Chapter 18: Genetics
Several months of hard work had gone by very quickly. The crew adapted to the work schedule that Captain Brezinski had instituted. The morning report had been reduced to a work session to discuss problems that involved different workgroups. Captain Brezinski continued her role as the interface between the different groups; balancing the biological needs and requests of Doc Jules with the engineering constraints that Mike had to work with. Despite their continued bickering significant progress had been made in completing the garden structure.
Captain Brezinski awakened early with the anticipation of the monthly review meeting with the entire crew. She had slept fairly well. After looking at her alarm clock and realizing she had another hour of sleep coming, she rolled over but to no avail. Her mind was filled with the anticipation of the meeting and the challenge of controlling the discussion so that everyone's ideas could be expressed and listened to in a timely fashion. Their knowledge base was increasing at such a rapid rate that integrating the new knowledge into their work was an ongoing challenge. After tossing and turning for several moments, she gave up and got ready for the day. She found simple things like upgrading her uniform and making sure her hair was properly arranged helped in her command role. She was confident in her leadership skills and usually led by example, allowing the crew to govern themselves. No one had yet challenged her leadership. She found the advice given during her officer's training course was still valid; a leader should look like a leader.
Captain Brezinski gathered her notes for the meeting and walked over to the Long Branch hoping the coffee would be ready. She was surprised Brother Simon was there already, sipping a cup of coffee. She was somewhat taken aback at his early appearance because he was not usually a morning person. She greeted him, "Good morning, Brother Simon."
Brother Simon responded, "It is an exciting morning, Captain."
Captain Brezinski poured herself a cup of coffee and asked him, "And what makes this such an exciting morning?"
Brother Simon smiled and was quiet for a few seconds before responding, "I had a revelation a couple of days ago while working on a section of the genetic code, which at first I thought was just junk filler material. I realized that it resembled the section on the ends of the chromosome called a telomere. I set up an experiment to see if this genetic material was biologically active and I got up early this morning to check the results."
Captain Brezinski sipped her coffee and replied,"I would assume since you are so bright-eyed and excited that your experiment was a success."
Brother Simon just nodded in the affirmative.
After a few more sips of coffee Captain Brezinski asked, "What is the function of this genetic material?"
Brother Simon smiled and said, "This gene limits the ability of the telomere to replicate itself."
After a moment of silence Captain Brezinski said simply, "And?"
Brother Simon mumbled an apology and explained, "The telomere acts as a cork on the end of the chromosome to prevent the chromosome material from sticking to other chromosomes and in general to protect the integrity of the genetic material. The telomere is not replicated during the reproduction of the cell, which means that with every time a cell reproduces itself the cork becomes a little smaller until it is completely used up. Without the telomere the chromosomes are unprotected and subject to mutations and loss of function."
Captain Brezinski was now obviously in deep thought and it was a few minutes before she responded, "As we grow older we use these telomeres up which leads to the aging process and the development of cancers?"
Brother Simon again nodded in the affirmative.
Captain Brezinski started to ask the obvious question about controlling the telomere, but their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of multiple crew members and start of the breakfast meal.
Captain Brezinski opened the monthly conference and officially logged onto the computer recording system. She was always a little nervous leading meetings and tended to hide her anxiety behind military formality. Her anticipation was even greater because of the impact that Brother Simon's findings could have on the project. Her first request was, "Mike, as chief of engineering, could you please update us on the status of your construction project."
Mike's report was relatively brief: "Captain, the construction is on schedule with completion of the rigid interior structure expected in three months. Once the ventilation and filtration systems are in place, we will begin the placement of the sterile soil substrate, which will be followed by the three weeks of biological isolation required by our good doctor. Following this, the plants that have been started in the grow containers will be transferred to the habitat. The atmospheric watering system will simulate rainfall and the ambient light provided by our ship will be supplemented to provide adequate illumination."
Captain Brezinski thanked him for his report and asked if there were any questions or comments. Doc Jules indicated he wished to be recognized and when Captain Brezinski acknowledged him, Mike groaned and mumbled, "Here we go again."
Doc Jules ignored him and directed his response to Captain Brezinski. "Captain, all living things have a built-in biological clock which is synchronized to a large degree by the light characteristics of their environment. It is very important that we emulate the complex light cycle of their native habitat, including daily and seasonal variations."
