4 



Genes in Control 



From the naked genes of life's origin to the fully clothed 

 fauna and flora of today is a vast stretch of time during 

 which these hereditary determiners were undergoing end- 

 less multiplications, modifications, additions, deletions, and 

 intricate associations. It is not merely a poetic turn of phrase 

 in biology to speak of the continuity of the germinal 

 plasma. There is a river of life flowing along the line of 

 time, and countless kinds of individuals in a succession of 

 increasing variety and complexity have been projected for 

 an "hour or two" along the river shore as ephemeral and 

 incidental events. Nature does not show great concern for 

 individuals, nor even for whole races of individuals. Her 

 concern seems to be for the life stream itself; this she 

 spreads and pushes forward into every nook and cranny on 

 our earth, striving for whatever possibility may prevail. 



Through this living stream of genes, nature is seeking 

 consciousness and understanding. Nature does not seem to 

 have any preconceived idea of where or under what condi- 

 tions high-level understanding may be achieved. Her method 

 is to thrust life blindly into all possible situations, even into 

 the great depths of the ocean where it must necessarily be 

 restricted, or out into the driest deserts where thirst is an 

 everlasting problem, or far into the frozen tundra where 

 there is no warmth. 



The individual units of life, the genes, which are solely 

 responsible for the many and varied organisms past and 



35 



