AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY CALIFORNIA SECTION t Organization t VOLUME LXXXI NUMBER 9 NOVEMBER 2019 Non-Profi U.S. POSTAGE U.S. TIME VALUE CALIFORNIA SECTION CALIFORNIA AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY CHEMICAL AMERICAN PLEASE DO NOT DELAY - DATED NOTICE INSIDE NOTICE - DATED DO DELAY PLEASE NOT SEE REPORT ON PAGE 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS NOVEMBER MEETING PAGE 2 CHAIR'S MESSAGE PAGE 3 WCC MEETING REPORT (N. DAVIS) PAGE 4 IT'S ELEMENTARY PART 3 (B. MOTZER) PAGE 5 NATURAL GMO DEBUNKED (GMWATCH) PAGE 7 BUSINESS DIRECTORY PAGE 11 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS PAGE 11 BUSINESS DIRECTORY California Section AI and Chemistry: Protein Engineering and East Bay Biotech Tuesday – November 19, 2019 – 6:00 to 9:00 PM Amyris 5885 Hollis St. Suite 100 Emeryville, CA 94608 6:00 PM Networking (Refreshments provided) 7:00 PM Welcome, Panel, and Q&A 7:45 PM Concluding Remarks 7:50 PM Networking and Refreshments Discussion on East Bay research - Come join us to learn more about the future of chemistry, protein engineering, and artificial intelligence within the biotech industry. INDEXINDEX OFOF ADVERTISERSADVERTISERS RobertsonRobertson MiMicrolitcrolit BBPP RSVP here! Guests will sign a non-disclosure upon sign-in at the event. Event access is through the general access door facing Hollis Street. Our Distinguished Panelists: Yue Yang, PhD Loren Perelman, PhD Louis Metzger, PhD Amyris Riffyn Tierra Biosciences Director, Program Vice President, Scientific Chief Scientific Officer Management Solutions The event is FREE and open to the community. More information at: calacs.org or email [email protected] NOVEMBER 2019 P AGE 2 PAGE 11 THE VORTEX has been known to occur for decades and most forty years. Published monthly except July & August by the California Section, American Chemical Society. many other processes of HGT from bacte- “What the authors of the new paper — Opinions expressed by the editors or contributors to THE VORTEX do not necessarily refl ect ria to multicellular organisms have been and the reporters writing about it — claim THE VORTEX the offi cial position of the Section. Th e publisher reserves the right to reject copy submitted. demonstrated in the laboratory. So we’ve as a surprise is based on the existence of Subscription included in $15 annual dues payment. Nonmember subscription $15. known for over a half century about HGT, a sequence incorporated over evolution- MAGAZINE OF THE CALIFORNIA SECTION, AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY even between kingdoms of organisms. ary time into the genome of a plant. This Agrobacterium DNA in sweet potatoes introgression implicated long processes of EDITOR: CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Louis A. Rigali Evaldo Kothny isn’t ‘natural transgenics’; it's the outcome trial-and-error in a complex context which 255 4th St. Ste #101 Oakland 94607 510-268-9933 William Motzer of a natural process. cannot be reproduced in the genetic engi- ADVERTISING MANAGER: Vince Gale, MBO Services “Ironically, especially in the 1990s many neering laboratory. The ‘thing’ resulting in Box 1150 Marshfi eld MA 02050-1150 781-837-0424 EDITORIAL STAFF: who were developing or selling GM crops the end may look similar, but the process OFFICE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Julie Mason Evaldo Kothny attempted to minimise the frequency or ef- and context through which that ‘thing’ 2950 Merced St. # 225 San Leandro CA 94577 510-351-9922 Lee Latimer PRINTER: came to be is what really matters. Alex Madonik fects of HGT. Indeed, they also tried to de- Quantity Postcards Margareta Sequin fi ne it in ways that were so restrictive and “The people writing this paper know 255 4th Street #101 Oakland CA 94607 510-268-9933 Linda Wraxall Printed in USA on recycled paper Wally Yokoyama unusual that it would be diffi cult to prove. nothing about what processes led to the Patrick Lee For advertising and subscription information, call or write When contradictions to this view inevita- genomic transformation they encountered. the California Section Offi ce, 510 351 9922, offi [email protected] bly appeared, it was reconstructed as evi- They also know nothing about the process- California Section Web Site: http://www.calacs.org dence that HGT is common and therefore es (ecological, evolutionary, social) that HGT from or to GM crops was no different these things may infl uence. Chair's Message will discuss “Protein Engineering and East than HGT from anything else. That some- “They are content with describing the Bay Biotech”. This event is free but will how equated to it not being a new risk. ‘thing’ instead of the process. At this level, require registration. If you are interested in Holiday season “The point is that when we move genes, they are right, just as defenders of crop attending any of our events, please e-mail is upon us and we we create organisms with no history of safe genetic engineering are right when they [email protected] to register. have a full pallet of use and they should be tested for safety, make up true but irrelevant arguments to We’re in the process of fi lling out our activities planned for consistent with international agreements. avert scrutiny of the safety of their work. 2020 Executive Committee and you can our members and the When people move genes into plants, we They say, ‘DNA is DNA is DNA’, as if help by voting to fi ll the various positions general public this move constructs that we have pieced to- the chemical reality of the molecule was up for election. We will announce the fi nal month. gether from an average of 8 different spe- all that we needed to know — without ac- position after the close of elections so stay On November 2nd, cies simultaneously. In my 25 years of knowledging the role played by many other tuned and make sure to vote! the California Section will have a booth at work on HGT, I've seen no precedent for aspects, such as the DNA sequence. Finally, our next executive committee the Bay Area Science Festival taking place this kind of transfer so quickly. When HGT “By this logic, a play by Shakespeare meeting will take place at the Lafayette at Oracle Park. Stop by to say “hello” and occurs in nature, nature has a chance to would be equivalent to an article in the Library on November 5th. If you are participate in activities we have planned react, respond and adjust over many mil- tabloid press, on the grounds that both interested in learning more about our at our booth. On November 8th, the fi rst lennia to initially very small descendant are made up of letters. But that would be section or would like to become more annual “Bay Area Chemistry Symposium” populations. When we do it, nature is im- nonsense. It is the sequence of letters, the involved, please join us. For more will take place at the brand new Merck mediately bombarded by millions of hect- words, sentences and paragraphs, and the information about this meeting or any of facility in South San Francisco. This event ares of new organisms in only a few years. context in which they are all placed that our upcoming meetings, please e-mail is unfortunately sold out but we plan to “Of course nature can also create organ- makes each work different from the other offi [email protected]. have another event next year. This event is isms – by HGT or other means – that are and lends a specifi c identity and function Remember to follow us on @ organized in close collaboration with the capable of causing us harm. But that is no to each. CaliforniaACS on twitter and we look Silicon Valley Section and made possible reason for us to do it unwittingly to our- "This confusion between ‘thing’ and ‘pro- forward to seeing you at our next event. by amazing volunteers as well as generous selves. Nature can squash us with a rock cess’ has been there all along since a policy Sincerely, sponsors. On November 19th, our third from space, causing injuries indistinguish- decision was made in the US defi ning by Patrick S. Lee Ph.D. able from a car crash. This is not a reason decree and against reason that GMOs were and fi nal “AI & Chemistry” event in 2019 to stop motor vehicle safety testing or rec- ‘substantially equivalent’ to non-GM crops will occur at Amyris and our panelists ommend removing seat belts.” on the basis of their chemistry, not the biol- Dr Ignacio Chapela, associate professor, ogy of the transgenic manipulation.” Gifts & Donations University of California, Berkeley, said: Let's hope that this time, the scientists' Th ank you to all the members and organizations for their generous There is nothing new here, and no sur- message hits home and the Cornell Alli- donations. Th ey help support the programs noted in Chair's message prises. We have known about this for al- ance for Science abandons this particular and others. Donations to the California Section are tax deductible. thread of deceptive reporting. Lou Rigali, [email protected] NOVEMBER 2019 PAGE10 PAGE 3 THE VORTEX WCC Meeting Report MANYA: The Living History of Marie Curie and must be considered as part of the risk spring, so the process of natural selection (the co-evolution of people and the food The Curies’ dismay at the disruptions in assessment – yet it misleadingly presents On Saturday, October 19, 2019, about plants they are domesticating) would result their lives after winning the Nobel Prize; this fact as showing that GM technology 90 people gathered to watch Susan Marie in a shift toward decreasing the level of the and the irony of receiving the Curies’ is safe. Frontczak present her single-person per- toxin in sweet potatoes, due to the strong longed-for laboratory space only after “Historically, GMO seed companies have formance on the life of Maria “Manya” selection pressure against higher toxin lev- Pierre’s tragic death in a road accident.