Apologies once again for the direct NYT links, but archive.is is being balky once again. In general, I’ve found that opening the links in a new private or incognito window lets you bypass their paywall, although that seems to be having issues today as well.
Paul Berg, DNA pioneer. He shared the Nobel Prize in 1980 (with Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger) for his work on recombinant DNA.
The researchers used the DNA part of a virus (a circular DNA), which can be propagated in the E. coli bacteria, and incorporated it into a simian virus (a circular SV40 DNA genome). Each of the circular DNAs was converted into linear DNAs with an enzyme. Using an existing technique, these linear DNAs were modified so that the modified ends attracted each other. Mixed together, the two DNAs recombined and created a loop of rDNA, which contained the genes from the two different organisms.
Dr. Berg and his team began preparing for the next step: introducing the rDNA into E. coli and animal cells. But as word about his work spread among researchers, Dr. Berg was challenged to guarantee that this newly created DNA — which, after all, consisted partly of material from a virus that lived in one of the world’s most common bacteria, E. coli — could not escape the laboratory and cause incalculable harm.
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Dr. Berg used the break in his experiments to focus on the larger ethical and public health issues raised by the manipulation of genes, including human genes. As a public figure who had testified before Congress in favor of federal funding for basic scientific research, and who had a wide range of contacts among biochemists, he was well positioned to help organize a conference at Asilomar, Calif., in February 1975.
About 150 leading DNA researchers from the United States and 12 other countries — including James Watson, a co-discoverer of the double-helix structure of DNA — discussed and then subscribed to rules to govern their own work. The conference was historic: Never before had scientists gathered to write regulations for their own research.
For the record: NYT obits for Red McCombs and Barbara Bosson.
I forgot that Barbara Bosson was in The Last Starfighter. That was a movie that I saw when it came out. Then I saw it again back in the 1990’s on something, maybe videocassette.
The movie, while not exactly great, was fun, and it also had the wonderful Robert Preston, also noted for the Music Man, probably his best known role, at least one of his best performances. I also watched a movie of his called Finnegan Begin Again. It was a fun movie, with Mary Tyler Moore also starring. Plus Sam Waterson, who agreed to take on his old role on Law and Order, even though he is getting older. I read that he decided that he didn’t want to just sit and fade away.
It seems that every time I start to look at some of the old movies that I saw, I find more and more that they are just so much better than the movies today. It must be due to their not having the CGI ability and so they had to have an actual plot line and good acting. Another one that I watched online awhile back was Anzio, with Peter Falk. Again a good movie, and with Peter Falk being so good, it was no wonder he made it work in Columbo for so long.
That is why I love Kanopy, a service of your local library, that lets you view 10 films per month, and they have just about everything you could imagine.
I remember learning about DNA and RNA in Jr. High, and so the story of Paul Berg was interesting. Have a great weekend. Here in Michigan, the ice that we got the past 24 hours melted today, but it is going down to 13F tonight, so it will refreeze. But a warm up is promised for the weekend, so things are doing well.