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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1981)
he Battalion ers are )use, J wide i and No. iley. e end Mj Hgton’sNo. may need nee. Mi njured ial problei uptured '>r year at Serving the Texas A&M University community Thursday, August 6, 1981 College Station, Texas ^Agricultural researchers look into future genetic technology ; 2« 29!" If ■15 £* , '', Agricultural scientists, excited about Oflj hebropeets for genetic technology that ^ ‘ould create whole new sources of food, 329 ay [they stand at the same threshhold vhere aerospace researchers stood 30 'ears ago. The potential for Space Age advances 0^ nyfeeding mankind looms just beyond ieihorizon, say Texas A&M agricultu- Bsexperts who are among those un- ^^aveling the mysteries of genetic codes. ' Jl " But problems still lie ahead for deter- nining how much of the new technolo- jj.pO^I can incorporated readily into pre- ent-day agricultural systems, says Dr. TO. Kunkel, dean of the College of Agriculture. i.“The potential tantalizes the imagi- lation,” Kunkel said. “But remember hat our agricultural system has been yjfll'ivblving for hundreds of years, and it ^ vill be a while before genetic technolo- ;an be incorporated.” Dr. Page Morgan, a Texas A&M sci- ntist known for his work in plant hor- nes, said talking about manufactur- g new plants through gene-splicing is jike talking about going to the moon in e late 1950s or early 1960s. “The engineers said they had the capability, but at the time they hadn’t developed the equipment to make the trip possible,” he explained. “That’s ab out where we are today.” Morgan said producing spectacular new plants is going to take the con certed efforts of an integrated agricultu ral team that would not only include biochemists, but also plant physiolog ists and pathologists who will learn more about the processes being changed and who will be instrumental in regenerating plants from genes that have been changed. The scientists agree the new technol ogy won’t replace what is available to day, but its incorporation might help solve problems already facing agricul turists. “Genetic technology is coming and it will have a major impact on agriculture. I’m convinced of that,” Kunkel said. “However, research in other areas vital to implementing it still remains.” Dr. Jim Wild, a geneticist in the biochemistry and biophysics depart ment, says it won’t be long before mic roorganisms could be used to convert plant remains to food after harvest. Genetic technology also will aid in turn ing agricultural residue into alternate energy sources, he said. “When you harvest cotton or run it through a gin, you leave behind a lot of plant material like cotton burrs or gin trash, ” Wild said. “We need to use all of these materials, and the right kind of system could help convert these bypro ducts into energy or food. ” Wild said geneticists must learn more about the regulatory processes, or the biological rules, that govern how new plants with complex gene structures will be formed. His research will help along these lines as he and other biochemists at Texas A&M are studying the process that forms new yeast and bacterial cells through gene splicing. “When we get to this point in higher plant forms, we still won’t know whether we will get the desired re sults,” he said. But enthusiasts foresee corn plants that will grow throughout the year or plants that will be able to fix their own nitrogen, reducing the amount of ferti lizer needed. Some envision plants that could be immune from disease, others that would have high-protein content or plants that could tolerate higher levels of salt in highly-irrigated soil. USPS 045 360 Phone 845-2611 The Weather Today Tomorrow High 98 High .... 98 Low 76 Low .... 75 Chance of rain. . . ; . 20% Chance of rain. . . . . 20% Government starts firing striking air controllers United Press International WASHINGTON — Federal authorities, under President Reagan’s orders, are sending dismissal notices to striking air traffic controllers and stepping up efforts to find replace ments. Only 3 percent of the 13,000 controllers who walked off their jobs Monday returned to radar towers Wednesday under Reagan’s back-to-work ultimatum, the union said. The others defied the president. Reagan reiterated all those who did not return to work Wednesday would be dismissed, and Poli said he would challenge the mass firings in court. The federal dismissal process alone may take months. Helms estimated the system, using supervisory personnel and non-strikers, was handling 75 percent of all scheduled flights with little or no landing delays. Five leaders of the illegal walkout were jailed Wednesday for refusing to obey court orders to end their role in the strike. One of them, Steve L. Wallaert, was taken to the Fairfax County, Va., jail in leg irons. As of late today, the union had been fined more than $5 million, with the amount increasing by $100,000 hourly. * Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis said, as of Wednes day, 55 controllers had been fired, “with conceivably thousands” to receive