Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 65 — page 35: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION Mendel’s Law, some sixty years ago, has rendered some- what easier the work of the hybridist. But, in spite of all chromosomes tables and genetics, he has often enough to pray for Lady Luck to take a big hand. His main difficulties stem from the fact that he is to work largely in the dark. He seeks to influence decisively things so tiny that nobody has ever been able to see them— the inheritance-shaping genes. Like the yet invisible viruses, we know that genes do exist, because we are confronted with their effects. To no other factor could be ascribed the fact that the main features of any plant—or animal for that matter—are transmitted from generation to generation. Every living organism is made up of cells. Each cell has a nucleus, and, inside that nucleus are minute, thread- like affairs that go by the name of chromosomes. Such are matched in pairs, the number of which may vary even between varieties belong- ing to the same species. The all-important genes our hy- bridist is to pin down stretch 34 like beads on a string in the chromosome. It would take a microscope four times as powerful as the most power- ful one now in existence to have a look-see at those genes. We know that each of these genes will go to influence a particular trait in the next generation—but which shape which? Thus, Jean Rostand, France’s foremost geneticist, has told this writer: “The genes determine de- cisively whether the being-to- be will be male or female, fair or dark, will have a Roman or a parrot-beak-like nose, a thick or thin skin. The role of the parents stops as soon as the egg gets fertilised.”’ This holds true for plants, for they breed true, too. Still, the animals and plants to be brought together in a new strain must be blood-relatives, so as to pass readily to their offspring the favourable characters our breeder is after. Let’s take a concrete ex- ample. Meilland is right now bent on developing a true- blue rose, which has been haunting the dreams of the hybridists for these past 150 connicloooks.comhn