Captain Brezinski nodded her acceptance of his comments and turning to Mike asked, "How difficult would it be to accommodate this request?"
Mike shrugged his shoulders and said, "At least this request from the doctor is physically possible, but it will require additional work and I hope he does not want the stars to rotate across the night sky."
Doc Jules responded, without waiting for permission from the Captain, "Absolutely, with seasonal changes to emulate the normal variation." Captain Brezinski turned towards Doc Jules and reminded him with a simple disapproving look that this was a formal meeting and protocol was to be followed. She then turned toward Mike and questioned, "Are the panels used in the construction of the dome reflective enough that a focused light or laser could be used to emulate the changes that Doc Jules is requesting?"
Mike was quiet for just a moment and then said, "I think we can do a reasonable approximation by suspending the light source from the center of the garden and directing it in the appropriate arc, but some polishing of the dome panels may be required." Captain Brezinski then opened the discussion up again and questions were answered from other crew members.
Captain Brezinski requested Mike continue with his report on the proposed landing craft configuration. Mike responded in his normal curt manner, "Our limited access to advanced metallurgy will limit our proposed landing craft to a passive system much like the original space capsules. The use of a combination of passive lift devices such as parachutes and simple rockets will provide for a controlled safe landing."
He continued with some technical aspects of the heat shielding mechanisms, but was interrupted by Doc Jules who said, "You are designing a one-way transportation system which means we will have to abandon our new people because we cannot survive on their world."
This comment created a significant stir among the crew and a sharp reply from Mike, who said, "If you think you can create a reusable landing craft from our limited resources, just go ahead."
Captain Brezinski restored order by asking that questions be held until Mike completed his report.
Mike glared at Doc Jules and said, "End of report."
Captain Brezinski then allowed the discussion to continue and many proposals for different landing craft were discussed, but Mike always pointed out the engineering impossibilities.
Brother Simon asked to be recognized and said, "A suitable landing craft will be provided at the appropriate time."
This produced an obvious groan from Mike who mumbled, "A space shuttle will miraculously appear out of empty space because of ou
r prayers."
Captain Brezinski tried to appear stern but was unable to contain a small smile at the impertinent remark from Mike, and asked Brother Simon to explain his statement.
He responded, "I'm glad that our engineer has such faith in the power of prayer, but I would expect that The Visitor has already foreseen our needs and will provide either the necessary materials or an actual vehicle for our use."
Captain Brezinski then concluded the discussion, "Brother Simon has a valid viewpoint, but it would seem prudent to continue our development of the proposed passive landing craft."
Doc Jules gave his report on the biological systems. His report was much more wordy than Mike's with a lot of detail about the changes they were making in the soil composition to compensate for the mineral needs of the plants. Captain Brezinski accepted his report and again opened up the discussion.
Mike was recognized and said, "I assume the doctor was saying the plants are growing O.K. What I would really like know is whether it is really necessary for us to be exposed to the high gee forces during our supposed rest period. I find the time at the end of the access tunnel to be physically tiring and boring."
Captain Brezinski turned to Doc Jules and asked him for his reply. Doc Jules responded, "Our calcium loss increases slightly during the six days of reduced gravity, but during the day of increased gravity the metabolic activity is reversed."
Captain Brezinski asked, "Does this mean the present system is working?" Doc Jules replied, "Yes, and I would recommend we continue the present program, unless our engineer is willing to risk his body for a control study to see if it is really necessary."
Captain Brezinski said, "The record will ignore the second comment and show that one day a week is effective in reducing the detrimental effects of our exposure to reduced gravitational forces."
Captain Brezinski, changing the order of reports, asked Tom for his report on potential defense systems. Tom said, "Captain, there does not appear to be a feasible system for protecting the inhabitants completely from their environment. The use of advanced armaments is unacceptable, and any primitive system could be easily overcome by the existing inhabitants. At this time, it would seem that a biological defense using a lethal disease which our new beings were resistant to would be the best approach."
Captain Brezinski thanked him and again opened the discussion up for comment. Ann said, "It seems somehow immoral to create a worldwide plague intentionally."
