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Thermoelectrics：EveryEttlehelps

HEREisathought:approximately60%oftheenergyconvertedinpowergenerationis

wastedThepriceofenergyishigh,bothintermsoftheactualcosttotheconsumerandthe

consequencesoftheclimatechangethatgeneratingpowerfromfossilfuelscauses.Ifevenasmall

proportionofthiswastedheatcouldbeconvertedtousefulpower,itwouldbeagoodthing.

Atthisweek'smeetingoftheAmericanPhysicalSociety,inBaltimore,MercouriKanatzidis

ofMichiganStateUniversityproposedsuchascheme.Headvocatesattachingthermoelectric

devicesthatconvertheatintoelectricitytochimneystacksandvehicleexhausts,tosqueezemore

usefillenergyfrompowergeneration.

Thetechnologytodosohasexistedforyears.Ifoneendofanelectricalconductorisheated

whiletheotheriskeptcool,asmallvoltageiscreatedbetweenthetwo.Placingtwodissimilar

metals,orotherelectricallyconductivematerials,incontactwitheachotherandthenheatingthem

alsogeneratesavoltage.Suchdevices,calledthermocouples,arenowadaysusuallymadeusing

semiconductors.Theyarewidelyusedasthermometers.Butiftheycouldbemadecheaper,or

moreefficient,orboth,theycouldalsobeemployedtogeneratepower.

DrKanatzidisisdevelopingnewthermoelectricmaterialsdesignedtobecapableof

convertingupto20%oftheheatthatwouldotherwisebewastedintousefulelectricity.The

challengeliesinfindingasubstancethatconductselectricitywellandheatbadly.Thesetwo

propertiesdefinewhatphysicistscallthe“figureofmerit“ofathermoelectricsubstance,which

describesthepoweradevicemadeofthatsubstancecouldgenerate.DrKanatzidis'sgroupaimsto

makematerialswithhigherfiguresofmeritthanthoseattainablewithtoday'ssemiconductors.

Sincetheelectricalpropertiesofsolidsdependontheircrystalstructures,hisgroupis

experimentingwithnewatomiclattices.Inparticular,theyareworkingonagroupofchemicals

calledchalcogenides.Thesearecompoundsofoxygen,sulphur,seleniumandtelluriumthatare

thoughttobeparticularlysuitableforthermoelectricapplicationsbecausetheirstructureallows

electriccuirentstoflowwhileblockingthermalcurrents.Theythushaveahighfigureofmerit.Dr

Kanatzidis'sgroupisdevelopingnewwaysofmakingthesecompoundscrystallisecorrectly.

Butevenexistingdevicescouldbecomeeconomicallyusefulasfuelpricesrise,Dr

Kanatzidisargues.InAmerica,transportaccountsforaquarteroftheenergyused.Fittingsmall

thermoelectricdevicestotheexhaustpipesofvehiclescouldsqueezeanother10%fromthefuel-

asavingthatwouldbeespeciallyrelevantinhybridpetrol/electricdeviceswherethebatteryis

rechargedinpartbyrecyclingenergythatwouldotherwisebedissipatedbyenergy^draining

activitiessuchasbraking.Similarly,attachingthermoelectricdevicestothefluesofpowerplants

couldgeneratemoreusefulpower

Andthermoelectricdevicescouldbeusedinotherareas.Theycouldworkalongsidesolar

cellsandsolarheatingsystems.Theycouldalsobeusedingeothermalandnuclearpowerplants.

DrKanatzidisarguesthatwhereverheatisgeneratedaspartofpowergeneration,thermoelectric

devicescouldhelpextractmoreusefulenergy.W^stenot,wantnot

Trackingyoureverymove

SomefamiliesinAmericaandelsewherehavestartedbuyingchildfriendlymobilephones

outfittedwithGPS(GlobalPositioningSystem)technology.

Thesephonesandtheirrelatedtrackingservicesallowparentstopinpointthelocationoftheir

childrenwithease.Parentsagreetopickupthephonebillinreturnforthereassuranceofknowing

wheretheirchildrenare;childrenarepreparedtoputupwiththesnoopingiftheyareallowedto

haveaphone.

