Across the Nation

Across the Nation

Number of genes alter definition of 'life'

Tired of waiting for philosophers to answer the question "What is life?" the researchers took a scientific approach and concluded that about 300 genes are needed for a candidate life form to pass for "alive" - a state generally defined by an ability to reproduce and respond to the environment.

The discovery of what appears to be the simplest recipe for making a living thing, described in yesterday's issue of the journal Science, could shed new light on the origins of life and the myriad ways that biology has cooked itself up since evolution first stirred the primordial soup.

But of greater interest to ethicists, who have been tracking the so-called Minimal Genome Project since its inception two years ago, the new research may enable researchers to engineer life in the laboratory for the first time from essential chemical ingredients - not by altering existing organisms, as genetic engineers do today.

That ability could be liberating or could sow seeds of destruction, said J. Craig Venter of Celera Genomics in Rockville, Md., the senior scientist on the new report. Novel cells could be designed to clean up toxic wastes with unprecedented efficiency, he said. Or they could be programmed to serve as horrendous biological weapons.

Ceremony honors 6 slain reghters

"Most cities have one hero. The city of Worcester was blessed with six," said Frank Raffa, president of the local firefighters union, quoting a handwritten sign along the procession route.

To the mournful sounds of drum taps and bagpipes, a three-mile stream of 30,000 firefighters marched solemnly through the city, past flag-waving crowds and the stations where the six men were assigned, en route to the two-hour memorial service. Many mourners couldn't get past the doors of the 15,000-seat Worcester Centrum.

Schools, municipal offices and most businesses in this blue-collar city of 170,000 were closed for one of the biggest firefighter memorials the country has ever seen. President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore were among the guests at the ceremony, 30 miles west of Boston.

On tables right in front of the stage, the fire helmets were placed next to photographs of the firefighters - Joseph McGuirk, 38; James Lyons III, 34; Lt. Thomas Spencer, 42; Timothy Jackson, 51; Paul Brotherton, 41; and Jeremiah Lucey, 38.

Scientists grow corneas in laboratory

"They show the same function as a real human cornea" in laboratory tests, said lead researcher May Griffith of the University of Ottawa, who reports her discovery in today's edition of the journal Science.

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