Doc Jules responded, "When modern man spread out of Africa 40,000 years ago, the earth was already populated by the Neanderthal people, who quickly disappeared whenever they came in contact with modern man. There is almost no archeological record of warfare between the groups and minimal record of any exchange in customs or technology. It would seem that Tom's suggestion may have had historical precedents on our own world."
Captain Brezinski asked Brother Simon for his input. Brother Simon, who was obviously in deep thought, did not hear her until she repeated her request. He then slowly said, "Doc Jules has made a valid point, and we could genetically vaccinate our new people against an existing disease which we transform into a more deadly variety. I do agree with Ann that intentionally creating a plague seems immoral, but I am unable to think of a better solution at this time." After hearing the remaining comments, Captain Brezinski said, "Let the record show the defense committee has recommended the use of a biological defense system which will be incorporated into the genetic profile of the new beings."
Captain Brezinski then said, "I have saved Brother Simon's report for last because of some very interesting findings." Brother Simon who was always shy had difficulty presenting his report, even to this group and always read his report verbatim. He began:
"The genome of the existing beings is approximately of the same complexity and size as our own genome, but with many differences which may relate to their separate evolution on a very different world. I have identified over 150 separate genetic traits for intelligence that can be adapted from the existing code or inserted from our genome to increase both the brain complexity and capability for development of intelligence. The development of speech requires both neural and anatomical changes. The lowering of the larynx appears to be essential for complex speech and I spent a considerable amount of time trying to decipher the genetics of this change. I was surprised to realize that although the genetic code already existed for this anatomical change, a blocking gene is present that prevented the expression of this existing trait. It appears that simply removing the blocking gene will allow for the anatomic changes necessary. Then a few days ago, I made another discovery. I was examining a long section of apparent "junk code or filler code" when I noticed a section that appeared to resemble the telomere code. Telomeres are protective end caps, sort of corks, which protect the ends of the chromosomes and prevent them from sticking to each other. Whenever a cell divides, it uses up part of the telomere because normally the telomere do not replicate themselves. Eventually the telomere is used up and chromosomal damage results which leads to cell death or malignant change. I just completed a test which shows that this code is what prevents the telomere from replicating themselves. Blocking this gene would probably provide for a dramatic increase in the life span of our new beings maybe even to biblical proportions. This block could be either permanent or temporary with a gradual loss of activity which would return our beings to their present life span after several generations. End of report."
When Captain Brezinski opened up the meeting for discussion, Tom was the first to be recognized. He said, "I really like the idea of the initial generations having the long life span in order to help them get established, but I think that the shorter life span is important to prevent over population and to allow for faster evolution of the species."
Martha asked, "Isn't this like Methushael and those other guys in the biblical story of Genesis?"
Brother Simon responded by quoting from the Bible:
Genesis 6:1-4
When people began being numerous on earth, and daughters had been borne to them, the sons of God, looking at the women, saw how beautiful they were and married as many of them as they chose. Yahweh said, "My spirit cannot be indefinitely responsible for human beings, who are only flesh; let the time allowed each to be a hundred and twenty years."
After many other comments and questions it was Mike who got to the essential question by saying, "If we can do this for the new beings, why can't we do it for ourselves?"
Brother Simon responded, "It may be possible if we have a similar blocking gene and if we could manipulate our own genome successfully using a viral infection to insert the new genetic material. Whether this is in our best interest or even ethical is another matter completely."
Captain Brezinski closed the discussion by concluding, "It appears feasible to dramatically lengthen the life span of the initial new beings in order to improve their ability to establish themselves. This effect would gradually deteriorate and the species would again be limited to their original life span."
Captain Brezinski was about to conclude the meeting and asked in her routine fashion if there was any new business. Ann said, "Yes, Captain, I would like to discuss the need for a surrogate mother." Captain Brezinski nodded to her and Ann continued, "I understand that there is something called a ‘fetal development chamber' among the equipment we've received from the ‘Egg' but several of us have been discussing the advantages of having a real mother and feel this possibility should be explored."
