Document mby9ELV524mo5MZdEQgjVQE20

Letters Affordability of Science While it is laudatory that Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. (Editorial, 29 June, p. 1593), calls upon scientists to advocate the full funding ofscience, the issue cannot be helped by his comparing the affordability of the scientific enterprise to that of the savings and loan (S&L) fiasco. Perhaps we are a "country that can squander hundreds of billions of dol lars" on an S&L bailout in the sense that we were able to create the climate that unex pectedly encouraged this white collar crime. However, the implication that the citizens of this country are wealthy enough to throw money away or that they planned for this debacle in the manner that they plan science budgets is illogical and insulting to the citizens' support of scientific research. Cer tainly, in the last decade, we have achieved the appearance of unlimited wealth by rou tinely forwarding our bills to those yet un born. I certainly hope that Koshland, by including the funding ofscience in the same sentence as the insuring of the S&L indusy, does not mean to imply that we should send the science bills to future generations as well. Grant M. Carrow Graduate Department ofBiochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254-9110 "Purposeful" Evolution While reading Marcia Barinaga's summa ry article on cone snail toxins entided "Sci ence digests the secrets of various killer snails" (Research News, 20 July, p. 250), I encountered phrasing concerning the evolu tion of the snails that I feel compelled to address. The problem is one that occurs repeatedly in both the technical and popular literature, that is, discussions ofevolution that cast it in terms that make the process appear as if it were purposeful. In this instance the article states, "the great variety of toxins in the venoms of the cone snails are due to the intense evolutionary pressure on the snails to stop their prey quickly, since they can't chase it down." That language implies that some real pressure is driving the snails to develop the toxins, but that isn't how evolu tion works. The reality is that those snails that produced toxins that immobilized their prey rapidly tended to obtain food more often than those possessing slower-acting or no toxins, and thus over time the population of cone snails became dominated % those possessing the fast-acting agents. There was no pressure! Use of language that fosters the notion that organic evolution proceeds in a pur poseful manner leads to confusion among both the public and the majority of scien tists. Further, it can provide an apparently legitimate avenue of attach upon evolution by the creationist element. It needs to be understood by all that evolutionary develop ments simply occur as slight to significant differences among organisms, and as a result of natural selection those features that con fer greater survivability and concomitant reproductive success are the ones perpetuat ed into future generations. In the vernacu lar, "If it works, it works; and if it don't, it don't." James L. Carew Geology Department, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424 The Old Puritanism? Daniel E. Koshland, Jr.'s editorial "The new Puritanism" (1 June, p. 1057) hits the mark, but the problem goes beyond ethical arrogance and has ancient precedents. Since time immemorial a few have real ized that fear is the cheapest commodity to fabricate and the easiest to sell at great profit. It could be argued that manufactur ers, wholesalers, and retailers of fear have been the major impediment to the enlight enment of the human race throughout his tory. That this perverse tradition continues unabated today is obvious, although the ascendance of science and a possibly grow ing respect for rational thinking give prom ise that it may be eventually conquered. With regard to contemporary specifics, it is astonishing that we have given public regulators a blank check for the exercise of prudence on our behalf. Excessive prudence can be dangerous and definitely costly, and yet we have not defined thresholds or ceil ings that public officials should not exceed. Under the cricumstances, can anyone be surprised about the current regulatory sce nario? Most regulatory issues in health and safety are concerned with whether potential insults cause injury. Sometimes the determination of causality is straightforward, as in the case of infectious agents, acute poisons, and the like. More often, causality is blurred in a maze of multifactorial conditions, and the indictment of any specific factor is a matter of judgment. This is where most contro versy and abuse arise. That regulation should proceed even in the face of imperfect knowledge is axiomatic, but as a minimum it should first be established that the risk is significant and die attribution is justified. The significance of risk is determined by comparison with risks that are accepted by social tradition, while attribution is justified after competing