivalently blessed, and we of his bestseller entitled No More War (1). were always encouraged to use A remarkable raconteur, Pauling conveyed our talents for the well-being nuclear testing information in terms that all of those less fortunate. could understand, saying that the dangers Also strongly encouraged that radioactive fallout held for the health of Linus Pauling, White House, 1962 in our Minnesota Norwegian innocent people had become an international Lutheran community was a crisis. Pauling seemingly used every possible reduced the tension of the nuclear arms race. sense of responsibility for those in the devel- www.sciencemag.org opportunity to speak out. As Kennedy was being buried in Arlington oping world. Medical missionaries were In April 1962, Pauling was one of 49 Cemetery, the Pauling family was prepar- widely respected throughout our community. Nobel laureates invited to a black tie dinner ing for his trip to Oslo to receive his second Minnesota Governor Al Quie’s sister, a nurse, at the White House hosted by President Ken- Nobel: the 1962 Peace Prize. and her husband, a surgeon, spent their entire nedy—an event Kennedy later recalled as Others have frequently commented on careers attending to the health needs of rural “the most extraordinary collection of talent, Pauling’s exceptional personality. Roughly 9 Cameroon. Even our congressman, Walter

of human knowledge, that has ever been gath- years ago at a reception in Stockholm, I had Judd, had spent a decade as a physician serv- Downloaded from ered together at the White House, with the the opportunity to meet James Watson. Hav- ing the poor in rural China. possible exception of when Thomas Jeffer- ing reread his classic The Double Helix (3) Having the opportunity to attend Augs- son dined alone.” Not about to miss an oppor- on a family wilderness canoe trip the summer burg College in , where Father tunity to publicly press for an end to nuclear before, I complimented Watson on the fi rst taught after leaving St. Olaf, I majored in testing, Pauling in shirtsleeves joined a pro- sentence—a grabber that draws the reader’s chemistry and received outstanding lec- test on the sidewalks around the White House attention: “I have never seen Francis Crick tures and laboratory experiences. Several of bearing a sign: “Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Macmil- in a modest mood.” Watson nodded when I my Augsburg classmates were from medi- lan, WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO TEST.” explained that Linus Pauling had been a fam- cal missionary families and had grown up in We viewed this at home on the evening ily friend, then grinned broadly and added, “I rural Africa, India, and Asia. This group pro- news. Apparently Kennedy was well aware have also never seen Linus Pauling in a mod- jected sincere altruism without any hint of of Pauling’s protest and was reported to have est mood.” To which I thought to myself, “Do self-promotion. smiled when meeting Pauling in the reception heroes really need to be modest?” Through an introduction to Richard line. Known for his wit, Kennedy remarked Varco, a 1955 Lasker Award–winning pio- that he understood that Pauling had been as a Scientifi c Career neer in heart surgery, I received the oppor- around the White House already (2). But My path to science came not from a pressing tunity to undertake summer research at the he recognized the signifi cance of Pauling’s ambition to become a prominent researcher University of Minnesota Heart Hospital. protests, and just 6 weeks before his assassi- but from a desire to pursue a career in med- The experience was pivotal in solidifying nation, the president signed the Limited Test icine. This was in part a cultural emphasis my interest in medicine. All fi ve of the sum- Ban Treaty, preventing nuclear arms testing learned early at home. As much as our father mer students I worked with have risen to

CREDIT: AP PHOTO CREDIT: in the atmosphere, an event that markedly emphasized math and science, our mother, leadership positions in leading institutions