Captain Brezinski turned towards Doc Jules for his opinion. He was thoughtful for a minute and then responded, "There has been a lot of work done by psychologists showing the advantages of a mother-baby relationship among primates, but the possible immunologic consequences to the surrogate mother and the need for a low oxygen environment for proper fetal development would pose unacceptable risk to the surrogate mother." Several of the female members of the crew began to ask questions simultaneously an
d Captain Brezinski asked Doc Jules to explain further his concerns. Doc Jules then explained, "The placenta acts as a wonderful filtering device which separates the mother and the baby, allowing the necessary nutrients to flow from the mother to the fetus, but it is an imperfect system. There is some exchange of cellular material and the fetal cells which enter into the mother's circulatory system can persist for the life of the mother and produce a chronic immunologic stimulation. This chronic stimulation partially explains the reason women have a much higher incidence of auto immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. This chronic stimulation could be exponentially worse if the cells were from a different species. Our new beings evolved on a world with a much lower oxygen level than earth and the normal intrauterine oxygen level would be fatal to our new beings."
Martha asked, "Why can't the surrogate mother just live in a low-oxygen environment during the pregnancy?"
Doc Jules smiled and said, "That would be asking the mother to live in isolation at a relative altitude of almost 15,000 feet during the entire course of the pregnancy, which would be impossible."
Martha responded, "I'm not sure why you say it is impossible. My mother did it without any trouble." Doc Jules was obviously puzzled and asked her what she meant. Martha explained, "My father was a member of a German expedition to Everest and my mother was one of the Sherpa guides. She carried me and the equipment during the expedition and I was born shortly after they returned to Germany."
Doc Jules admitted that maybe it was possible under the right conditions for the mother and the baby to survive, but that the immunologic concerns still made the use of a surrogate mother too dangerous. Captain Brezinski closed the discussion by stating that the safety of the crew would not be compromised unless absolutely necessary. She asked Doc Jules to explore further the possibility of using a surrogate mother as a backup to the "fetal development chamber." Captain Brezinski then closed the meeting by saying, "It has been a long, but very productive meeting and to quote the chief, ‘Captain, it is time for lunch.'"
The lunch room conversation was a carryover of the morning meeting. Doc Jules was engaging Brother Simon in a conversation regarding the telomere and the possibility of extending the natural life spans. Captain Brezinski and Mike were listening and occasionally asked questions, but the detailed biochemistry was difficult to follow. Mike finally interrupted and asked Brother Simon, "What genes are you going to manipulate that will provide our new beings with their immortal souls?"
Brother Simon refused to rise to the bait and simply replied, "The mystery of the soul remains a mystery."
Captain Brezinski obviously had her interest stirred because she said, "It would appear that theologically a transformation in the character of the soul would be needed to be consistent."
Brother Simon responded, "I am unable to offer an explanation of something I do not understand, but there are less metaphysical definitions of the soul and immortality that may apply."
Captain Brezinski said, "Such as?"
Brother Simon said, "If the soul is considered the essence of life, then by definition all living things have a soul. If the living organism is unable to pass on to its offspring the knowledge that it has acquired, then its essence ceases to exist when it dies. If, on the other hand, the living organism is able to pass on to future generations the knowledge it has acquired, then the organism's essence continues to exist and is potentially immortal."
Doc Jules asked, "You mean the soul is in reality just our intellect?"
Brother Simon responded, "As I said before, the soul is a mystery, but I have thought our DNA molecules are truly the essence of our lives."
Mike had to interject at this point saying, "How can religion teach that the soul will live on if it is just a molecule that will decompose with the rest of my body when I die?"
Brother Simon responded, "Some of the greatest minds in history have wrestled with this dilemma, and one solution that you may find acceptable is that we live on, in the changes that we have made in others. Every person you interact with changes and that change in turn produces changes in others. If your interaction is positive, you create more goodness, and if it is not positive, detrimental effects result. In other words, your eternity is created by your actions in the present."
Mike had enough philosophy at this point and got up saying, "I've had enough of this B.S. for now. I have work to do," and left.
