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Promoters that are activated by DNA relaxed rather than a negatively super­ gests that large objects of some kind (logs supercoiling have already been identified coiled DNA template? At present this look like the best guess to me) are present in and include those for catabolite-sensitive problem is unresolved although deep lakes such as Loch Ness or Lake genes - the maltose operons, the lactose preliminary evidence again suggests that Champlain, and LeBlond's elegant and galactose operons and the trypto­ control is exercised at the level of RNA estimate of the physical dimension of one phanase genel5 • The mechanism by which transcription". Structural and functional such object is useful. DNA supercoiling enhances transcription analysis of gyrase genes and their Mackal, Greenwell and Wilkinson re­ from these promoters is not well under­ promoters should help clarify how DNA count persistent reports of Mokele­ stood. What is clear, however, is that RNA supertwisting differentially affects gene Mbembe, a large creature with a long flexi­ polymerase unwinds DNA on binding to expression. 0 ble neck and a taillike an alligator's, which the promoter - a process which should inhabits the 60,000 square mile Likouala L. Mark Fisher is in the Department of occur more easily on negatively supercoiled Biochemistry, St George's Hospital Medical swamps in the remoter parts ofthe People's DNA as it is already partially unwoundl6 • School, University of London, Cranmer Republic of the Congo. These investigators Why then is gyrase synthesis activated by a Terrace, London SW17 ORE. recorded stories from the native inhabit­ , including one of a hunter who had Science journals tracked a creature that left a path of grass flattened as if by a great tail, and positive reactions to photographs of sauropods. The reports also suggested that the apple-size fruit of the molombo (a tropical vine found from M. May in Africa) were the main diet of the Mokele­ Mbembe. A separate paper by Weber, OF the 79 News and Views pieces I have advised to be a large vertebrate, and prefer­ Berry and Greenwell therefore analyses the written over the past ten years, the one ably -like or dinosaur-like. nutrient content of these fruit, and com­ attracting far and away the most attention More than half the pages devoted to pares it with the nutrient requirements of outside the ranks of Nature readers was a human-like creatures are reviews of five typical large mammals, to conclude that brief jeu d'esprit on 'The ecology of books. These books appear to deal mainly molombo fruit alone could not sustain the ' (Nature 264, 16; 1976). This with second- and third-hand anecdotes; it Mokele-Mbembe. Mackal and his colla­ article was picked up by United Press seems generally agreed that the hard borators sensibly conclude that "our ex­ International, and resulted in telephone evidence - photographs, tapes, casts of pedition found no compelling evidence calls from radio stations and newspapers in - is fraudulent. An article by that Mokele-Mbembe exists", although most English-speaking countries, offers to Guoxing on 'The status of wildman they append the usual appeal for further in­ appear in three television shows and an research in China' gives an earnest account vestigation. invitation to write a coffee-table book of available reports, and speculates on Many people feel that the correct about dragons. Needless to say, none of my whether the Chinese wildmen are surviving response from a scientist to the kind of other News and Views articles has descendants of Ramapithecus, Australo­ enterprise this journal represents should be produced anything approaching this pithecus or possibly . one of friendly, even encouraging, reaction. The article differs from With commendable honesty, the article tolerance. At very least, I am persuaded the others only in that it deals with the concludes "it should be emphasized that such may be an expedient image to project. unreal and fanciful, rather than with the many of the participants in Wildman We would be ill-served if everyone studied real wonders that actually exist in the research in China are professional scien­ safe subjects. But, in truth, my reaction to natural world. To generalize recklessly and tific workers. At the same time, however, it Cryptozoology is regret for the money gloomily, I think this isolated experience has to be admitted that most of them are libraries will waste on acquiring the journal reflects a tendency on the part of the media not well trained in faunal ecology, prima­ (if only as a curiosity) and regret for the dis­ - and maybe the public - to prefer mere­ tology, vertebrate , paleo­ sipated efforts that could be directed more tricious marvels to real ones. , physical anthropology and productively to studying some of the Be all this as it may, it is consistent with other disciplines concerned with this species of tropical plants, insects and other the fact that, of the plethora of new topic". Wagner recounts tales told him by organisms that may be going extinct at a journals established in 1982-1983 (see the New Guinea natives about the mermaid­ faster rate than they are being classified. 6-13 October 1983 issue of Nature), like ri, and comes to three conclusions: Even on its own Alice-Through-The­ Cryptozoology was the only one reviewed "they are certainly not dugongs" (it is Looking-Glass terms, the journal Crypto­ in . Cryptozo%gy is the official sometimes suggested that manatees or zoology is marked by a rather arbitrary journal of the International Society of dugongs gave rise to sailors' stories about focus on only two groups - human-like Cryptozoology, whose president, Bernard mermaids); the reports are more sub­ and dinosaur-like - from the full crypto­ Heuvelmans, defines the subject as "the stantial than the "inventories of rather zoological spectrum of animals that mayor science of 'hidden' animals". The first and fanciful 'bush' creatures" familiar to may not exist; this spectrum is catalogued to date only volume of the journal runs to anthropologists working in New Guinea; by Cohen in The Encyclopedia ofMonsters 100 pages embracing articles, research and the reports "strongly suggest that (Dodd, , 1983). Some of the reports, field reports and book reviews. By some such creature exists, and that it omissions are understandable: for in­ a rough count, 29 pages deal with remains unknown to science" . stance, the lack of work on the unicorn is 'wildmen' of one kind or another (such as The papers on dinosaur-like creatures undoubtedly because these beasts are fairly 'Sasquatch' or '' in the Pacific are, on the whole, less silly. A research generally agreed to have been hunted to ex­ Northwest and '' in China), 7 pages report by LeBlond employs a photograph tinction, a process made easier by virtue of with mermaids in Papua New Guinea, 33 of the 'Lake Champlain ' taken by their maladaptive attraction to virgins. pages with the mysterious entities in Loch Mansi in 1977, and uses standard results Less understandable - especially to an Ness and Lake Champlain, 16 pages with relating the appearance of the sea surface antipodean - is the absence of any work the putative sauropods (Mokele-Mbembe) to wind speed, and thence to the length of on the bunyip, a particularly engaging but of the Central African swamp-, and wind waves, to estimate that the length of elusive member of the Australian 15 pages with general definition and the 'monster' visible in the photograph is in cryptofauna. n defense of cryptozoology as a legitimate the range 5-17 m. The evidence reviewed in Robert M. May is Class of 1877 Professor of subject for research. Clearly, if you want to other articles in Cryptozoo!ogy and in the Zoology at , Princeton, be an interesting cryptobeast, you are well pages of Nature over the past few years sug- New Jersey 08544.

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