Donald Moffitt - Genesis 01

sexually mature larval form. So when those exhibit specimens completed their metamorphosis, something had happened to turn off the dominant mutant genes that had prevented cell differentiation in those cell lines not concerned with reproduction, though leaving the reproductive system itself to mature normally. But dragonfly nymphs were sexually immature. So somehow the mechanisms of a recessive heterochronic mutation would have to be mimicked in order to turn on the genes for sexual maturity. While at the same time acting as a dominant mutation to suppress adult development of nonreproductive cell lines.”
    Voth gave a confirming squeeze to Bram’s arm. “Precisely. A set of synthetic chimeras was contrived by man and spliced into a dragonfly sequence. The container and the contents were inseparable, unfortunately. Further species-crossing capability had to be determined by trial and error. That merged set of genes was the one we were given to work with. By the time of the warning in man’s codicil, we were already well along with our work on the heterochronic hen’s egg.”
    “Why was a warning necessary?”
    “An unstable allele was found at a key junction. It made the gene vulnerable to point mutation caused by random radiation. A chemical regulator related to thyroglobulin was no longer suppressed. And, like the captive axolotls, the mutated nymphs lost their gills.”
    “They became air breathers,” Bram said grimly.
    Voth’s organ voice carried wheezing overtones of stress. “The result was an organism that got out of control, spilling out of the ecological niche for which it had been intended. The ground-dwelling nymphs were large and active. Formidable enough to prey on small mammals called rodents. Vicious enough to attack even larger mammals, including man. They were a greater danger than the blackflies and mosquitoes they had been intended to control. They were exterminated with great difficulty. It took decades. And when it was over, whole regions of the arctic were so poisoned as to be economically useless.”
    Bram thought of the footage he had seen. Voth had avoided being explicit about its origin. “Was the nymph recreated here on the Father World?” he asked.
    Voth gave a shuddery fibrillation. “No. It was an incomplete genome, fortunately. It might have been possible to construct a close analog by filling in the gaps. There were some who actually wanted to do such a thing. They argued that even if the creature were to escape from the laboratory, it could not have survived, because it would have been poisoned by the proteins of our life forms.”
    Bram felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, in the human analog of Voth’s reaction. “There are single-celled planticules here on the Father World that produce terrestrial-style right-hand amino acids,” he said. “There are other organisms that have evolved to metabolize all sorts of poisonous substances into simple abiotic organic compounds. There are higher life forms that live in symbiosis with colonies of protozoans within their digestive organs and are nourished by the breakdown products. Even we humans utilize some Nar food sources by using them as feedstocks for industrial microorganisms.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “If a creature like the nymph ever learned how to use the native-style proteins and amino acids and then somehow got out of the laboratory …”
    “That was exactly the argument of those who opposed the creation of a nymphlike construct, myself included,” Voth said. “There was already too much terrestrial DNA around, particularly in the tailored microorganisms associated with our infant cellulose industry. If there was even the most astronomically remote possibility that some mutated form might colonize the nymphs and act as a metabolic buffer for them, then we dared not risk it.”
    “No,” Bram agreed fervently. “You couldn’t.”
    “We held an all-world touch conclave to consider the matter. We waited two years for Juxt One’s touch transcription, even longer for the farther stars. No world or moon that had even a few thousand Nar living on it was left out. The vote was close. But the touch union makes us all one in questions affecting the entire race, so the decision was thereafter binding on all Nar.”
    Bram drew a breath. “There are other terrestrial life forms on the shelf, aren’t there, Voth?”
    He did not use the word “suppressed,” but the nuance hung between them.
    Voth