Text extracted via OCR from the original document. May contain errors from the scanning process.
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