Dr. Forbush Thinks

Some Tough Talk

I saw a remarkable performance this morning. It was quite an oddity at a scientific conference to have humor and reflection interspersed with information. Kary Mullis the inventor of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was interviewed on stage in front of about 1000 scientists. It seemed as if there were members of the audience that were actually disappointed in the levity of the interview. However, in addition to the humor information was communicated. Some of the stories were old hat for the hardcore biotech community, but for those of us the fringe it was quite interesting. The Mullis story seemed similar to the Richard Feynmann story. Mullis got into chemistry because he liked to blow things up and make rocket fuel. “In those days chemistry sets actually did something,” Mullis said. Feynman had also enjoyed using science to learn more about things that interested him.

And, like Feynman, Mullis had discovered something that seemed way to easy that someone should have already known how to do it. All of the pieces of PCR were there and all Mullis had to do was pull the pieces together. However, it is even more interesting to try to understand why people couldn’t step back from what they were doing to see this. PCR, for those of you who don’t know, is the process currently used to amplify DNA samples from just a few cells found at a crime scene to millions of copies so that the crime could be solved. Obviously there are many other uses as well, but this example is for the benefit of those who watch the modern crime shows that talk about PCR and DNA analysis.

The best part of the talk was to hear Mullis chastise the politicians who passed the stem cell and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) research bans. He said several things, but my favorite was something like: When the politicians have created peace on earth and everyone has food and shelter, then maybe they could read a few books and then we could debate these scientific issues. Think about it, these were the guys who couldn’t do math in high school, so they went into politics. That’s fine, they are good at it. But, they shouldn’t be making laws about things that they don’t understand.

Overall, the talk made me feel better about the country for a minute or two. Kary Mullis is from South Carolina and currently lives in Georgia. So, to have someone living in that environment and still able to voice his disdain for the high handed tactics of the Bush administration warmed my heart. After all, we need to remember that he has to deal with his Republican Senators and Representative to get funding for his research. In a community were politics leads to money it isn’t always easy to stand up for what you believe.