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of academic medicine. Two of my younger lab led by , a brilliant Span- project, it was still not ready for fi eld testing, brothers must have reached the same con- ish-born physician scientist who had trained so I decided to remain an extra year as a post- clusion, since both have gone on to become at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) doctoral fellow in Pedro’s lab. This was con- medical doctors. with Christian Anfi nsen, who had shared the sidered highly questionable by the medical Accepted at medical school and hav- 1972 for estab- student advisors, as well as most of my medi- ing finished my college coursework early lishing that the primary sequence of a pro- cal school classmates, since graduating and in the winter of 1970, I had several months tein, staphylococcal nuclease, determined the becoming resident physicians are equivalent for an elective experience. I chose to use the structure and catalytic activity of the enzyme. to the Holy Grail for medical students. time backpacking throughout east, south- Although only in his 30s, Pedro had But for me, remaining associated with the east, and southern Asia and the Middle East. already achieved great recognition for pio- colorful members of Pedro’s team was much This allowed me the chance to view exotic neering the technique of “affi nity chroma- more exciting. The group included several places but also the opportunity to visit sites tography” to biological problems (4). This that had bypassed lucrative careers in clinical of medical research in Thailand and India novel concept used an insoluble matrix of medicine to follow their passions for science. that intrigued me greatly. Although “going polymeric beads to which small molecules Looking back years later, I think it was clearly native” often brings unwanted experiences had been covalently attached, and through the people in Pedro’s lab that made science with traveler’s diarrhea and other maladies, which complicated biological mixtures such irresistibly appealing to me: Vann; Gianfredo I survived the experience excited about the as cytoplasm or solubilized membranes Puca, a debonair Neopolitan fi lm actor who prospect of global health research at Johns could be filtered. Using affinity chroma- revolutionized the understanding of feminin- Hopkins University, renowned for its interna- tography, success had been achieved in iso- ity by purifying the estrogen receptor; Igna- tional programs. lating, for the fi rst time, receptors for hor- cio Sandoval, a Spanish leftist whose love mones such as insulin, epidermal growth of biology was only exceeded by his hatred Early Research Experiences factor, and estrogen. For this work, Pedro of the Franco regime; Naji Sahyoun, a loyal

Probably the most important experience was to subsequently share the 1987 Wolf Palestinian; and Marvin Siegel, the son of an on January 28, 2011 for any young scientist is the opportunity to Foundation Prize in Medicine. Despite the orthodox rabbi, became lifelong best friends join an exciting laboratory. Although algo- fame he achieved from affi nity chromatog- after working closely together in the lab. And rithms may exist for matching students with raphy, Pedro always labs, my experience suggested that personal encouraged us to seek contact may be much more informative. As important biological a fi rst-year medical student at Johns Hop- problems, rather than kins, I became close personal friends with simply seeking prob- Vann Bennett, a fellow medical student lems to apply our tech- who had been a Stanford wrestler and a big- nical repertoire to. www.sciencemag.org wave surfer in Hawaii. Vann and I shared a After purifi cation of love for vigorous physical exercise, such as cholera toxin in 1970 bicycle camping trips throughout the Appa- and recognition that lachians. Vann’s fascination with biochemis- ganglioside membrane try was something that I grew to admire, and lipids served as recep- I envied his special bravado—often skipping tor sites, Pedro entered Xenopus oocytes placed in hypo-osmolar solution: control class assignments to pursue his independent the fi eld to characterize Downloaded from 256 , 385 (1992) research in a laboratory. the membrane events oocyte (left) and oocyte expressing the 28-kD protein (right) Intrigued by our medical school lectures of cholera toxin activa- in microbiology, I became fascinated by the tion of membrane adenylate cyclase. This even more importantly, I had met my future recent advances in understanding the molec- also made the Cuatrecasas lab well suited wife, Mary, who worked in a neurovirology ular basis of cholera, a horrible diarrheal dis- for studying the elusive E. coli enterotoxin. laboratory at Johns Hopkins, and our lives ease that was sweeping through Asia, killing Using ganglioside affi nity gels we had pre- took on a special tone resembling La Bohème tens of thousands of infants and small chil- pared, we succeeded in adsorbing the entero- with a science orientation. dren. I began working on a related project, toxin activity to the affi nity columns and were the molecular basis of the well-known mal- able to elute highly enriched subunits of the Pathway to a Discovery ady E. coli traveler’s diarrhea, in the lab of enterotoxin from the column, allowing us to The reason one lab makes a discovery where R. Bradley Sack, a young infectious disease raise antibodies and develop an immunoassay others have failed has been an issue long researcher at Hopkins. With Brad’s support, to diagnose E. coli enterotoxic diarrhea from debated in science. It may well be that each lab I made steady progress, studying the toxin crude stool samples (5). is unique in its own way, but this seems overly by injecting crude mixtures into the lumen of The prospect of using our new technique simplistic, and it may be that a few general- ligated segments of rabbit small intestine that to screen individuals in the fi eld in Bangla- izations are reasonable. So I will summarize, then became swollen with secreted diarrheal desh, where diarrheal diseases were rampant, with a little editorializing, how our lab came fl uid. It soon became clear that purifi cation was our long-term objective. As is not uncom- to discover the protein now known as aqua- of the toxin would require more sophisticated mon, scaling up a prototype lab test for clini- porin-1 (AQP1), the fi rst defi ned molecular technical expertise. cal testing was not simple. Having committed water channel—using our story to communi-

