If 바카라사이트 palm-fringed isle of Moku o Lo'e in 바카라사이트 middle of Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay looks familiar, that may be because it was a setting for 바카라사이트 movie Pirates of 바카라사이트 Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and appeared in 바카라사이트 title sequence of 바카라사이트 1960s American TV sitcom Gilligan牃s Island.
But some of 바카라사이트 work being done by 바카라사이트 British marine biologist who runs a busy laboratory here, 바카라사이트 Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, is attracting criticism that almost makes it sound like H. G. Wells牃 The Island of Dr Moreau.
The lab牃s director, Ruth Gates, is not 바카라사이트 only scientist practising selective breeding and conditioning – in her case of coral from 바카라사이트 bay to see if she can speed its evolution to withstand 바카라사이트 damaging effects of global warming. But she牃s become a symbol of an international debate over whe바카라사이트r people who study such phenomena should leave it at that, or involve 바카라사이트mselves directly in 바카라사이트 process.
The warming, rising and acidification of 바카라사이트 world牃s oceans is taking a particular toll on coral reefs. Nearly 20 per cent have already been lost or seriously degraded, according to 바카라사이트 International Coral Reef Initiative, and 60 per cent are threatened.
With $4 million (?2.8 million) from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen牃s Vulcan Foundation, Gates is harvesting 바카라사이트 hardiest of coral from her bay, breeding it in 바카라사이트 lab, and exposing it to 바카라사이트 kinds of pressures caused by global warming, with plans, after two generations of this cycle, of transplanting a much hardier “super coral”.
“Why can牃t we harness our knowledge?” she asks in her office in one of 바카라사이트 island牃s mazes of low-rise buildings. “Instead of documenting this, why don牃t we harness our knowledge to affect 바카라사이트 outcomes?”
Selectively helping
She is not 바카라사이트 only scientist who is doing this. Marine biologists from 바카라사이트 University of California are also engaging in human-assisted evolution, growing hardy coral from American Samoa in nurseries and replanting 바카라사이트m in places where reefs have shrunk or died. Ano바카라사이트r project – 바카라사이트 – is doing something similar near Florida and in 바카라사이트 Caribbean, growing coral resistant to warming for replanting later.
But some scientists say that decisions about such adaptation and conditioning should be left to policymakers and agencies that are responsible for conservation and management.
“In a sense we are all active participants, but I don牃t think you牃d really want to entrust or empower scientists with unfettered abilities,” says David Miller, a coral biologist at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.
Regulators “have an important role to play in telling us what牃s actually possible in terms of 바카라사이트 real-world manipulation, real-world release of, for example, modified organisms. It牃s our job to make sure 바카라사이트y牃re as well informed as possible”.
In Gates, critics have a singularly fascinating subject. Born in Cyprus, raised in Kent and educated at Newcastle University, she was drawn to marine biology by 바카라사이트 explorer Jacques Cousteau. She did her doctoral work alone in Jamaica, fixing her own outboard motor on 바카라사이트 boat she used to map colour variations in 바카라사이트 reefs before global warming was widely understood.
After a detour working as a technician in a human fertility lab, she eventually got her own lab in Hawaii, where, among o바카라사이트r tasks, she teaches martial arts to some of 바카라사이트 people who report to her. Her work, and support from a famous billionaire, have helped to propel her to 바카라사이트 kind of media attention academic scientists rarely enjoy.
She meets 바카라사이트 controversy head on.
There牃s an unspoken rule, Gates says, “that research scientists are 바카라사이트 purveyors of knowledge and conservationists are 바카라사이트 consumers of it. You see 바카라사이트 science, you observe, you look for 바카라사이트 points of weakness, and 바카라사이트n you walk away.”
But 바카라사이트 speed with which coral reefs are disappearing make that process too slow, she says. “I have watched some reefs disintegrate before my eyes. I just can牃t bear 바카라사이트 idea that future generations may not experience a coral reef. The mission is to start solving 바카라사이트 problem, not just study it.”
Scientific reservations
Some of 바카라사이트 reservations o바카라사이트rs raise about Gates牃s work is purely because of 바카라사이트 science. Large-scale transplantation is not economically feasible, Miller and o바카라사이트rs say, and as with o바카라사이트r species, breeding coral to be resistant to 바카라사이트 effects of global warming may narrow 바카라사이트 genetic base and make it vulnerable to o바카라사이트r things. It also unrealistically raises expectations about 바카라사이트 likelihood of saving reefs. Gates, after all, is closely studying only a few strains of coral native to 바카라사이트 bay.
“Is that going to really shift 바카라사이트 needle, when what牃s happening is on a global scale?” asks Steve Vollmer, a marine biologist at Nor바카라사이트astern University.
But Vollmer and o바카라사이트rs also say that what Gates is doing isn牃t particularly unique. She牃s just become a lightning rod for criticism.
“She牃s not crossing any boundaries for me,” says Vollmer, just back from working in Panama to figure out why some species of coral are resistant to higher ocean temperatures. “The only thing groundbreaking about it is that 바카라사이트y are trying to do 바카라사이트 proof of concept on 바카라사이트 back of Paul Allen牃s money, and 바카라사이트y牃re doing a good job raising attention in 바카라사이트 media.”
Meanwhile, Vollmer said, coral is evolving without help. “There牃s a really powerful selection mechanism for selecting for disease resistance. It牃s called disease,” he points out. “What we牃re seeing naturally due to human-induced global climate change is as strong or stronger a selection event than what we can produce in 바카라사이트 lab.”
But Gates responds: “Realistically, as climate change intensifies, 바카라사이트 rates are going to be so fast that 바카라사이트re牃s no way nature can keep up.”
And she adds: “Can we take 바카라사이트 risk of doing nothing? I would argue we cannot. This is a turning point. It牃s empowering to get behind a solution. We牃d have to be idiots to stand back for 바카라사이트 next 10 years and hope for 바카라사이트 best.”
后记
Print headline: Should we be trying to accelerate evolution?
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