MobileoperatorsinAmericaarenowlaunchingtrackingservices.Underafederalmandate

knownasE911,theyhadtoupgradetheirnetworkstoensurethatanyonediallingthe911

emergencynumbercouldbelocatedtowithin100metres.Someoperatorsoptedfortriangulation

technology,whichdeterminesthelocationofthehandsetbycomparingthesignalsreceivedby

differentbasestations.ButVerizonandSprintchosetoadoptthemoreexpensivebutmore

accurateGPStechnologyinstead,andarenowlookingforwaystomakemoneyfromit.

Verizoncallsitsservice“Chaperone”.For$.10amonth,parentscancallupthelocationof

theirchild'sLGMigohandsetfromtheirownmobilephones,orfromaPC.Thechildreceivesa

messagesayingthatthehandset'spositionhasbeenrequested,andtheparentsreceiveanaddress,

oramarkeronawebbasedap,givingthechild，slocation.Foranextra$10permonth,they

cansignupforChildZone,aservicethat,amongotherthings,firesoffanalertwhenayoungster

(or,atleast,theyoungster'shandset)traysoutsideaspecifiedarea.

Foritspart,Sprinthaslaunchedasimilarservicethatcanalsoletparentsknowwhenachild

arrivesataparticularlocation.

AnotherlocationserviceisavailablefromNextel,amobileoperatorthatwastakenoverby

Sprintin2005.Nextdopenedupsomeofitssystemstoenableotherfirmstobuildtheirown

softwareandservicesontopofitsGPStechnology.OneexampleisAccuTracking,asmall

companywhichoffersatrackingservicefor$6amonthandboaststhatitis“idealforvehicle

tracking'ortokeep“virtualeyesonkids”Somecustomersarealsousingtheservicetotrack

theirspouses,byhidingphonesintheircars."Mineishiddenunderthehood,hot-wiredtothe

battery-itworksverywellanditiseasytohookupcontinuouspower,"writesonecustomeron

AccuTracking^smessageboard,whoistrackingherhusband.

Start-upsareworkingoneverythingfromcity-widegamesofhide-and-seektomonitoring

thelocationsofAlzheimer'spatients.Servicesthatmonitorjoggingroutes,andworkoutdistance

travelledandcaloriesconsumed,mightalsoprovepopular.

Asaresult,mobileoperators,handset-makersandstart-upscouldtransformandexpanda

small,specialistmarkethithertodominatedbyexpensive,dedicatedtrackingsystems.

Treasureontheoceanfloor

TODAY；deep-oceanminingisdoneonlybytheoilandgasindustryYetthedreamof

miningthemineralwealthofthedeephasnevergoneaway.Nowtwofirmshopetosucceed

whereothershavefailed.

NautilusMinerals,basedinVancouver,isthemoreadvancedofthepair.Ithasanexploratory

licencefromPapuaNewGuineaandhasalreadybegundrillingoperations1,600metresbdowsea

levelofftheeastcoastofthecountry.Anothercompany,NeptuneMinerals,basedinLondonand

Sydney,hascompletedtestdrillinginthedeepwatersnearNewZealand.

Nautilussdeep-waterexplorationreliesonamodifieddeep-searemotelyoperatedvehicle

(ROV)ofthekindnormallyusedintheoilandtelecomsindustries.Ithasamanipulatorhand

containingdrillingandcuttingtoolsthatallowtherobottoretrievesamplesofrockfromtheocean

bed.Sofarthedrillinghasonlybeenexploratory,buttheprospectslookgood.

Thepresenceoftheserichdepositshasbeenknownaboutforyears,saysStevenScott,a

geologistattheUniversityofToronto.Hehasbeenresearchingunderwatergeologysincethe

1980s,andinthe1990sheco-discoveredthedepositthatNautilusisexploring.Sowhyhasit

takensolongtomovetowardsthecommercialexploitationofdeepseamassivesulphidedeposits?