It was through Vann that I came to join the my entire senior year of medical school to the cate seven “pearls” for younger scientists. SCIENCE AGRE, P. GUGGINO, B. W. CARROLL, P. T. PRESTON, G. M. FROM ADAPTED CREDIT:

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1. Be lucky by keeping your eyes wide open. After joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins in 1984, my small laboratory was working on human erythrocyte membranes. We set out to isolate the core 32-kD membrane protein of the Rhesus blood group antigens. In addition to the 32-kD Rh, a 28-kD membrane protein copurifi ed. We subsequently realized that the smaller polypeptide was a contami- nant and was unrelated to Rh. 2. Consult the wisdom of your colleagues. The nature of the 28-kD protein was intriguing. Unlike most proteins, the 28-kD polypeptide stained poorly with Coomassie blue, so had not been noticed previously. When it was purified to homogeneity, we realized that the 28-kD membrane protein was extremely abun- dant and seemed to be a homotetrameric protein, suggesting that it might be a membrane channel. N-terminal protein

sequencing provided suffi cient informa- Rural , 2008 on January 28, 2011 tion for cDNA cloning that showed that the new protein was related to a series of functionally undefi ned proteins from generated indirect evidence supporting petitors with great suspicion. It soon diverse organisms, including . I the existence of water channels, but none became obvious that we were simply a spoke with numerous colleagues about had isolated the putative channel and small section of a new fi eld of science. the possible role for the 28-kD protein, established its molecular identity. When the Nobel call eventually came until one had an insightful idea. 5. Team up with those bearing needed from the Royal Swedish Academy of 3. Respect but don’t overcompartmental- expertise. Parker also suggested that I Science, it was my 78-year-old mother ize work and family life. Despite the need contact Bill Guggino when I returned to who put it in proper context, “That’s very www.sciencemag.org to share responsibilities for the raising of Hopkins. Guggino, a membrane-channel nice, but don’t let it go to his head.” Her children and contributing to domestic physiologist, used techniques in his lab intent was to communicate that awards duties, it is important to remain fl exible. for the expression and study of mem- are nice, but doing something useful for The conversation that helped elucidate brane ion channels. This allowed our others is really important. the function of the new 28-kD protein postdoctoral fellow Gregory Preston 7. Science is about new adventures. The occurred at the end of one of our family to perform a simple assay demonstrat- idea of working in global health had

camping trips. While returning from the ing that frog eggs expressing the new been my original career ambition. With Downloaded from Everglades, we stopped in Chapel Hill, protein became osmotically active and the recognition of in the North Carolina, so that Mary could visit exploded when placed in distilled water parasite causing malaria, we cautiously friends, the children would have a chance (6). This began a long series of collab- entered the field. In many ways, this to play with their former playmates, and orations with an expanding group of marked a new direction for our lab, but I could drop in on some of my scientifi c scientists around the world, one that we were eager to follow. And friends. This was to become just one of including renal physiologists at NIH, with a new direction came a new oppor- many examples where our family life cat- structural biologists in Basel and Kyoto, tunity: directorship of the Johns Hopkins alyzed a scientifi c advance. microscopists in Aarhus, neuroscientists Malaria Research Institute (JHMRI) at 4. Great ideas come when you least expect in Oslo, eye researchers in London and the Bloomberg School of Public Health them. What began as a casual visit with Tokyo, and others. Together, many scien- (8). The new role has been a challenge, my former professor John Parker, a tists provided new insight into the funda- but it has been a delight to be part of a hematologist and membrane physiolo- mental processes involved in renal con- program with as much global impor- gist at the University of North Carolina centration, vision, skin integrity, brain tance as malaria research. The JHMRI School of Medicine, became a major , thermal stress, arsenic clearance, lab programs in and fi eldwork event. I shared with Parker what I knew and obesity, as well as the adaptation of in rural Zambia are both stimulating about the 28-kD protein. John quickly plants to drought (7). and rewarding. And the ease with which recognized that the protein might be 6. Don’t take yourself too seriously. In the malaria crosses borders, killing hun- something long sought by physiolo- beginning, it was difficult not to take dreds of thousands of African children, gists: the membrane channel for water. every advance in the aquaporin fi eld per- is a clear reminder of the international

CREDIT: PETER AGRE CREDIT: Workers in multiple labs worldwide had sonally and view newcomers and com- aspects of science.

