Page 44 - Demo

%u2018In the past few years, the Aquarium%u2019s OsbornLaboratories have acquired an international reputation,with discoveries that have catapultedthem to the forefront of the scientific community. .. %u2019CONTINUED...happily engrossed in her task. You can leave a little girl behind at the New York Aquarium, and not worry.%u2018TRY AND GET ME%u2019The next tank, which is filled with Piranhas, is surrounded by a group of shouting children. Of course even the youngest know what they are, for they have been weaned on James Bond movies where the bad guy invariably has a pond full of hungry ones in the basement of his villa. They taunt the creatures with fingers and cries of %u201cNow try and get me, ha, ha, ha.%u201d In fact, the sight of these homely and lethargic creatures wandering listlessly through the water, as if overcome with a bad case of 19th Century Ennui, is disappointing to all.The last tank enshrines one of the most precious possessions of the Aquarium, the Chambered Nautilus. It is, true to the poem by Holmes, a beautiful animal, especially when it floats through the dimly-lit waters, a valiant attempt on the part of the Aquarium, to recreate his deep-sea environment. But there is irony inherent in such a %u201cpoetic%u201d creature, and the sign next to it, which indicates it is carnivorous. People stay very briefly. Children, seeing the door that leads outside and to more delights, urge their parents on to another door marked %u201c For Employees Only%u201d and leads to the Osborn Laboratories, and the %u201c behind-thescenes%u201d life of the Aquarium.EDUCATION, CONSERVATION%u201c Education, conservation, research.%u201d Such are the trifold purposes of the Osborn Laboratories, according to Director Dr. George Ruggieri. Dr. Ruggieri, a handsome man who with his rich tan and open-necked shirt, seems more like a Palm Beach tycoon than a scientist, is in charge of both Osborn and the Aquarium.The Osborn Laboratories were officially established in 1967, but research has ben going on since the Aquarium%u2019s inception in the early 1900's. In the past few years, the Laboratories have acquired an international reputation, with discoveries - including aspects of %u2018aquafarming%u2019 - that have catapulted them to the forefront of the scientific community. The labs are currently involved in the investigation of several phenomena which may have far reaching implications for mankind.Those investigations include searching for drugs in sea creatures; the ecological implications of pollution; links between cancer and genetics; and harvesting the sea for another source of food protein.Aquafarming, or the systematic harvesting of the sea, is perhaps the Lab%u2019s most provocative endeavor. Is a solution to the world%u2019s food problem on the horizon at last? Osborn Labs Scientist Dr. Burn is quick to tamper any excitement: \ture is not going to be a cure-all for feeding the starving millions.%u201dThe fact is that scientists are worried that the glittering promise of Aquaculture may pave the way for gross overexploitation of the sea%u2019s finite resources. Be it on the part of over-zealous idealists, or ruthless businessmen seeking easy millions, aquaculture may finally provoke the plunder of the seas, and the extinction of more species.At this point, Dr. Burn explains aquaculture is still at an early stage of investigation. More research is needed to determine the ideal conditions for the fish to thrive, and when to draw that admittedly fine line between %u201coptimum usage%u201d and reckless abuse. When this work is completed, it is possible to envision Aquaculture playing an important role in the world food situation, though admittedly not a %u201ccure-all.%u201d Underdeveloped nations can be trained in the techniques, and certainly improve both their commerce and their own tood situation.Another area of study at Osborn revolves around the possibility of extracting antibiotics from sea organisms. This is a favorite topic for Dr. Ruggieri, who has co-authored a book on the subject with David rosenberg. %u201cThe Healing Sea,%u201d deals with recent discoveries and future possibilitiesof life-saving drugs extracted from the sea. Dr. Ruggieri was quick to point out that for centuries the beneficial powers of the sea was a %u201c superstitious%u201d belief in many cultures. Little by little, modern day scientists are beginning to realize that the old myth of going to the %u201c seaside%u201d for a rest and cure may not have been worthless afterall. The recently added iodine to our table salt has surely prevented many diseases of the past, such as goiters.DRUGS FROM THE SEADr. Ross Nigrelli, a former Director of Osborn, thrust the Laboratories into-,the foreground of the scientific community in the 1950%u2019s with his discovery of a potentially useful anti-cancer agent in the Bahamian Sea Cucumber. The drug, which is called Holothurin, was proven to be active in reducing tumors in mice.Similar work is now being done at the Labs on the Sponge, a creature whose longevity in as hostile an environment as the sea has fascinated scientists. Yet, unlike predators whose lifespan it often surpasses, the sponge has little %u201c killer instinct.%u201d What exactly is its defense system? Does it emit a chemical substance that wards off potential enemies? Most important, could this substance provide amay not taste so hot, but it won%u2019t hurt you.The scope of the projects currently being worked on at Osborn, combined with the competence and idealism of the staff, leaves an excellent impression of the facility and its inhabitants. It is, on the whole, a rather sobering experience to be confronted with people working on answering questions that the majority of us spend our lives trying to forget.But it is impossible to remain sober for any length of time after wandering back to the Aquarium. There%u2019s a door next to the Chambered Nautilus which leads to the outdoor area, now crowded with deserters from the %u201c Exotic%u201d exhibits. It is a hot Saturday afternoon, and a crowd of children is moving toward the Dolphin Arena. A show is about to begin with everyone pushing and shoving to get a seat and complaining about the heat, the sun, the lack of space, and soon.But then, Carole Christman, the charismatic head trainer, makes her grand entrance, and a hush falls. Christman, a regular showman, with a few jokes, and sensing a friendly crowd, moves into a whole routine about the New York City Dolphins, introducing each of them by name to the audience and sharing aclue to drugs that could work similarly in our own bodies, building up our own immune system?According to Dr. Gold, assistant director of the Laboratories, the name of the game for the sea creatures - and ourselves - is %u201c chemical warfare.%u201d Namely, that we learn the basic way animals like sponges use chemicals to keep away other animals, and then think of possible human uses in terms of antibiotics, and other \agents to prevent malignant cells from destroying benign ones.Our present concern with ecology and the potential danger of food from polluted waters have spurred several investigations by marine biologists all over the United States. At Osborn, Dr. Peter Burn is currently studying flounder, from Cape Cod to our Rarratan Bay, in an effort to discover whether pollution (or the lack of it) affects the amount of parasites in the fish. His results present a bizarre double-take on the part of Nature.Ironically, flounder form our own highly polluted waters turned out to nave tewer * parasites -- in variety and number - than J those of the almost idyllically clean water - of the Cape. Sounds incredible? Well, not really. The truth is that the waters around her are so bad, they killed even the parasites! Still, if you are planning to have flounder tonight, go ahead and enjoy. It%u201ctidbit.%u201d The kids love it: Booey, the man, is %u201c aggressive, has to be the boss.%u201d (Alli c ~.i %u2014 n . . i i l _ A _ ; _ i yuK,