HOME ASSIGNMENT

1. Watch the movie Agora and be ready to speak about it in class.

2. Read the excerpt from a novel by an author you are already familiar with. Try to work out what the scientists were trying to discover and how successful they finally were. How important was their research for mankind? Give your reasons.

From PRIZES

by Eric Segal

Adam and Anya Coopersmith had become relentless hunters in the dark jungle of the immune system, and slowly but surely they were nearing their prey. Some­where, among the benign and benevolent cells that whirled through the body, lurked a secret predator whose sole savage purpose was the destruction of the human fetus growing peacefully inside the womb.

It was the final act, and, in true Agatha Christie fash­ion, the killer was about to be exposed. Thus far it had left certain clues. But the evidence was merely circum­stantial and not sufficient to make a definitive identifi­cation.

Moreover, to further complicate the plot, the interferons—three clusters of proteins code-named somewhat unimaginatively alpha, beta, and gamma— were like an army that guarded against viruses. The al­pha squad was produced by white blood cells; the beta, by cells of connective and other tissues; and the gamma, by T-lymphocytes, which are the natural killer cells in the normal immune response against disease-causing viruses.

Here the skills of chemist Giancarlo Pisani came into play. And together, in assay after assay, sometimes painstakingly changing the parameters by a mere .01 percent, they were seeking traces of the invisible. A hint of a shape. Anything distinctive that could be placed on a laboratory Wanted poster.

After testing with various pore sizes, they established the molecular weight of the unidentified killer at be­tween ten and thirty thousand kilodaltons.

Coincidentally, the same as gamma interferon.

They put the mystery substance through more elabo­rate tests, including an affinity column containing microscopic plastic beads coupled with antibodies to the suspected toxin. After passage through the column, toxic activity was removed from the solution and bound by the bead, again suggesting that gamma interferon was the culprit.

A final series of multimedia investigations left no fur­ther doubt: gamma interferon was indeed a double agent—immensely useful against many diseases, but le­thal for healthy pregnancies.

The question now was how to destroy the would-be enemy while preserving the victim it tenaciously stalked.

It was doubly appropriate that the breakthrough should occur on their anniversary. They were hard at work in the lab, testing Anya's hypothesis that there might be a very subtle structural rearrangement of the specific atoms comprising the gamma molecule in the reproductive area.

With the help of crystallographer Simon Hillman, they visualized the conventional molecule on a 3-D video screen and superimposed it on fetal tissue.

Wearily pressing the enter key on her computer, Anya glanced perfunctorily at the screen, which she expected to show her bleary eyes yet another near-miss.

What she saw, however, made her blink into focus, move closer to the screen and finally let out a squeal.

Adam, who was just unpacking their millionth Chi­nese takeout, dropped the carton and ran over, thinking perhaps she had hurt herself.

"Look, Adam. Look."

He just stared at the screen. His jaw dropped.

"Jesus Christ," he murmured. "You were right. I never thought I'd live to see this moment. The receptor molecules are different—subtly different—but enough to cause all the damage we've been trying to prevent."

She nodded mutely.

He was dizzy. "After all this time, I'm suddenly at a loss for something to do."

Anya beamed. "We just wait for the ultimate scien­tific reaction—the telegram from Stockholm."

The final step was almost anticlimactic. It would be a matter of pharmacological trial and error to develop a receptor uniquely designed to protect nature's treasured prize.

At this point the pair recruited every team in the lab, ordering that all other research be tabled so that the fin­ish line could be reached at the greatest possible speed.

By late fall they had created a drug—dubbed MR-Alpha to commemorate the still-vivid memory of the man who had started Adam on this quest so long ago.

Clarke-Albertson company put the drug on their fastest track for commercial development and FDA sanction, while

Adam's and Anya's moods oscillated between ecstasy and frustration.

"How long does it take to get government approval?" Anya asked.

"That depends on the circumstances," Adam replied, thinking briefly of a moment long ago when he had helped administer an unapproved drug to save the life of a man who was now his sworn enemy, and whose threatened vengeance still hung over him like the sword of Damocles.

"Approval can take two months or two years," Prescott Mason commented.

"Well," Adam warned, "if they don't make it snappy, I'm gonna pull a John Rock."

"Who is this 'Rock' person?" Anya asked.

"He's a legend, and the story's absolutely true," Adam replied. "He was a central figure in the creation of the first oral contraceptive, which he duly submitted for FDA approval. But after a while he grew impatient with the bureaucratic road blocks. So one morning he simply showed up at the agency's headquarters and an­nounced to the receptionist that he had come to receive approval for his pill.

"After she made a number of nervous phone calls, she politely explained to Rock that he would be hearing from the agency very soon. The good doctor chose to interpret this literally. So he sat down on a little chair, pulled out a sandwich and said, 'In that case, I'll just wait.' I guess it was the first sit-in in the history of the FDA."

"And what was so amazing," Mason jumped in, "was the old boy succeeded. Somehow his presence galva­nized the authorities into approval that very afternoon."

"Well, I'm willing to go to Washington," Anya of­fered cheerily.

"Don't worry," Mason reassured her. "They're finally starting to clear up the logjam. And besides, we've got two full-time lobbyists doing a slightly subtler imitation of John Rock. Anyway, this won't be a very controver­sial call—"

"And more important," Adam interrupted, "Anya's going to sit down and study for her qualifying exams. I've always wanted to be married to a doctor."

It took six months for Mason to achieve Washington's blessing, and by then Anya had already passed her ex­amination. Thus, when the good news was phoned through by one of Clarke-Albertson's "men on the spot," the toasts could be raised to "Dr. Coopersmith and Dr. Coopersmith."

2. The text abounds in scientific terms. Pick them out and categorize them according to the following rubrics :

Biology Chemistry Other Sciences

Exchange lists with your desk partner and check each other’s understanding of the first two rubrics.

3. What does the phrase “…the telegram from Stockholm” mean? Do you think their discovery deserved the ultimate scholarly award? Why (not)?

4.Conduct Internet-based research on real Nobel Prize winners of the past decade. Whose contribution to modern science do you consider the most outstanding one? Make a presentation about the scientist of your choice.