MrHeydonsaysitisbecausetheROVtechnologyhasonlyrecentlybecomecapableenough.He

eventuallyhopestouserockrcuttingROVsthatwilldriveacrosstheseafloor,grindingoreas

theygoandsendingittothesurfaceviaatubeatarateof400tonnesperhourItmightalsobe

possibletoliftlargedepositsusingcompressedair.

Allofthiscanbedone,MrHeydonbelieves,forabouthalfasmuchasopeninganewland

basedmine.Nautilushasspentabout$.1,2nainthepastyearonexploration,andDrScottsaysone

testdrillingfounddeposits19metresdeep.Unlikemanganesenodules,whicharelikegolfballs

scatteredacrosstheseabed,thesedeep-oceandepositsoccurinsmallareasaroundextinct

hydrothermalvents.Suchconcentrateddepositsoughttomakeunderwatermininghighly

efficient.

Eveniftheeconomicsstackup,however,NautilusandNeptunemustovercomeconcerns

overenvironmentaldamage.DrScottarguesthatunderwaterminingwillbefarlessdisruptiveto

theenvironmentthanterrestrialmining:therewillbenopilesofwasterock,sincethedepositsare

directlyontheseafloor.Andwhereastheoilindustrylayspipelinesunderwater,miningwouldnot

leaveanypermanentstructuresbehind.Butgovernmentswillneedtobeconvincedofthemeritof

theseargumentsbeforeminingcanbegin.

Universitybonds:Aneducationinfinance

Lesswellknownistheincreasingwillingnessofcollegestoborrowinthemarkets,too.On

May15th,forexample,CornellUniversitysold$250m-worthofbonds.Inrecentweeksboth

HarvardandtheUniversityofTexashavealsoraisedhundredsofmillionsofdollarsinthisway

Suchdebt-raisingisbecomingmorecommonThereareabundantreasonstobelievethatthe

marketwillgrowmuchbiggeryet

Largelythisisbecausecollegesareonlybelatedlybecomingawareofhowusefulthe

financialmarketscanbe.Nodoubtsomeoftheirhesitationhasbeencultural:academicsmayhave

beenreluctanttolookattheiruniversitiesasbusinesses;ortheymayhavemisunderstoodwhat

wasneededtohelpthosebusinessesgrow.

Iftheydidlookattheirinstitutionsineconomicterms,peopleineducationtendednotto

thinkthatuniversitieslackedcapital.Rather,theythoughtthattheyhadastructuralinabilitytouse

capitalandlabourmoreefficiently.Unlikethecarindustry,manyschoolsfeltthattheymust

maintain,orevenincrease,theratioofemployees(teachers)tocustomers(students).Smallclass

sizesaretakenasasignalofhighquality,soinvestingmoneytosaveonteachers,salariesisnot

anattractivestrategy.

Schoolshadotherreservationsaswell.Poorschoolswereworriedaboutbeingunableto

servicedebt.Richschoolswithhugeendowmentsmayhaveseennoneed.

Somuchforanacademicperspective.Agrowingnumberofinvestorssawthingsdifferently.

Thoselovelybuildingsonrollingcampuses,thebetteruniversitiesreputations,taxpayers'

backingofstate-ownedinstitutions:allthislookedtothemlikeadeeppoolofassetsagainst

whichlotsofmoneycouldbeborrowed.Themoneyraisedcouldbeusedtoattractmore

customers,whoarechoosyabouttheproductandwhosedemandvarieslittlewiththeprice

(loudlythoughtheymaycomplain).

Someoftherichestuniversitiesmaybeusinganothertactictoo,althoughtheywouldbeloth

toadmitit.Tounderstandthis,ithelpstoknowthatAmericahasthreetypesofuniversitjrpublic

ones;private,not-for-profitinstitutions;andprivateschoolsrunforprofit.Bothpublicand

not-for-profituniversitiesoftenissuetax-exemptdebt.Thistendstobecheap.Theycanthen

investthemoneytheyraiseinthehigheryieldingtaxablemarketbut,becauseoftheirnon-profit

status,avoidtaxes.

