RE: CNN article on radical mutation/doomsday genes

["Stewart, Dwight" <Dwight.Stewart@VLSI.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: TomHopp@aol.com [SMTP:TomHopp@aol.com]
> Sent: Monday, November 30, 1998 10:15 AM
> To:   dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject:      Re: CNN article on radical mutation/doomsday genes
> 
> 
> In a message dated 11/30/98 3:27:32 PM, John V Jackson wrote:
> 
> <<another example of the press making copy out of a
> 
> confused story, and I'm sorry to say, somewhat misleading the public, when
> 
> they could have printed . . .  but that's another story.>>
> 
> Well said. You know, I spent twenty years in the Biotech Industry, and
> lectured on my discoveries at international meetings in Cambridge England,
> Sienna, Budapest, and Jerusalem, among others, and the NEWS MEDIA never
> saw
> fit to take up my stories (potential new cancer, arthritis, and vaccine
> technologies) but now that I have begun to get involved in DINO-WORLD, it
> amazes me -- my first scientific presentation in this field was written up
> in
> scientific magazines and made a buzz on the web. But . . . . curing cancer
> is
> more important, isn't it?
        ##################

        Well, I don't think ALL of the media should be painted with the same
brush, but (in general) I agree
        that coverage of scientific subjects could be better.  Now, as to
which research is important & which is "less" important; as a lifelong
arthritic who has had cancer, I am going to express my VERY involved opinion
that graduating research by so-called "obvious" criteria is risky, at best.
        Let me give you a personal example: by 1989, when I was turning 40,
both of my shoulder joints
        were 90% worn out.  I could lift neither arm above parallel.  The
solution came from space research
        & research on deep sea submersibles.  My shoulder joints were
completely replaced with a titanium
        steel alloy assembly that uses Kevlor spheres for mobility.  Several
of my tendons & ligaments were
        replaced with Kevlor mesh as well.  I was part of a research group,
who (frankly) had little
        to lose.  The results were phenomenal.  With the old aluminum
prosthetics, the joints would need
        RE replacing now.  These will probably last far longer than I will.
So, what is my point?  It's simply this: saving both of my arms had little
to do with direct medical research, but owes much more to
        other (seemingly unrelated) disciplines.  I DO have hope that
research into the genetic basis
        of arthritis will benefit future generations, but it hasn't helped
me.  How does research on dinosaurs
        benefit anyone?  I believe understanding a vastly successful
ecosystem can be of immeasurable
        benefit.  But, I think that science must also be done for it's own
sake.  For the shear wonderment
        of learning how nature works.  Many times, the benefits flow AFTER
the initial research is done AND
        into unanticipated directions.  I'm a physicist by profession, but I
consider every science equally
        important.  The study of dinosaurs by definition crosses many
discipline lines & that (IMHO) helps
        all disciplines.  Science, like Homo sapiens is a work in progress.

        Dwight
        .