Notebook

Pay-Per-View At HHMI Campaign Contributions More From The Land Of Opportunity Salamander Sex Proving Their Productivity The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has produced a new video on lab safety techniques and distributed it to each of its units and laboratories. The 12 1/2-minute tape, entitled What You Should Know About Laboratory Safety, features correct procedures for such functions as storing, transporting, and disposing of hazardous chemicals; removing contaminated gloves; and handling blood and blood-borne products contaminated with the hepatitis B or AIDS virus. "We require each new employee to view the video when they join the institute," says HHMI director of laboratory safety Emmett Barkley. "They're not given their first paycheck until that happens." However, Barkley stresses, such an incentive is only a "secondary motivation" because the employees, eager to reinforce prior knowledge of correct safety procedures, "want to see it, anyway." The personal issues that have plagued the presidential candidacy of Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton have largely overshadowed the details of his economic plan. During a recent speech at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Clinton outlined two proposals for scientific development. The first is "a door-to-door fiber optics system by the year 2015 to link every home, every lab, every classroom, and every business in America." The second is the development of a civilian version of the military's R&D agency, DARPA (The Scientist, Feb. 3, 1992, page 1). Clinton said the establishment of such a program would help ensure that the United States continues as the dominant economic power in the coming decade. He said the U.S. needs to bring more domestic products to market and stop countries like Japan and Germany from "beating our brains in." Bill Clinton isn't the only Arkansas Democrat laying claim to a vision for America's future this year--or at least the future of government-funded research. The state's Sen. Dale Bumpers--who a few years ago was himself touted as a contender for the presidency--made his feelings on the subject known in a recent letter to Sen. James Sasser (D- Tenn.), chairman of the Senate's Committee on the Budget. Bumpers recommended (a) that government support for such "big science" projects as space station Freedom and the Strategic Defense Initiative be reduced--if not totally bagged--and (b) that nearly $3 billion worth of federal backing that would otherwise go to these megaprojects be channeled here. As alternatives, he specified efforts sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. What makes the salamanders in Penn State University biology department head Linda Maxon's lab different from all other salamanders? Researchers studying a type of North American salamander devoid of male genetic information at Penn State and the University of Guelph pondered this question and came to a startling conclusion. These "all-female" salamanders have a unique genetic mutation that makes them completely identical--clones. The results of the study, published in Nature (356:708-10, 1992), show the salamanders have continued cloning throughout their 4-million-year history. This is 40 times longer than the previous unisex vertebrate record-holder, a clonal species of Mexican fish. In normal salamanders, the male's reproductive role is minimal: He only stimulates the growth process of the female eggs, and doesn't contribute to the offspring's genetics. Sixty-four Ph.D. scientists and engineers from the former Soviet Union turned out to present their research last month at the Second Refugee Scientists' Conference, held at the New York Academy of Sciences. The conference was organized by the Association of Engineers and Scientists for New Americans (AES), a self-help group devoted to assisting refugee professionals obtain employment in the United States. Technical sessions focused on physics and math; chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials and environmental science; medicine, biology, and veterinary science; and mechanical and civil engineering and electrical automation. The goal of the conference, says AES president Peyrets Goldmacher, was for "American scientists to be informed about what kind of ideas they have and what kind of research they have." According to Goldmacher, 75 percent of the presenters are seeking jobs. For copies of the papers presented, contact AES, 45 E. 33rd St., Third Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016; (212) 447-5040. Fax: (212) 889-9366.

Notebook

The Scientist Staff

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