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Science as a Tool for International clear air and is impeccably Diplomacy neat but frigid due to a lack of Science has always been one of the most inter- interior heating. national of human endeavors, and this trend It was obvious from our is certainly increasing. Every year, thousands visit that young North Kore- of young scientists come to the ans have great prowess with from abroad to undertake scientifi c education computer systems—also and research. Thus, science provides a unique made clear from ongoing approach to advancing good will toward collaboration between Kim America in the international arena. Chaek University in Pyong- It is no secret that the U.S. government is yang and Syracuse University viewed negatively in the Muslim world, espe- in New York. DPRK agricul- cially after the military intrusions in Iraq and , 2009 tural and health sciences were Afghanistan. The Zogby Poll [(9); see table far less advanced and repre- below] reveals a clear bimodal response. sent areas where the United The great majority of citizens of fi ve mod- tion. Efforts were made to inform appropriate States could be helpful to the DPRK. erate Arab nations held distinctly unfavor- U.S. authorities of such visits, but it was to be After we had spent 1 week under the able views of the United States in general. In plain in every case that we served as represen- watchful eyes and gracious hospitality of marked contrast, these same individuals held tatives of the U.S. scientifi c and research com- the State Academy of Science, our hosts favorable views of U.S. science and technol- munity, not the U.S. government. exhibited a warmhearted response when ogy. This provides an opportunity to use our Cuba. Together with members of the New presented with the necktie I had worn

background as nongovernment scientists to America Foundation, a trip to Havana, Cuba, during my Nobel lecture in Stockholm. CREDITS: PETER AGRE

reinforce the positive: that U.S.-generated was made in November 2009. Our trip, the on January 28, 2011 science and technology may improve the lives fi rst AAAS visit since 1997, included a visit of people all around the world. to the Finlay Center for Vaccines Research and Production, where U.S. in General U.S. Science and Technology we observed the Cuban Country Favorable Unfavorable Favorable Unfavorable efforts to prevent infectious Morocco 11% 88 90 08 diseases such as type B Saudi Arabia 04 94 48 51 meningococcal meningitis. Jordan 15 78 83 13 Endemic before the Revolu- www.sciencemag.org Lebanon 20 69 52 46 tion, malaria has been elim- inated from Cuba, despite a UAE 14 73 84 12 heavy malaria presence in [From Impressions of America (9)] Haiti, just to the east. Cuban efforts to provide universal Having the chance as president of AAAS prenatal health care have succeeded in raising to participate in some outstanding programs, the average life span to 78+ years, equivalent

one stood out as particularly appealing: the to that in the United tates. Downloaded from AAAS Center for . The The University of Havana generates a potential to establish contact and engage with large number of science graduates, but labo- scientists in countries considered adversarial ratory opportunities are limited. Certainly the to the U.S. government is an opportunity for investment of funds in laboratories to train science to serve as a unique bridge. Founded young scientists could be mutually benefi cial in 2008, the center is directed by Vaughan to Cuba and the United States. Potential sci- Turekian, an atmospheric geochemist and entifi c collaborations could be rapidly under- international policy expert, with special advi- taken once the fi ve-decade political standoff sor Norman Neureiter, a chemist with exten- between our governments is resolved. sive policy experience. I was greatly pleased Democratic People’s Republic of to participate as senior scientist in a series of Korea (DPRK; ). The AAAS trips abroad (10). Center for Science Diplomacy worked for Recognizing that some of our visits were more than a year with the U.S. Civilian to countries where there are serious intergov- Research Development Foundation to gain ernmental tensions related to a wide range of an invitation to visit Pyongyang in Decem- issues such as proliferation, human rights, and ber 2009. Located only ~500 miles east of economic openness, each visit was under- Beijing, Pyongyang exists in a world apart taken with an independent nongovernmental from the hustle and thickly polluted air of Bridge across Zambezi, Livingstone, organization and with private funding, in most the vibrant Chinese capital. Having only a Zambia, 2008 cases from the Richard Lounsbery Founda- modest power grid, Pyongyang has crystal-

