The International Biological Programme and the Newer Biology
Part two of the program of U.S. participation in the International Biological Programme (IBP) is a commendable document; yet I must register a demurrer, not with what is contained in the program but with what was omitted.
Abstract
Part two of the program of U.S. participation in the International Biological Programme (IBP) has finally appeared. It is a commendable document; yet I must register a demurrer, not with what is contained in the program but with what is omitted. I think none of us can argue with the objectives of the program as defined: "human weHare, scientific advance, and international scientific cooperation." Nor can we argue with the program as it relates to the first and third of these objectives. It is quite obvious that the need is great for the understanding of the effects of changing technology upon the biological parameters of a living earth and that man's onslaught upon his environment is causing the biological environment to change so drastically that it might well imperil the future not only of mankind but of all living things. We all acknowledge the continuation and intensification of biological research into these areas and the commitments to and cooperation in the commendable outlined projects by all biologists. The need is imminent; the deadlines are at hand; the stress is correctly laid; the call for concerted, immediate action has gone out. No one can argue about the goals set forth by biologists to all mankind, "Our goals should be not to conquer the natural world but to live in harmony with it." However, has not one aspect been forgotten? For, while we all feel the presence of possibly imminent disaster upon us, there are optimists also among us who see mankind and all living beings still surviving in two centuries and even two mi1lennia hence. Thus, it seems that the first lBP should not have looked only into the immediate past and pressing present but should have tried to gaze into the imminent future also. This it has not done. Therefore, I do not believe that the second objective, scientific advance, will be much realized by the Programme. We all know that the greatest scientific advance in biology today is in that field which has been variously described as cell biology, molecular biology, or even by the older term of biological chemistry. The advances in this field have been so fundamental, as well as spectacular, that it is conceivable that what we learn in theory today will be put into practice a few generations from now. While "genetic engineering" may sound fanciful to some, only a few years ago we all