Thisisnotquitealicencetoprintmoney,butitisnotferoff.Undera1986law,moneyhasto

beraisedforapurpose,suchasabuilding.However,thisisamatterofsubstanceratherthanform

Moneyisfungible.Aslongasthetaxauthoritiesarehappythatthepromisedsumisbeingspent

onthestatedprojects,auniversitycanborrowcheaplyand,ineffect,earnaspread.Reflectingjust

howcomplexthismarkethasbecome,mostuniversitiesborrowatvariableratesandthenhedge

theirinterest-rateriskthroughswaps.Itisallprettyclever.

OutsideAmerica,schoolshavebeenhesitanttotakethisapproachlargelybecausetheiroperations

andspendingaremorecloselytiedtothestate,buttheytooarechanging,ifslowly.

Universityexpansion

BRITAIN'Suniversitiesareinanawfulspin.Topuniversitieswereoverwhelmedbythe

24%ofAHevelapplicantssportingindistinguishablestraightAs;neweronesarebeatingthe

bywaysforbodies.

Cxiriously,bothimagesofeducation-theweepingwillowsofCambridgeandthefuturistic

architectureofUEL_arecherishedbythegovernment.Ministerswanttoseehalfofallyoung

peopleinuniversitiesby2010(numbershavestalledat42%),withoutrelinquishingtheworld

classqualityofitstopinstitutions.

Manyarguethatthetwogoalsareincompatiblewithoutspendingalotmoremoney.

Researchersscrabbleforfunds,andstudentscomplainoflargeclassesandreducedteachingtime.

Tohelpsolvetheproblem,thegovernmentagreedin2004toletuniversitiesincreasetuitionfees.

Thoughlowthefeeshaveintroducedamarketofsortsintohighereducation.Universities

canoffercut-pricetuition,althoughmosthavestuckclosetothe$3,000.Otherincentivesare

morepopular.NewcomerstoStMark&StJohn,ahigher-educationcollegelinkedtoExeter

University,willreceivefreelaptops.

Asuniversitiesenterthethirdweekof“clearing',themarketinghasbecomeweirder.

BradfordUniversityisluringstudentswiththechanceofwinninganMP3playerinaprizedraw

PlymouthUniversitystudentsvisitedCornishseasideresorts,temptingyoungholiday-makers

withsurfboardsandcinemavouchers.Theseofferssuggestthatsupplyhasoutstrippeddemand.

Notsothetopuniversitiesthatmakeupthe“Russellgroup”,however.Theirranksinclude

thelikesofImperialCollegeLondonandBristolUniversityalongwithOxfordandCambridge.

Swampedwithapplicants,onlyhalfofferanyplacesthroughclearing.Theyhaveadifferent

problem:theyneedmoneytocompeteforhighcalibrestudentsandacademics,bothBritishand

foreign,whocouldbetemptedoverseasbybetterheeledAmericanuniversitiesorfest

improvinginstitutionsindevelopingcountriessuchasIndia.

Higherfeesandexcesssupplyarecausingstudentstolookmorecriticallyatjustwhat

differentuniversitieshavetooffer.Andthecrunchcouldbecomemoreacute.Thenumberof

18-year-oldsinBritainwilldroparound2010anddeclineoverthefollowingtenyears,according

togovernmentprojections.

BahramBekhradnia,thedirectoroftheHigherEducationPolicyInstitute,athinktank,

saysthegovernmenthasn,tahopeofgetting50%ofyoungBritonsintohighereducationby2010.

Andthedeclineofhome-grownstudentnumberswillhavea“differentialeffect“onuniversities,

hereckons.Thoseatthebottomendwillhavetobecomeincreasingly“innovative“aboutwhom

theyadmitandsomemaynotsurvive.

TheCambridgeshadesevokedbyRupertBrookeweregentle,nostalgicones.Manyvice

chancellorstodayarepursuedbyfarmorevengefulspectresofemptycampuses,deserted

laboratories,failedinstitutions.Markets,afterall,createwinners-andlosers.