Captain Brezinski was obviously still interested and asked how angels and saints could exist in this rational picture that Brother Simon was painting. Brother Simon responded, "The concept of heaven consisting of puffy white clouds with people playing the harp is hard for me to accept, but the existence of altered states and different dimensions is certainly possible. The very existence of the ‘Egg' and its mysterious appearance lays tribute to the potential for altered states. Angels could represent actual physical beings in an altered state or truly spiritual beings. The concept of saints requires us to accept either the notion of a soul separate from the body that lives on after death, or we must accept the possibility of a universal ‘life force' that ties all living things together with the Creator. In our attempts to understand these mysteries, it is important to remember that rules of logic and reason must also apply to theology. I am unable to truly answer your questions, but only able to share my thought processes." Brother Simon realized he was doing most of the talking and became embarrassed. He closed, "I had not meant to lecture you on theologic concepts, and I apologize for boring you with my thoughts."
Doc Jules laughed and said, "If I was bored listening to you, I would have left with Mike."
Captain Brezinski responded, "I suppose it is time for all of us to get back to work, but I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversation."
Doc Jules began to pack his minimal personal items for his weekly journey to the end of the access tunnel. He realized he was whistling and actually looking forward to his 24 hours of "rest." He always spent a major portion of his time sitting in the observation chamber watching the stars rotate slowly by. The view of the sky freed him from the confines of their ship and connected him to his past. Remembering the nights camped under the stars no longer brought on periods of melancholy, only vivid memories of his family and the trips with his wife when they were first married. He could now talk about his loss without feeling the horrible burden of the melancholy he had carried for so long. He was looking forward to this rest period more than usual because Ann was scheduled at the same time. Captain Brezinski required that all rest periods be rotated so there was a continuous mixing of crew members to help prevent the development of social cliques. This meant Ann and Doc Jules were scheduled together only every fifth week. These time periods were becoming more and more precious as they learned to enjoy each other.
Doc Jules stored his gear in his temporary quarters in the rest station and then went to Ann's room, where she was already waiting for him. Ann welcomed him with a kiss and Doc Jules said, "I think the idea of civilian dress during the rest periods is wonderful because seeing you in a pretty dress is even better than seeing you in your uniform."
Ann blushed and said, "Thank you. I do enjoy wearing a dress."
They walked together to the observation chamber. Eric-Peter was already there and welcomed them, "Please come and see the game I have created". When they looked over his shoulder at the portable computer he was using, they saw a checkerboard pattern partially covered by odd-shaped objects that moved as they watched.
Ann asked, "What is it and what are they doing?"
Eric-Peter replied, "These are microscopic machines I have programmed to follow the rules of checkers on a microscopic checker board." As they watched, one of the miniature machines jumped over another machine and the captured machine moved off the edge of the board. At first the motions seemed random, but soon they recognized there was order to the movements.
Ann asked. "Where are your machines?"
Eric-Peter
responded, "They are actually in Brother Simon's lab under his old electron microscope."
Doc Jules asked, "Where did you get these machines and how do you program them?"
Eric-Peter explained, "There is a whole section on these machines in the computer module which I happened across. The auto supplier is able to manufacture them. The machines are mostly protein molecules and the programming is actually designing the individual components so they respond to specific stimuli rather than actually programming a digital memory. I have been working on the design for this game as my hobby for the past couple of months. They now play a pretty good game of checkers."
Ann asked, "Are these machines actually good for anything besides playing checkers?"
Eric-Peter responded, "I have not been able to think of any good use for them, but a significant amount of data is present in the computer which would suggest they are important for something."
Doc Jules asked him, "How small are your machines?"
Eric-Peter replied, "These machines are fairly large and measure about 50 microns in diameter, but machines that do not require mobility can be made as small as five microns."
Doc Jules whistled and said, "These are truly nano machines."
The three of them sat in silence for awhile watching the stars slowly rotate. When the Sun rotated into view, Ann expressed the view of the whole crew when she said, "Our Sun is getting so small and far away, but it still represents home and at times I sorely miss it." Eric-Peter agreed with her as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, holding onto his walker. He said, "I know this increased gravity is good for me, but it really challenges these new neural connections."
Doc Jules laughed and said, "The fact you're walking at all is amazing enough to be considered miraculous, so if you want to whine like Mike does, you have my permission."
After Eric-Peter left, Doc Jules sat with Ann curled up against his shoulder enjoying the freedom of seeing the stars. He felt a sense of contentment and happiness that had been absent since the death of his family.