Writing for Fun
May 2019
Proposal - Bob Wendelkin
Simon, who was a geneticist had been working on the problem of how to programme a small piece of DNA and then insert it into larger piece of DNA that creates the finished creature like a mouse or possibly a human. He had already seen that it had been done with some sheep that had another creature’s DNA inserted into their DNA but it was suppressed so the sheep still looked like sheep. He knew that some DNA had been introduced into that of a goat so that it produced a useful chemical in their milk.
What he wanted to do was to modify human DNA so that it was resistant to certain diseases and the changes that cause cancer. He already knew that people were immune to some diseases that animals get but humans don’t. He wanted to know why people were immune to certain diseases and not others; the question was it in their DNA or in their immune system.
As he sat there with his chin propped up in his hands the ‘phone started to ring. He picked it up and it was the Director asking him to come to his office for a chat. Getting up from his chair he was pleased to give his thoughts a rest and talk to someone who was only interested in other things.
Going into the Director’s office he was invited to sit down.
The two men sat across the desk facing one another.
‘Well you have seen the news. With the growth in the numbers of Mankind the natural planet will be destroyed in a few decades. Unless we do something about it.’
‘Yes unless we kill off a large proportion of mankind it will happen,’ joked Simon with the man opposite the desk.
‘Yes exactly! That’s why I called you in, you are the only one I know who actually has the knowledge to reduce the numbers of mankind and to actually save the planet and the natural wildlife,’ replied the Director.
‘But before we get to that I have a proposal to make I want you to use your Genetic skills to solve another problem. I’ve been asked by the Government if we can help. We know that the Police numbers have been reduced, this has resulted in a lot of crimes that have been reported not being investigated but just put in the book,’ continued the Director from across his desk.
‘What do you want me to do, turn the criminal’s hair red?’ replied Simon.
‘Well not quite turning their hair red, as I think that would take too long for the hair to grow and I’m certain the criminal classes would simply dye their hair back to its normal colour. No I want you to do something a little different.’
‘I’m not going to make someone unwell to get a result,’ said Simon.
‘No, perhaps that may come later.’
‘Well what do you want me to do?’ Simon asked.
‘What I want you to do is to collect any samples from a crime scene left by the criminal then to extract their DNA from the sample then make a pathogen so that it can only be activated by a specific part of the criminal’s DNA, other people’s DNA not being affected. So that the suspects skin may be turned bright red so that they stick out like a sore thumb and can be arrested by the Police,’ replied the Director, ‘But remember keep the cost down.’
‘You only want me to catch white criminals, then?’
‘I’ll leave you to sort out the racial issue, all I want you to do is to make the criminal obvious. Do you have any ideas?’ asked the Director.
‘Well I have a few ideas; we know that when a Pathogen enters the body some just reproduce and cause enough toxin to poison the system and it’s then up to the body’s defences to kill off the bug and for the body’s natural system to remove the toxin,’ said Simon.
‘We know that,’ said the Director.
‘What I want to do is use, perhaps a virus, to enter the body then enter the actual body’s cells and take them over and manufacture anything we require,’ replied Simon.
‘Why viruses?’ asked the Director.
‘Well if I used a germ, they could enter the body but they don’t have the ability to enter body’s cells. A virus has the ability to enter a body cell then take it over and use it produce any toxins. The body’s immune cells can not easily kill off these diseased cells. That is why antibiotics are useless against viral infections, only rest and perhaps the occasional Paracetamol,’ replied Simon.
‘We know that things like Measles is a viral disease how do these work?’
‘The immune system is centred on the thymus gland and the lymph nodes they produce white blood cells and antibodies, that is chemicals that attack specific viruses or bacteria. The jabs we get as children stimulate the system to recognise the pathogen and kill it off. What I shall do is to take a common pathogen that causes say Rosacea and insert into its DNA with the requirement that it can only be actuated by the DNA of the target person,’ said Simon.
‘What does the pathogen cause?’ asked the Director.
‘Usually it causes a redness of the facial skin.’
‘Well that’s it go to it,’ said the Director.
‘But how do we deliver the pathogen to the target area?’ asked Simon.
‘I’ve thought of that, that we can use a drone to fly to a specific area and burst the material over the area. The material floats down and infects the target person and we have got him,’ replied the Director with a huge smile on his face, as he could see an Honour being awarded in his direction for helping to reduce the crime wave.
‘Won’t that mean the Police will have to keep exploding the altered DNA over the population so that the criminals are identified? I can’t see the do-gooders putting up with that,’ said Simon.
Ignoring his last remark the Director asked, ‘Now, what was it you were saying about using our system to reduce the impact of the growing number of people being born, in the third world?’