Winningways

EversincethestunningvictoryofDeepBlue,aprogramrunningonanIBMsupercomputer,

overGaryKasparov,thenworldchesschampion,in1997,ithasbeenclearthatcomputerswould

dominatethatparticulargame.Today,though,theyarepressingtheattackoneveryfrontTheyare

theundisputedchampionsindraughtsandOthello.Theyaregenerallystrongerinbackgammon.

TheyaresteadilygaininggroundinScrabble,pokerandbridge.Andtheyareevendoingpretty

wellatcrosswordpuzzles.Thereisonegame,however,wherehumansstillreignsupreme:Go.

Yetheretootheirgripisbeginningtoloosen.

Goisastrategiccontest.Eachplayertriestostakeoutterritoryandsurroundhisopponent.

Therulesaresimplebuttheplayisextraordinarilycomplex.Duringagame,somestoneswill

"die",andsomewillappeartobedeadbutspringbacktolifeataninopportunemoment.Itis

oftendifficulttosaywhoiswinningrightuntiltheend.

DeepBlueanditssuccessorsbeatMrKasparovusingthe"bruteforce“technique.

Unfortunately,bruteforcewillnotworkinGo.First,thegamehasmanymorepossible

positionsthanchessdoes.Second,thenumberofpossiblemovesfromatypicalpositioninGois

about200,comparedwithaboutadozeninchess.Finally,evaluatingaGopositionisfiendishly

difficult.Thefestestprogramscanassessjust50positionsasecond,comparedwith5,Q0*00.0in

chess.Clearly,somesortoffinesseisrequired.

Inthepasttwodecadesresearchershaveexploredseveralalternativestrategies.Now,

however,programmersaremakingimpressivegainswithatechniqueknownastheMonteCarlo

method.Givenaposition,aprogramusingaMonteCarloalgorithmcontemplateseverymoveand

playsalargenumberofrandomgamestoseewhathappens.Ifitwinsin80%ofthosegames,the

moveisprobablygood.Otherwise,itkeepslooking.

Thismaysoundlikealotofeffortbutgeneratingrandomgamesisthesortofthing

computersexcelat.Infeet,MonteCarlotechniquesaremuchfasterthanbruteforce.Moreover,

twoHungariancomputerscientistshaverecentlyaddedaneleganttwistthatallowsthealgorithm

tofocusonthemostpromisingmoveswithoutsacrificingspeed.

Theresultisanewgenerationoffestprogramsthatplayparticularlywellonsmallversions

oftheGoboardInthepastfewmonthsMonteCarlo-basedprogramshavedominatedcomputer

tournamentsonnine-and13linegrids.MoGo,aprogramdevelopedbyresearchersfromthe

UniversityofParis,hasevenbeatenacoupleofstronghumanplayersonthesmallerofthese

boards—unthinkableayearago.Itisranked2,323rdintheworldandinEurope'stop300.

AlthoughMoGoisstillsomewayfromcompetingonthefullsizeGogrid,humanitymay

ultimatelyhavetoacceptdefeatonyetanotherfront.

Womenintheworkforce

EVENtodayinthemodem,developedworld,surveysshowthatparentsstillprefertohavea

boyratherthanagirl.Onelongstandingreasonwhyboyshavebeenseenasagreaterblessinghas

beenthattheyareexpectedtobecomebettereconomicprovidersfortheirparents'oldage.Yetitis

timeforparentstothinkagain.Girlsmaynowbeabetterinvestment.

Girlsgetbettergradesatschoolthanboys,andinmostdevelopedcountriesmorewomen

thanmengotouniversity.Womenwillthusbebetterequippedforthenewjobsofthe21stcentury,

inwhichbrainscountalotmorethanbrawn.

