"Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilhelm Kate)

Why?тАЭ
David sat down hard and stared at Walt. тАЬHow did you get that?тАЭ
тАЬVlasic,тАЭ Walt said. тАЬWe went to med school together. He went on in one direction, I in
another. WeтАЩve corresponded all these years. I asked him.тАЭ
тАЬYou know his work?тАЭ
тАЬYes. His rhesus monkeys show the same decline during the fourth generation, and on to
extinction.тАЭ
тАЬIt isnтАЩt just like that,тАЭ David said. тАЬHe had to discontinue his work last yearтАФno funds.
So we donтАЩt know the life expectancies of the later strains. But the decline starts in the third
clone generation, a decline of potency. He was breeding each clone generation sexually, testing
the offspring for normalcy. The third clone generation had only twenty-five percent potency. The
sexually reproduced offspring started with that same percentage, and, in fact, potency dropped
until the fifth generation of sexually reproduced offspring, and then it started to climb back up
and presumably would have reached normalcy again.тАЭ
Walt was watching him closely, nodding now and then. David went on. тАЬThat was the clone-
three strain. With the clone-four strain there was a drastic change. Some abnormalities were
present, and life expectancy was down seventeen percent. The abnormals were all sterile. Potency
was generally down to forty-eight percent. It was downhill all the way with each sexually
reproduced generation. By the fifth generation no offspring survived longer than an hour or two.
So much for clone-four strain. Cloning the fours was worse. Clone-five strain had gross
abnormalities, and they were all sterile. Life-expectancy figures were not completed. There was no
clone-six strain. None survived.тАЭ
тАЬA dead end,тАЭ Walt said. He indicated a stack of magazines and extracts. тАЬI had hoped that
they were out of date, that there were newer methods, perhaps, or an error had been found in their
figures. ItтАЩs the third generation that is the turning point then?тАЭ
David shrugged. тАЬMy information could be out of date. I know Vlasic stopped last year, but
Semple and Frerrer are still at it, or were last month. They may have something newer than I know.
YouтАЩre thinking of livestock?тАЭ
тАЬOf course. You know the rumors? TheyтАЩre just not breeding well. No figures are available,
but, hell, we have our own livestock. TheyтАЩre down by half.тАЭ
тАЬI heard something. Denied by the Bureau of Information, I believe.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs true,тАЭ Walt said soberly.
тАЬThey must be working on this line,тАЭ David said. тАЬSomeone must be working on it.тАЭ
тАЬIf they are, no oneтАЩs telling us about it,тАЭ Walt said. He laughed bitterly and stood up.
тАЬCan you get materials for the hospital?тАЭ David asked.
тАЬFor now. WeтАЩre rushing it like thereтАЩs no tomorrow, naturally. And weтАЩre not worrying about
money right now. WeтАЩll have things that we wonтАЩt know what to do with, but I thought it would be
better to order everything I can think of than to find out next year that what we really need
isnтАЩt available.тАЭ
David went to the window and looked at the farm; the green was well established by now,
spring would give way to summer without a pause and the corn would be shiny, silky green in the
fields. Just like always. тАЬLet me have a look at your lab equipment orders, and the stuff thatтАЩs
been delivered already,тАЭ he said. тАЬThen letтАЩs see if we can wrangle me travel clearance out to the
coast. IтАЩll talk to Semple; IтАЩve met him a few times. If anyoneтАЩs doing anything, itтАЩs that team.тАЭ


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тАЬWhat is Selnick working on?тАЭ