"Тед Чан. Seventy-Two Letters (72 буквы, Рассказ) (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

mass of jelly. It was difficult to distinguish the massТs features from
the mottled shadows cast on the bottom of the tank, so he moved to another
side of the tank and squatted down low to view the mass directly against a
flame of a gas lamp. It was then that the coagulum resolved itself into
the ghostly figure of a man, clear as aspic, curled up in foetal position.
"Incredible," Stratton whispered.
"We call it a megafoetus," explained Fieldhurst.
"This was grown from a spermatozoon? This must have required decades."
"It did not, moreТs the wonder. Several years ago, two Parisian
naturalists named Dubuisson and Gille developed a method of inducing
hypertrophic growth in a seminal foetus. The rapid infusion of nutrients
allows such a foetus to reach this size within a fortnight."
By shifting his head back and forth, he saw slight differences in the
way the gas-light was refracted, indicating the boundaries of the
megafoetusТs internal organs. "Is this creature . . . alive?"
"Only in an insensate manner, like a spermatozoon. No artificial
process can replace gestation; it is the vital principle within the ovum
which quickens the foetus, and the maternal influence which transforms it
into a person. All weТve done is effect a maturation in size and scale."
Fieldhurst gestured toward the megafoetus. "The maternal influence also
provides a foetus with pigmentation and all distinguishing physical
characteristics. Our megafoetuses have no features beyond their sex. Every
male bears the generic appearance you see here, and all the females are
likewise identical. Within each sex, it is impossible to distinguish one
from another by physical examination, no matter how dissimilar the
original fathers might have been; only rigorous record-keeping allows us
to identify each megafoetus."
Stratton stood up again. "So what was the intention of the experiment
if not to develop an artificial womb?"
"To test the notion of the fixity of species." Realizing that Stratton
was not a zoologist, the earl explained further. "Were lens-grinders able
to construct microscopes of unlimited magnifying power, biologists could
examine the future generations nested in the spermatozoa of any species
and see whether their appearance remains fixed, or changes to give rise to
a new species. In the latter case, they could also determine if the
transition occurs gradually or abruptly.
"However, chromatic aberration imposes an upper limit on the magnifying
power of any optical instrument. Messieurs Dubuisson and Gille hit upon
the idea of artificially increasing the size of the foetuses themselves.
Once a foetus reaches its adult size, one can extract a spermatozoon from
it and enlarge a foetus from the next generation in the same manner."
Fieldhurst stepped over to the next table in the row and indicated the
tank it supported. "Repetition of the process lets us examine the unborn
generations of any given species."
Stratton looked around the room. The rows of tanks took on a new
significance. "So they compressed the intervals between СbirthsТ to gain a
preliminary view of our genealogical future."
"Precisely."
"Audacious! And what were the results?"
"They tested many animal species, but never observed any changes in