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reveal their views of Americans. After my lecture to outstanding high-school science students at the University of Delhi, I was pre- sented with a painting of the beautiful mul- tiarmed Hindu goddess Saraswati, who is widely worshiped throughout India as the bearer of enlightenment. Our international friends can tell us things we in the United States need to hear.

Final Refl ection Science is the medium of our life’s work. Whether we are frustrated or joyful, we always know that each new day in the lab brings an opportunity to make profound advancements in the understanding of nature that may improve the well-being of others. One of the talented young people from China in our lab always took the optimistic approach, summarized by the Mandarin char- acter for “crisis.” It is actually two characters: wei, meaning “time of danger,” and ji, mean-

ing “time of opportunity.” on January 28, 2011 For me, the crisis of living in today’s world includes dangers such as increasing microbial drug resistance, the obesity epi- demic, environmental damage, the need for sustainable energy supplies, and hos- tile relations between countries. It seems clear to me that solutions to each will come through the great opportunities provided by science. And with that in mind, I am opti- www.sciencemag.org Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, 2009 mistic about the future.

Emblazoned on the shield of the Johns Hop- elections have been held, and the national kins Department of Medicine is the word leader and 1991 Laureate Aequanimitas. The term means “imperturb- Aung Sang Suu Kyi has been released from ability.” The tie, bearing this word, was given confi nement in her home. Although interna-

with our wish that it be worn by the fi rst tionally recognized democracy has not yet Downloaded from DPRK scientist who wins a Nobel. Although returned to Burma, it is possible that contin- Wei Ji – Mandarin for ”crisis“ the political distance between our govern- ued scientifi c dialogue may contribute to the ments has not decreased in the months after transparent and ongoing interactions with the our trip, it should be kept in mind that well- international community that serve as a pre- References intentioned scientists reside in the DPRK. condition for any sustainable and effective 1. L. Pauling, No More War (Dodd, Mead, New York, 1958). 2. T. Hager, Force of Nature—The Life of Linus Pauling When the U.S. and DPRK governments system of governance . (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1995), pp. 537–538. fi nally establish an accord, it is expected that India. The world’s largest democracy, 3. J. D. Watson, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the the pursuit of peaceful areas of science may India and the United States have had long- Discovery of the Structure of DNA (1968; reprinted by be a bridging mechanism. standing science engagement. It was a priv- Atheneum, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1980). 4. P. Cuatrecasas, Annu. Rev. Biochem. 40, 259 (1971). (Burma). Another country of ilege to attend the 10th anniversary of the 5. R. B. Sack, Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 29, 333 (1975). current diffi culty due to its longstanding mili- Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum in 6. G. M. Preston, T. P. Carroll, W. B. Guggino, P. Agre, tary junta is Myanmar, a nation of 59 million December 2010. This included visits to the Science 256, 385 (1992). 7. P. Agre, Le Prix Nobel 2003 (Nobel Foundation, people with rich natural resources. Together National Institute of Malaria Research, other Stockholm, Sweden, 2004). with the U.S. Collection Humanitarian Corps, laboratories, and university campuses, and 8. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health a visit was organized in April 2010. Of sev- a public lecture on science. Despite India’s Magazine (Baltimore, MD, winter, 2011). 9. J. Zogby, Impressions of America: How Arabs View eral ministries visited, the Ministry of Health many social and economic problems, an air America, How Arabs Learn About America (Zogby may have been most important, because of of optimism is readily apparent in India, and International, Washington, DC, 2004). the heavy infestation of malaria throughout science seems a large part of it. 10. P. Agre, V. Turekian, Sci. Transl. Med. 2, 1 (2010). the countryside that is problematic to neigh- Given our longstanding mutual support,

CREDIT: PETER AGRE CREDIT: boring countries. Since our visit, national Indian scientists shared observations that 10.1126/science.1202341

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