Research Into Genetics (1972)

Foundry proudly brings you this issue of the science screen report the nation's leading independent foundry has been a growing part of the Lynchburg community since 1896 we manufacture quality engineered castings using 2800 degree molten iron and automated equipment to shape intricate parts chemical and physical analysis form the backbone of Lynchburg quality control program precision castings are used in a variety of industrial and consumer products [Music] experience technology quality and the foundries greatest asset people have combined to make Lynchburg foundry the leader in its field Wow the science green report [Music] the science screen report bringing you each month the latest discoveries developments and applications of science engineering and medicine made to help solve the problems of modern life [Music] in this century the ability of agricultural scientists to breed better strains of food plants and domestic animals has led to major gains in global food production [Music] while medical researchers agree that many health conditions involve inherited traits recently a breakthrough in the science of genetics the study of heredity has made possible major advances in both areas [Music] what follows is a report on this progress in genetic science [Music] the process of reproduction is common to all life in simple organisms binary fission and budding yield identical offspring [Music] in higher life-forms both parents contribute characteristics yet all living things employ the same heredity transmission process by the early 1900's researchers had established that this heredity process is almost identical in plants animals and people in reproduction as this animation suggests the microscopic heredity units or genetic material first duplicate themselves a combination of the parents genetic material then determines the heredity of the offspring micro photography reveals this process [Music] here a single-a develops into the trillions of cells that make up the offspring [Music] by applying this understanding agricultural genetics has produced major increases in crop yields this research farms computer determines desirable pairings types to be combined are then drawn from the refrigerated vault [Music] if all goes well the new breed's produced will be richer and nutrient values more responsive to agrochemicals more resistant to disease and easier to harvest [Music] genetic material taken from existing species is combined like building blocks to produce the new breed breeding superior tassel seed corn for example plants with kernels on the tassel is leading to machine harvesting of corn [Music] today's genetic medicine includes genetic counseling which allows couples to estimate and deal with their chances of passing along disabling traits a procedure called amniocentesis permits determination of aspects of an unborn child genetic makeup by analysis of the birth fluid genetic medicine can already identify over 50 diseases and fetal defects today some of these conditions can be successfully managed through medication diet or surgery [Music] most recently genetic research has approached and at last reached a turning point the ability to directly manipulate and rearrange genetic material in 1962 James Watson of the United States on the left and England's Francis Crick received a Nobel Prize for determining the structure of the genetic material a double helix this microscopic material determines each individual's particular heredity [Music] in 1976 a Massachusetts Institute of Technology research team chemically synthesized genetic material project director H Gobin Khorana we like to believe that completion of this work signals the beginning of a new era of chemical research the work opens up new doors to understanding how genes work and how they are regulated there is how they are turned on and turned off further the tools now available should help medical research in understanding the basic mechanisms and curing a number of hereditary diseases besides gene synthesis an approach called gene splicing can produce unprecedented genetic material in gene-splicing one life-forms genetic material indicated at left is extracted to be spliced to a different life forms genetic material indicated at right the result is new unprecedented genetic material this material can then be reinserted into the life form when the life form reproduces the offspring have both the new genetic material and perhaps unprecedented new traits both scientists and laymen have called attention to possible resulting risks such as producing dangerous new forms of microscopic life [Music] others argue that all research involves some risk in any case such studies are already underway in a number of nations to deal with this problem the United States National Institutes of Health recently set guidelines regarding genetic research facilities such as this one [Music] to prevent a scape of harmful material all experiments are carried out in airtight steel boxes using heavy rubber gloves built into the cabinets the researchers fingers never directly touch anything inside these first studies are dealing with risk assessment [Music] an important agricultural use of gene-splicing could involve a rare type of grass that grows in only a few soils the grass has root microorganisms which convert nitrogen in the air into a nitrogen compound that can serve as fertilizer but suppose instead of being limited to growing in one type of soil the grass with microorganisms by gene splicing could be made to grow in any soil such a new species could grow on and fertilize the world's cropland supplementing the oil-based fertilizers now used to produce corn and wheat at high E other genetic techniques might be similarly applied towards multiplying food production in the centuries-old practice of breeding farm animals a technique called cloning may someday be important [Music] in toning genetic material from a specially chosen parent is added to an egg cell from which all genetic material has been removed [Music] this added genetic material then determines how the egg develops the offspring will be genetically identical to the contributor large numbers of superior form animals might be produced in this way eventually such male or female clones might be developed in a laboratory [Music] toning has already been accomplished with amphibians like this cloned frog [Music] other future advances may be applied to genetic medicine currently the world's millions of diabetics must medicate with insulin derived from animals a substance in limited supply but recently a University of California research team successfully cloned an animal insulin gene and inserted it into these bacteria a step towards using micro organisms to manufacture insulin [Music] now several companies are working on redirecting such microorganisms to mass produce insulin some day such tiny living factories may manufacture many now costly medicines further in the future therapies are even cures for diabetes and other genetic diseases may become possible perhaps by restoring or replacing the missing key genetic material [Music] advanced genetic research may also discover clues to malfunctions of the cell such as cancer and even to the aging process itself [Music] today genetic research in the United States and other countries has become a challenging scientific frontier controversial provocative and already yielding significant new knowledge for possible future applications to the needs of the world lynchburg foundry has been proud to bring you this issue of the science screen report to further your understanding of science engineering medicine and technology [Applause]