their dismissal notices today. Dismissal notices began going out by registered mail first to strikers on the West Coast who failed to show up for the shift that began at 8 a.m. Wednesday Pacific time. Lewis said 471 controllers who had been on strike re turned to work Wednesday and 93 others told officials they would return today. All told, there are 17,000 air traffic controllers, including 2,000 who do not belong to the union. About 4,000 of them have remained at work since the strike began. Reagan, asked by reporters about so many controllers! being subjected to dismissal, said: “I do feel badly. I take no joy in this. There just is no other choice. ” Controllers, as federal employees, are prohibited from going on strike. ’ The government originally set an 11 a.m. EDT deadline for controllers to be back to work. But shortly before 11 a. m., it clarified that deadline, telling workers to return to work by the beginning of their next regular shift — in some cases Thursday morning — or lose their jobs. The walkout began at 7 a.m. Monday, 4V2 hours after contract talks broke down between the FAA and PATCO, and shortly after more than 80 percent of the union’s 15,000 members voted to strike. PATCO has sought a 32-hour work week, better retire ment benefits and a $10,000 raise that would put top control-1 lers at about $59,000 annually. It rejected the government’s; last offer, a 39-month, $105 million package. But firing the controllers may be easier said than done. Every traffic controller who finds a government pink slip > in his mailbox has a week to respond in writing or orally. > When that time expires, he has another 20 days to appeal the ’ dismissal to the Merit Systems Protection Board. Summer dip can provide pets needed relief from pesty fleas By BERNIE FETTE Battalion StafT Dog owners can take their pets for a refreshing dip this weekend — but it won’t be in a local swimming pool. Several students from the College of Veterinary Medicine will provide “dog- dip” flea treatments for pets Saturday from 10a.m. to4p.m. behind the veter inary college. Craig Verwers, a Texas A&M veter inary student who started the project last year, said the service is being offered by the students as a project once each month at a cost of $3 per dog. Assisting in the project is the women’s auxiliary of the student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Associa tion. Fleas are an especially big problem in Texas this summer due to three fac tors, said Dr. Phil Hamman, an exten sion urban entomologist for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The biggest contributor to the prob lem, he said, is tolerable environmental conditions for the fleas. “Last winter was particularly mild,” Hamman said, “so there was a good carry-over.” Secondly, fleas can live indoors as well as outdoors so they can live in a more controlled environment. A growing pet population is a third contributor to the problem, Hamman said. “People could do themselves a great favor by not having pets.” If people do want pets, he said, the; pets should be treated once a week if they are allowed to run free and some what less often if they are confined in doors. Flea collars are not as effective as shampooing and flea powder treat ments, Hamman said. Verwers said that spraying yards, houses and cleaning rugs are all helpful in combatting the flea problem. Ham man adds that those areas sprayed must be allowed to dry before pets or chil dren are allowed near them. A&M presidential list hearing to continue Friday in Austin Texas A&M University and the Bryan-College Station Eagle Friday will continue their battle over the list of can didates for the University presidency in Austin. A hearing on the dispute over whether the list is a public record was initially scheduled for July 24 in Brazos County, but the location was changed because attorneys from both sides agreed that a state agency must be sued in Travis County. The hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday in the Travis County Courthouse in Austin in the court of Judge Jerry Dellano. The suit was filed by the Eagle when the University refused to release the identities and qualifications of the can didates after Attorney General Mark White ruled that the list was a public record. White ruled that the list of all 500 initial considerations must be released under the Texas Open Records Act but that the identities of the finalists for the position could remain confidential. Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs James B. Bond has said University offi cials have not released the information because they fear that some of the per sons on the list may sue for invasion of privacy if the list is made public. Polly wants a kiss Photo by Michelle Orozco This Amazon Red Head parrot named Karat and his owner Bill Gouldin, a senior finance major from Houston, are the best of friends. Gouldin said the parrot goes everywhere with him, in cluding when he travels. He and Karat were seen in Travis Park. The parrot is three years old, and Gouldin has had him about three months. Gouldin also raises English Setter dogs.