Furthermore,theincreaseinfemaleemploymentintherichworldhasbeenthemaindriving

forceofg,owthinthepastcoupleofdecades.ThosewomenhavecontributedmoretoglobalGDP

growththanhaveeithernewtechnologyorthenewgiants,ChinaandIndia.Addthevalueof

houseworkandchild-rearing,andwomenprobablyaccountforjustoverhalfofworldoutput.Itis

truethatwomenstillgetpaidlessandfewmakeittothetopofcompanies,but,asprejudicefades

overcomingyears,womenwillhavegreatscopetoboosttheirproductivity~~andincomes.

Governments,too,shouldembracethepotentialofwomen.Womencomplain(rightly)of

centuriesofexploitation.Yet,toaneconomist,womenarenotexploitedenough:theyarethe

world'smostunder-utilisedresource;gettingmoreofthemintoworkispartofthesolutionto

manyeconomicwoes,includingshrinkingpopulationsandpoverty.

Somepeoplefretthatifmorewomenworkratherthanmindtheirchildren,thiswillboost

GDPbutcreatenegativesocialexternalities,suchasalowerbirthrateYetdevelopedcountries

wheremorewomenwork,suchasSwedenandAmerica,actuallyhavehigherbirthratesthan

JapanandItaly,wherewomenstayathome.Othersfearthatwomen'smoveintothepaidlabour

forcecancomeattheexpenseofchildren.Yettheevidenceforthisismixed.Forinstance,astudy

bySuzanneBianchiatMarylandUniversityfindsthatmothersspentthesametime,onaverage,

onchildcarein2003asin1965.Theincreaseinworkoutsidethehomewasoffsetbyless

houseworkandlesssparetimeandlesssleep.

WhatisclearisthatincountriessuchasJapan,GermanyandItaly,whicharealltroubledby

thedemographicsofshrinkingpopulations,ferfewerwomenworkthaninAmerica,letalone

Sweden.IffemalelabourforceparticipationinthesecountriesrosetoAmericanlevels,itwould

giveahelpfulboosttothesecountries'growthrates.Likewise,indevelopingcountrieswheregirls

arelesslikelytogotoschoolthanboys,investingineducationwoulddeliverhugeeconomicand

socialreturns.Notonlywilleducatedwomenbemoreproductive,buttheywillalsobringup

bettereducatedandhealthierchildren.Morewomeningovernmentcouldalsoboosteconomic

growth:studiesshowthatwomenaremorelikelytospendmoneyonimprovinghealth,education,

infrastructureandpovertyandlesslikelytowasteitontanksandbombs.

Itusedtobesaidthatwomenmustdotwiceaswellasmentobethoughthalfasgood.

Luckilythatisnotsodifficult.

V^ccines：Anewhealthfood

GETTINGtwoforthepriceofoneisalwaysagoodbargain.Andaccordingtoapaperinthis

week'sProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences,thatiswhatTomonoriNochiofthe

UniversityofTokyoandhiscolleagueshavedone.Usinggeneticengineering,theyhaveovercome

twoofthelimitationsofvaccines.Oneisthattheyareheat-sensitiveandthushavetobe

transportedalonga“coldchain"ofrefrigeratorstotheclinicswheretheyareused.Theotheris

that,althoughtheystimulateimmuneresponsesinsidethebody,theyoftenfoiltoextendthat

protectiontotheoutside,whereitmightpreventbacteriaandvirusesgettinginsideinthefirst

place.Inthiscontext,theoutsideisnottheskin:thatisdryandhostiletogerms.Itisthedampand

welcomingsurfaceofplacessuchasthelungandthegutthatareatrisk.Althoughtheseare

casuallycalledinternal,technicallytheyarenot.Anynastiesinthegutorlungshavetocrossthe

wallsofthoseorgansbeforetheycanmultiplyinsidethebody.

DrNochi'sgeneticengineeringinvolvedgrowingthevaccineinrice.Toprovetheprinciple,

hechosecholera,butitshouldworkwithothervaccinesaswell.Wthcholera,theimmune

responseisinducedbywhatisknownasthecholeratoxinB-subunit.Thisisaprotein,andDr

Nochitookthegenethatencodesitandinsertedthatgeneintothegenomeofrice.Nexttothe

B-subunitgeneitself,heinsertedasecondpieceofDNAcalledapromoter.This,asitsname

suggests,promotesactivityinanadjacentgene.Promotersthemselvesareactivatedbyother

molecules,andwhethertheyareswitchedonornotdependsonwhetherthecelltheyarein

providesthenecessarystimulation.InthiscaseDrNochipickedapromoterthatisactiveinthe

tissueofricegrains.