causal hypotheses are tested, rejected, or used to assign fractional responsibilities. All this implies policies that consider the global situation rather than the expedient, ad hoc, and reductionist ap proaches now fashionable. Until something along these lines enters our statutes, fearmongers will continue to have the day. Gio Batta Gori Health Policy Center, 6704 Barr Road, Bethesda, MD 20816 Electricity Use The discussion in Briefings of "Growth without new energy" (22 June, p. 1486) correctly points out that our total use of energy has grown very little for almost 20 years while our gross national product (GNP) has increased substantially. Howev er, the conclusion that this information con tradicts "support for the next generation of nuclear power plants" or other electrical generation is incorrect. Although overall energy use has indeed remained constant over this period, die use of electricity has grown almost lockstep with GNP. Since 1973 GNP has grown 51%, accompanied by a growth in the use ofelectricity of 54%. The correct conclusion to be drawn from the data is that, for the reasons the Office of Technology Assessment points out, we are more energy efficient but this is translating into a significantly growing demand for electricity. Economic growth could require as much as 200,000 megawatts of new generating capacity by the year 2000. Yet utilities are planning on adding less than one-third of that capacity. Theodore M. Besmann Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Post Office Box 2008, Mail Stop 6063 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6063 "Life" in an Abstract World Richard Sullivan ("Feelings . ..," Letters, 13 July, p. Ill) expresses surprise that Robert Pool (Research News, 1 June, p. 1076) would say that an atom can "feel" an 24 AUGUST 1990 LETTERS 843 HWBUI0001130 clectromagnetic field. But natural scientists 1978 we knew of 18 cases (2), and a follow did the two other plants, where small but often use such expressions. Describing his up to 1990 will soon be completed. More significant amounts of commercial amphi thinking process, Jacques Monod wrote, than 70% ofthe cohort have now died, and bole were also used. In the chrysotile-only "Let the attention so concentrate on the a study of a subsample indicates that the plant, despite intensive search, only one case imagined experience as to be oblivious to all eventual number of cases of mesotheliomas of mesothelioma was detected; whereas in else, and ... one may suddenly find oneself may be about 30. A disproportionate num both mixed-exposure plants there were nu identifying with the object itself, with, say a ber of these (at least seven) were exposed to merous cases--12 in one and 14 or more in molecule of protein" (J). crocidolite in a small local factory, and we the other. Much the same pattern has been To understand a system one must empa know that one had substantial exposure to observed in two similarly contrasting fric thize with it--in effect become that system amosite. Could the remaining cases be at tion plants (8, 9). in imagination--as Monod said he did. tributed to fibrous tremoiite contamination To those ofus who have spent our lives in When a scientist with a deep understanding (roughly estimated at about 1.5%)? Again, public health research it seems strange and of a system reports on its behavior we no one knows for certain but, on the basis of sad that a country with one of the highest should not be surprised by the use of affec the exposure-response data for mesothe infant mortality rates in the Western world tive (even poetic) language in which ma lioma in cohort studies of Montana miners and no shortage ofother health and behav chines "hesitate," plants "dislike," and atoms and millers whose only mineral fiber expo ioral problems should commit billions of "feel." sure was to tremoiite (3), it seems possible. dollars to the questionable control of a This point appears to be lost on those Whether or not chrysotile per se is capable minuscule or nonexistent health risk. Per who argue, for example, that introductory of inducing mesothelioma, it is dear that haps the real problems are too difficult. physics courses should concentrate on con workers whose exposure has been only to J. Corbett McDonald temporary matters and include extensive de commercial chrysotile have suffered much Alison D. McDonald scriptions of quarks, black holes, and other less from mesothelioma than, for example, National Heart & Lung Institute, exotica. Mastery of the theory of phenome those exposed for even a few months to London University, na directly experienced (bouyancy, elasticity, croddolite in gas mask filter manufacture (4) Royal Brampton Hospital, levers, and pulleys) allows a student to learn or dgarette filter manufacture (5), in whom London SW3 6/HP, England through bodily experiences--both real and 16 to 19% of all deaths were attributable to imagined--that promote understanding of this cause. In the general population of the REFERENCES the natural world (Einstein reported that his thinking was "of a muscular nature"). To move too fast into formal (algorithmic) thinking is to sacrifice the imaginative flexi bility that allows a science student to under stand a system, or a creative scientist to "live" in an abstract theoretical world. Allan M. Russell Department ofPhysics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY 14456-3397 Asbestos and Carcinogenicity Quebec chrysotile mining towns, exposed over generations to chrysotile concentra tions far greater than anything encountered in public buildings, there have been few if any cases of mesothelioma attributable to nonoccupational exposure. Nicholson et al. describe studies that count and type mineral fibers in lung tissue at autopsy as "nearly worthless." We our selves have urged caution in the interpreta tion ofsuch studies unless they are carefully ntrolled (6); nevertheless, two points should be recognized. Although chrysotile fibers appear to penetrate the airways less well and are removed more rapidly than the amphiboles, their concentration at autopsy reflects quite well past levels of exposure in both chrysotile miners and millers and chrysotile textile workers (7). The fact well- 1. J. C. McDonald, F. D. K. Liddell, G. W. Gibbs, G. E. Eysscn, A. D. McDonald, Br.J. Ind. Med. 37,11 (1980), 2. A. D. McDonald, in Biological Effects ofMineral Fibres 2, J. C. Wagner, Ed. (International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1980), pp. 673--680. 3. J. C. McDonald, A. D. McDonald, B. Armstrong, P. Scbasncn, Br. J. Ind. Med. 43,436 (1986). 4. A. D. McDonald and J. C. McDonald, Environ. Res. 17, 340 (1978); j. S. P. Jones et al, in Biological Effects ofMineral Fibres 2, J. C. Wagner, Ed. (Inter national Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1980), pp. 637-653. 5. J. A. Talcott el al. New Engl. J. Med. 321, 1220 (1989). 6. J. C. McDonald, Am J Ind. Med. 14, 247 (1988). 7. N. Rowlands, G. W. Gibbs, A. D. McDonald, Ann. Occup. Hyg. 26, 411 (1982); P. Scbastien, J. C. McDonald, A. D. McDonald, B. Case, R. Harley, Br.J. Ind. Med. 46, 180 (989). 8. J. C. McDonald et al.. Cancer 63, 1544 (1989). 9. A. D. McDonald, J S. Fry, A. J. Woolley, J. C. McDonald, Br J. Ind. Med. 41, 151 (1984); M. L. Newhouse and K. R. Sullivan, ibid. 46, 176 (1989). . It is alleged by William J. Nicholson et al. (fitters, 18 May, p. 796) that there have been 67 or more cases of mesothelioma among "Quebec chrysodle miners and mill controlled studies show that the concentra tion of amphibole, but not chrysotile, fibers in the lung tissue of patients with mesothe lioma consistently exceeds that of controls has considerable etiological significance and Erratum: On page 1198 (column 2, line 23) of the article "Chiral metal complexes as discriminating molec ular catalysts" by R. Noyori (8 June, p. 1194), hydroxymctnylglutaryl-cocn^'me A reductase was incorreedy identined as "human menopausal gonadotropincocnzyme A reductase." ers" and that one of us (J. C. McD.) was responsible for this estimate. Of the many thousand individuals employed by the Que bec chrysotile mining and milling industry since its inception, no one knows how many have died or of these how many from mesothelioma. At a 1989 meeting in Ot tawa, Ontario, Canada, one of us (J. C. McD.) stated that in our cohort of 11,379 persons bom between 1891 and 1920 and employed for 1 month or more, there had been 11 cases of mesothelioma among 4,547 deaths to the end of 1975 (1); by is in line with the mass of other epidemio logical evidence (8). We are not sure what Nicholson et al. mean by the "amphibole hypothesis," but surely it relates to mesothelioma and not to lung cancer. The arguments against the hy pothesis produced by Nicholson et al. on the basis of the lung cancer experience of asbes tos textile workers are therefore not relevant. In the four studies cited by Nicholson et al., the two of one plant diat used only chrysotile had virtually the same steep exposure-response curve for lung cancer as Erratum: In the research article "Functional domains and upstream activation properties of cloned human TATA binding protein" by M. G. Peterson et al. (29 June,p. 1625), the amino acid glutamine was incorTcoly abbreviated "GIu" in the caption for figure 1C (p. 1626) and three times in the third paragraph on page 1627. The correct abbreviation is Gin. In addition, the third para graph of the article (p. 1625) should have begun, "In vitro reconstituted ... transcription...." Erratum: In the report "Spatial variation of ozone depiction rates in the springtime antarctic polar vortex" by Y. L. Yung et al. (II May, p. 721), the maximum observed value ofQO attributed to J. G. Anderson et al U- Ceophys. Res. 94, 11465 (1989)) (p. 723) was incorrect. The observed maximum CIO mixing ratio was --1.2 x 10 9 (by volume) throughout the flight se quence from 23 August through 22 September 1987 at ER-2 cruise altitude (potential temperature --440 K). 844 SCIENCE, VOL. 249 HWBUI0001131