Nature hides her secrets because of her essential loftiness, but not by means of ruse

Chapter I: Nature’s secrets Nature hides her secrets because of her essential loftiness, but not by means of ruse. — Albert Einstein In Charles Darwin’s day, biologists unearthed the mysteries of evolution by means of observation, sometimes accompanied by a simple experiment. This was largely a process of documenting the patterns of variation and uniformity that nature left behind. Only breeders were directly involved in manipulating these patterns, using artificial selection to alter the size, shape, coloration, and lifespan of plants and animals. The Darwins of today continue this tradition, but with new tools, informed by understanding of the genetic code and aided by technical developments in engineering, physics, chemistry, and computer science. These tools allow for deeper penetration into the sources of change, and the causes of evolutionary similarities and differences. They also enable biologists to change the course of evolution and the patterns of development by turning genes off or turning novel ones on, and even creating synthetic organisms in test tubes — a wonderful playground for understanding both questions of origin, change, and extinction. The Darwins of today are cowboys, trailblazing a new frontier of understanding. But like the frontier of the early American wild west, nature holds many secrets and surprises. Sometimes when we break through nature’s guard, we gain fundamental truths about the living world, knowledge that can be harnessed to improve animal and human welfare. But sometimes when we break through, we create toxic consequences and ethical dilemmas. Tampering with nature is risky business as there are many hidden and unforeseen consequences. In 1999, the molecular biologist Joe Tsien and his team at Princeton University tampered with mother nature. Their discovery, published in a distinguished scientific journal, soon filled the newspapers, radio airwaves, and even a spot on Dave Letterman’s late night television show. Tsien manipulated a gene that was known to influence memory, causing it to work over time. This created a Hauser Chapter 1. Nature’s secrets 20 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_012766