Zebrafish provide insight to mutations By Demian McLean Emer atd Pt porter The University's Kimmel Laboratory might be as close us Eugene gets to the tropics. The air temperature is a balmy 85 degrees year round, and small, striped fish dart around In more than 8,000 gal Ions of water, biologists walk between rows of aquariums tak ing notes, c lothed comfortably in shorts and T-shirts. For almost ]() years now. University biology Professor Charles Kimmol has worked in this environment studying ge netic mutations in the tropical /(•brutish Though his work has focused on fish, Kimmel said his researc h has eventual impli cations for humans, such as finding a way to prevent birth defects. “Even though this is a study on zebrafish. it's a simple mod el for humans," he said Last October, Kimmel s re search earned him national at tention The Americ an Associa tion for the Advancement of Science elected Kimmel a fel low for establishing the zebrafish as a model for mam malian development Founded in IB-18, the AAAS is the world's largest general science organization, with more than 10.0(H) members interna tionally The AAAS, which also publishes the weekly jour nal Science, recognizes about 200 researchers each year for distinguished achievements Kimmel will travel to Boston in February, where the AAAS will present him and 237 other members with a ribbon and an official certificate Biologists have long been in trigued by problems in early human development, kimniel said, for example spinal bifida Humans with spinal bifida ant born without a spine But in-cause human embryos are difficult to study, research ers often ustt a simpler mamma lian relative, such as mice And even simpler to study, Kimmel said, are the small, clear em bryos of the /.etmifish Biologists can use fish as a model for human development for several reasons. Kimmel said First, fish and mammals are ancient relatives, he said, hav ing evolved from a common an cestor Second, most vertebrate embryos an- strikingly similar in their early stages For these reasons, biologists can confi dently use zebraflsh as a model for early mammalian develop ment, he said. One of Klmmel's most nota ble achievements is linking de velopment in mice to that in zebra fish "Though there's different body parts between a fish and a mouse, you find a lot of their genes are similar," he said “There’s a common ancestor for both fish and mica*." Science has known for dec ades that mice and fish (and most vertebrates) share a com mon gone for developing a Phcrto t>y Mguy*r Charles Kimmel stands among sever til tanks of xebrafish in Heushs Hall His work with xobrahsh and genetic mutations has earned him national recognition. *It happened the same way in me or you. We share genes with strange organisms, including fish and fruitfUes.’ Charles Kimmel, biology professor bar kbono, Kimmol •».«ir«ifish eggs art! transparent, which lets re Marchers set- exactly how the Infant inside develops, or doesn't develop, as in the case with Kirnmel's mutants .Second, they produce copi ous amounts of eggs. between 200 .md 1.000 per fish And last, they are small and easy to care for Kirnmel's research is funded by .iIhhiI $250,000 in federal grunts every year Ills dist every linking mice and fish, lie said, brings biologists one step closer to tracking genetic mutations in humans Snapple containers create messy recycling problem By Carne Fenelon Em«ald Contributor Just because Kush Limbaugh likes Snupple doesn't mean everyone has to. The beverage has become a favored al ternative to soda and can lie found not only in the EMU and local stores, but also in overflowing campus garbage cans and recycling bins Thu University collects about 1000 pounds a week of non-rufunduble glass from Carson Hall, Hamilton Complex, University Inn, Dean Complex and the EMU. More than 90 percent of this glass is Snupple bottles, said Mark Burke, a re cycling assistant for the Student Recycl ing Program. Catering in Bean fills a 55-gallon barrel four times u week, as does the EMU. More glass Is thrown away because a re cycling bin isn't always readily available Garbage collectors for the Physical Plant reported finding approximately 1200 pounds of Snapple bottles in the garbage bins at Pizuno's. the now pizza restaurant on campus The EMU has been carrying Snapple for about a year The company provides Dennis Carr, EMU fotxl service manager, with a refrigeration unit, delivery and merchandising os part of the contract. Karyn Kuplan, Campus Recycling co ordinator. began to notice the increase in glass almost immediately. In May Kap lan’s assistant Katherine Luacher sent a letter to Snapple to bring the problem to the company's attention and to suggest the company implement a deposit on the bottles Snapple empties are refundable only in Maine. At the end of the letter Luscher im plied that the University muy have to be gin a boycott of Snapple products if the situation was not taken care of. Snapple’s response was a letter thank ing Campus Recycling for "taking the time to let us know that you enjoy our Photo tff Dylan Coun* Mark Burke of Student Recycling helps son through the new Snepple recycling bins. products." A handwritten note at the bottom stated that glass is recyclable in Oregon and to contact the stute for more information. The letter was referring to the much touted Dottle Dill But the Dottle Dill is not a solution to excess waste. Kaplan said “When the Dottle Bill came out in 1970, it was intended as a roadside litter bill," Kaplan said "But It doesn't cover non-carbonatod beverages, which was not a problem until ull those new waters and juices came out " Carr agreed with Kaplan regarding the Bottle Bill "The Bottle Bill is totally outdated. When it was introduced it was the cut ting edge of legislation,” Carr said. “There are dozens and dozens of prod ucts that the bottle bill doesn't address in any way. shape or form." On 0(1 2(>, Kaplan, Carr, (luI Morgan of Premier Distributors, Larry Baker, a Snappie salesman, and Joe Cm bo arid Linda Dicvondorf of the EMU Board met to discuss u resolution to the problem. Snappie Co. and Premier Distributors agreed to provide and service nine largo collection bins for Snappie Unties Five of the bins are located in the LMtJ, and there are plans for more bins to be placed in Lawrence Hall, which sells Snappie ut the Hearth Cafe and at the Bean Complex loading dock. Premier Distributors will collect the wheeled bins when it delivers Snappie Premier has a recycling company within its organization that processes recyclable materials and sells them to producers. Carr said he is not sure if the responsi bility lies solely with Snappie and Pre mier. Although the distributor and man ufacturer have taken action along with the EMU and Campus Recycling, Carr said hr Ixdieves lim customers namely Univitrsily students are also purl of the pmblnn and the solution "Customers lend lo hr irrrsponsihlr in this resjant (recycling)," Carr said "If thry ( .in uxlurnulize waste and make it sninnnnc rise's prohlem, they will Kaplun said she hrlievcs Snapplr has also externalized the situation. "You pay H5 cents for a bottle of Snapple," she said "The ( ompany gels the money, hut then we pay for upkeep on the roads, for pollution from trucks and lor litter One bottle ends up costing the taxpayer three or four dollars That's money that I have to pay. and I don't even drink the stuff " because of the amount of glass pro duced, the student-funded Student Ke cycling Program also must pay. Kaplan estimates that an additional 10 to 15 hours of time is needed per week to col lect glass This is time — and money — that could be spent on better projects Site asked Snapple to give the recycling program 75 dollars a week to deal with the problem, but the ( ompany refused Kaplun will postpone the boycott of Snapple until she determines If the re cycling effort is effective Carr said that us a state employee, he could not support a boycott, and the sale of Snapple is also economically beneficial to the EMU. "Snapple represents SI.000 to St.100 of business a week in gross sales I bis money provides for a lot of student em ployment and overhead costs.” Carr said. "We can't afford to lose a product with that type of business. ” Carr said the EMU is open to any group that would like to set up tables to help students realize their personal re sponsibility in recycling glass containers He said he believes students should fo cus their energies toward state legislators who have the capacity to create u more comprehensive bottle bill