A-4 * ) Shadow of Atom Lies Over Human Race THE EVENING STAR Washington, D C _WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 21. 1654 \ (Continued From First Pace.) to postulate from species to specles—alwias a cedure when eset; dangerous such plo- species are as SIMs as Mouse and Man. No Man Can Escape It. The implications of the warnIngs ale so far-reaching, how- ever, that they would seem to Justify almo:t any amount of research national and international. ‘These implications are that ail branches of the human race may both deteriorate physically and sc:1ously, mentally, and perhaps within a relatively few generations, because of the deleterious changes ocing introduced into man’s germ plasm by the increase in backeround radi- | Glossary of Genetic Terms cells to constitute a new individual. The tollow ue glossary will be found nelpfie in connection with Secrence Edite: Vnomas R. Hen- Homozygous—An individual wha rvs six-story -eries exploring the receives idenucal genes from tne human :ace’ Gene—An wisisibls minute particle of yiotoplism which is the recoviized unit of heredity. It has the Unique property of Hetrozygaous—An individual with tfleets of atom radiation on both parents parental chromosomes which do not completely match. Mutation—A chance in the sene stiuecture of protoplasm which “ourding and bondinye together iesults in changed hereditary of raw Materiais around it into an exact dupheate of itself” characters. Half-life—The Lach of the trillions of cells “wiich make up the human thousands of during aliginally present will disintegrate. Uramium has half-hte body contams the full human complement of interval which half of any radioactive genes. Those in the germs, celis ale passed on to the next of several billion years. Radio- active iodine used in thyroid treatments’ has a half life of generation. eight days. After six half lives, it 1s Calculated, onlv infinitesChromosome — A fine thread’ time such radiation presumably thousands of times longer than imal traces of the original 1s lucreased equally for everythick. cifferentiated along its substance will remain. body on earth by an American length .:to hundreds or thou- Roentgen—Vhe accepted unit of explosion in the South Pacific ar sands «f functionally distinct radiation defined as ‘the quanalion. Over a relatively short a Russian explosion in‘Arectic Siberia. In other words. a Russian and individual self-reproducing affecting the population of Washington genetically about as much as the population of ViadivostoKx chromosomes explosion a month later micrt be The implications were stated forcefully by Dr. Sturtevant in regions—ihe genes. inthe human Every cell body has 26 titv of gainma or X-rays that will produce a certain electri- en) conductivity ina cubic cen- limeter vl alr under constant pressure and temperatuie Gamete—The mature perm cell of one Indisidual, plant or animal. Gamma Rays—Excepuonally potent X-rays, the principle radi- fects of xenetic changes can be exists in various forms of can- Zygote—T) union of two germs ation causing genetic damage an addiess before the Pacific Di- vision cf the American Associa tion for the Advancement of Science. “There is no possible escape from the conclusion that the bombs already exploded will ulti- mately icsult in the production determined. It is assumed speaking, the that. generally laws of heredity throughout the whole organic world are about the same, from of numerous defective individuals one-celled bacteria to 2O-trillion Thi ‘could mean —if the human :ace survives for celled men. many .cenerations The isk oone to vhich t.e entire huma: race, present ana future. 15 bein. sublected the California profes.or said. Great Problems of Genetics. Can anything be ascertained tn prove or knock down th: thesis’ In the entire fleld of science there probably is no sublect more complicated. more difficult to uncievstand, more clouded by pre‘. aice and less available tor controlled experiments than naenetics —especally human venetics Geneletions of human beings ale not sublect to experimentation. So most ieliable «\pern- ments have been and air being made with Drosophila. or tiuit flles —tiny insects which can be reared in colomes of thousana,, and which produce as manv as 25 generations in a vea With the fruit) flies. lung lines of heredity can be established with creat numbers of individuals and, ‘aith highly prec: teehniques now Krown to geneticist the actual mechanism and et- that the finding with fruit iy populations cal be applied. «at least roughis, °o mnuman populalions, There Are Differences. The that fact fruit remains, flies aie however, hot men, cer. One somewhat fantastic, remote possibility 18 thal man is hastening the day. predicted in the wider soft of selence-fletion, when he himself will be estinet, leaving behind him the Nore Yesistant Caith’s donunant bugs as creatures. the Fruit lly Substitute. As it iS .mpossible ta exper ment with populations of thou- sands of inen and women, or with few «xceptions, to observe human eftects over generations, the fruit fly is the most immediately aveilable substitute. A long to widely dive cent branches year of fruit fly generations is of the animal xincdom. The equivalent to more than 700 Both are animais but they be- human organisin, presumably, 1s somewhat moire complex. kuown, for example. to It is differ kreatly frou: the inseet oreuiism IN ahiuitv to withstand ladition, A population of friut thes can ena ie. without te ably bad etfec', on living viadividuals. 10 univs the amount of radiation which would «ul 100 per cent of @ human population. An insect S born more complete and perm.oent than a mammal. ‘This tout ats dite It hays # smal vercventane of dividing cells chs caine eells aie Most cusveptiow tuo radiation — the principle foct vaueh makes iL of ha. ie i treatment of neo- plasm< or rey growth, such as vears of human generations. At the genetics laboratory ot the Carnegie Institution of WashIneton at Cold Spring Harbor. Long Island. Dr. Bruce Wallace has carnicd populations sublected to varylrns amounts cof radiation from iadvim for 135 venera- tions. There hardly hav been 125 generations oof humans since the davs of ancient Babylon. science however, ts cerned as to whether net can- wncieased radfation will eliminate fiuit files The question .s whether © will eliminate men. ; Tomorrow — Atomic Radtation and the Genes. pOARCHIVES