62 
ATTACHMENT C 
Research With Recombinant DXA — National 
Academy of Sciences 
epidemiological and evolutionary aspects of 
research on recombinant dna 
(By Bernard D. Davis) 
******* 
Underlying Principles 
NATURAL SELECTION 
Evolutionary change arises ultimately from hereditary variation, 
but its direction is dominated by natural selection. It is dramatic for 
George Wald to state that research with recombinants is dangerous 
because “a living organism is forever" — but a more balanced state- 
ment would also note that only an infinitesimal fraction of the prod- 
ucts of evolutionary experimentation survive, the rest being ruthlessly 
culled out by natural selection. In particular, within a species the 
process of sexual reproduction produces a virtually infinite variety of 
recombinants, among which the standard pattern of selection is a 
stabilizing (normalizing) one: excessive deviation from the norm 
make an organism less effective in the Darwinian competition. It is 
only when the environment is altered that certain deviants from the 
norm turn out to be better adapted to the new environment, and selec- 
tion then becomes directional. 
It should also be emphasized that all natural selection is for a 
balanced genome. A gene that increases or decreases a trait is selected 
for, not in a vacuum, but only if it is coadapted to the rest of the 
organism’s total set of genes. 
ATTACHMENT D 
Interim Report of the Interagency Committee of Recombinant 
DNA Research and its Applications, March 13, 1977 
SUGGESTED ELEMENTS FOR LEGISLATION 
♦ ♦ * * * * * 
IV. SUBCOMMITTEE REVIEW OF EXISTING LEGISLATION 
At the November 23 meeting of the Interagency Committee, the 
Federal regulatory agencies also reported on their regulatory func- 
tions. Following that review, a special Subcommittee was formed to 
analyze the relevant statutory authorities for the possible regulation 
of recombinant DNA research. All regulatory agencies were repre- 
sented on the Subcommittee, assisted by attorneys from their offices 
of general counsel. (See Appendix II for the membership of the Sub- 
committee.) The Subcommittee held meetings on December 13, 1976, 
and on January 11 and February 8, 1977. 
[Appendix B — 321] 
