Thesis ID: CBB001560996

Accelerating Evolution, Engineering Life: American Agriculture and Technologies of Genetic Modification, 1925--1960 (2012)

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Curry, Helen Anne (Author)


Yale University
Kevles, Daniel J.


Publication Date: 2012
Edition Details: Advisor: Kevles, Daniel J.
Physical Details: 485 pp.
Language: English

During the mid-twentieth century, Americans celebrated a few seemingly unusual tools as the harbingers of an agricultural revolution: The beam of an x-ray directed at dormant seeds. A drop of a chromosome-altering chemical on a developing bud. A piece of radioactive cobalt at the center of a field of growing crops. To many observers, mutagens such as these promised to free breeders from the constraints of evolutionary history in piecing together the ideal agricultural organism. By creating genetic variation on demand, or "speeding up evolution" as it was often described, breeders would be able to develop new crops and flower "to order" instead. In this dissertation, I offer a history of such mutation techniques, focusing on the use and discussion of these as technologies of genetic modification in the United States. I address the development of mutagenic techniques in relation to research in genetics and evolutionary biology, their application as technologies for manipulating genes and chromosomes to improve a variety of agricultural and horticultural plants, and their celebration in American culture as means of engineering life. The project comprises two main arguments. First, I argue that these mutagenic techniques are best understood as technologies of genetic modification or genetic engineering, precursors of the transgenic techniques developed later in the twentieth century. These techniques were not only applied in plant breeding, but also incorporated into a commonly held vision in which control of genes would enable humans to transform organisms to specification and render evolution itself into an efficient and predictable process. Second, I argue that many individuals outside of the narrow space of academic genetics, and even that of professional breeding, played an important role in the development and dissemination of early genetic technologies, and in their characterization as tools for engineering living organisms. Various forms of public engagement with scientific research created incentives for the investigation and refinement of these technologies throughout the twentieth century. It also encouraged the spread of these technologies beyond the workspaces of the genetics laboratory or agricultural experiment station. I focus on three particularly popular mutagenic technologies. X-rays, the first method confirmed to artificially induce genetic mutations in 1927, drew attention for more than a decade as a means to generate variation in crops, fruits, and flowers. Its potential to reshape agricultural production inspired researchers in settings ranging from genetics laboratories to agricultural experiment stations to industrial research laboratories. A toxic chemical called colchicine garnered attention from breeders beginning in 1937, when it was discovered to cause the duplication of chromosomes in many plant species; such duplication, known to be an important evolutionary process in plants, was seen as a route to generating new varieties and hybrids on demand. Because colchicine was fairly easy to obtain and apply, it circulated among a surprisingly large group, which included especially amateur experimenters in addition to professional geneticists and plant breeders. After 1945, radiation re-emerged as the mutagen of choice for agricultural applications, especially with the proliferation of man-made radioisotopes and other tools derived from nuclear research. The support of the U.S. government, through the Atomic Energy Commission and its national laboratories, proved critical in fostering efforts in mutation breeding both in the United States and around the world. Throughout these decades, at each iteration of mutagen-turned-breeding technology, the same themes persisted: of producing new traits, of originating species, and of speeding up the rate of evolution. At each iteration, the new techniques failed to meet the high expectations created for them. Nonetheless, interest in the idea of improving plants through random mutation persisted. For much of the twentieth century, many Americans believed that the tools to harness evolution and direct manipulate genes were in hand. Their shared assumption was that the ability to force mutation had enabled humans to accelerate evolution - and therefore to engineer life.

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Description A history of mutation techniques such as x-rays, chemical mutagens, and radioactive cobalt, used among American agricultural breeders. Cited in ProQuest Diss. & Thes. (2012). ProQuest Doc. ID 1037998987.


Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001560996/

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Authors & Contributors
Curry, Helen Anne
Egli, Rebecca
Amalia Leguizamón
John Hoenig
Angelo, Mary Jane
Winston, Mark L.
Concepts
Agriculture
Genetically modified foods (GMO)
Agricultural technology
Genetic engineering
Biotechnology
Food science; food technology
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
20th century, late
20th century, early
21st century
18th century
Places
United States
Thailand
Americas
Argentina
Italy
Germany
Institutions
United States. Department of Agriculture
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