Itwasthenjustaquestionofgrowingthericeandfeedingtheresultinggrainstosome

experimentalmicetofindoutwhatwouldhappen.Thefirstthingthathappenedwasthatthe

grainsprotectedtheB-subunitfrombeingbrokendowninthestomach,thusovercomingoneof

theregularbugbearsofprotein-baseddrugs:thattheycannotbegivenbymouth,becausethey

willbedigested.Thisisaproblemwithtoday'scholeravaccinewhichisindeedtakenbymouth

andthereforeaffordspoorprotection.WhentheB-subunitsgottotheintestinestheydidexactly

whatDrNochihopedandinducedtheproductionofantibodiesandthesecretionofthose

antibodiesintothemucouscoatingoftheintestinalwall.DrNochi'smicereallywereprotected.

Whenhefedthemcholeratoxin,theydidnotgetsick

Ontopofallthis,hegotasgoodaresponsewithricethathadbeenstoredatroom

temperaturefor18monthsashedidwhenheusedfreshgrains.Foravaccineagainstadisease

thatisfoundpredominantlyinpoorcountnes—placesthattendtolackrefrigeratorsandhaveonly

intermittentpowertorunthosethatdoexist—thatisanenormousadvance.IfDrNochi'sfinding

canbetranslatedintoaproductthatissafeandeffectiveforpeople,itwillbeabigboosttothe

healthoftheworld'spoor

Dollyonthedinnertable?

Don'twonyaboutit

TheFoodandDrugAdministrationhasdeclaredthatmeatandmilkfromclonedanimalsis

safetoeat,pavingthewayforclonedproductstoshowupingrocetystoresacrosstheland,likely

withoutanyspeciallabelsorwarnings.

Thismakessensebecausethereisabsolutelynoevidencetoshowthatthereisanything

unsafeaboutmilkormeatfromclonedcows,goatsorpigs.(Actually,theFDAisholdingoffon

decidingwhetherclonedsheepareasafesourceofchops,sayingnotenoughinformationis

availableyet.)Butmanyofushearthewords“meatfromclonedanimals“andgetqueasyDolly,

feirlyornot,istoblame.

Dolly,whoseremainsareondisplayattheRoyalMuseumofScotland,spenthersixyearson

earthastheobjectofscorn,fear,derisionandslander.Themediahadafielddayuponherbirth

tellingusthatDollywasthekeytoresurrectingthedead,creatingviciousclonearmiesanda

worldinwhicheveryonewouldbetrailedbyahaplessclonewhoseinternalorganswouldbe

availableondemandtoprolonglivesthreatenedbydiseaseoroldage.

Butworsewastofollow.SoonwackycultsliketheRadiansandnuttyscientistswere

holleringaboutcloningrichpeople,cultleaders,andgenerallyunsavorytypestotheraptand

stupefiedattentionofamediaunabletodiscernthefeetthatdressinginaStarTrekuniformand

displayingaverybadhairdyejobdidnotproveyourbonatidesastheclonermosttobefeared.

Allofthisnonsensetookatoll.ItmadeAmericansforgetthatcloningisnothingmorethan

artificiallycreatingtwins.Itmadeusforgetthateverydropofwinewedrinkcomesfromcloned

grapes.

Dollygotabadrap.Andithasstuck.ButtheFDAisrighttofollowtheevidenceandlet

productsfromclonesenterthemarketplace.

Ifpeoplewanttheseproductslabeledsotheycanchoosenottobuythem,that'stheirright.

But,beforeyoudecide,remembertheonlythingyoureallyhavetofearfromclonedanimals

iswhathumanbeingshavedonetoruintheirreputations!

Collegeeducation: