3 stories from Bush Hall

[Emanuel Goldman]

Symposium 1969
Matthei presents a talk, and shows a graph with many points that look like they could fit a typical saturation curve, but he claims the points represent three linear lines covering different sections of the graph. He is questioned hard about this by the audience, especially Wally Gilbert, who finally, in frustration, sputters: "I am amazed at your lack of imagination in finding ONLY three lines to fit that data." The audience erupts in laughter as a chagrined Matthei leaves the stage.
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Symposium 1974
Charles Weissmann has presented a talk showing (if my memory serves me) that the retroviral virion contains two copies of the RNA genome per virion. Another worker has just presented a paper reaching the same conclusion, but using very different techniques. Weissmann and this other worker have a public debate on stage about why each of their respective approaches was the correct one (and the other's incorrect). Finally, Weissmann takes the microphone and relates the following (paraphrased) story:

"There was once this graduate student working quite independently, who called his Professor over to show the results of the student's new experiment. He had aligned on his lab bench a vast array of cockroaches, in rows and columns, and said 'Forward, March,' and all the cockroaches began moving in unison along the benchtop. Then the student said 'Left' and the cockroaches abruptly turned to the left and continued marching. Then, the student said 'Right' and the cockroaches, in turn, moved to the right. Finally, the student said 'Halt' and the cockroaches stopped in place. 'Very interesting,' said the Professor, 'but what's your point?' 'Wait,' said the student, 'that's not the experiment.' The student then proceeded to pick up one of the roaches from the array, and plucked off the roach's legs, then placed this legless roach back in the array in the same spot. 'Forward, March,' said the student, and the army of roaches began again to move along the benchtop, except for this one poor legless roach, who remained in place. 'You see,' the student turned triumphantly to his Professor, 'I've just proven that cockroaches hear with their legs!' "

When the laughter died down, Weissmann concluded: "The funny thing is, roaches actually DO hear with their legs, but that's not the way to show it."
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My third story is more vague with respect to when (could have been Symposium 1970, or maybe one of the Phage meetings) and also with respect to who was the speaker when this happened.

It was an evening session, and it was a stormy night, with very heavy rain and occasional thunder. One fellow was giving his talk when in the middle there was this ENORMOUS thunder clap, so powerful, Bush Hall literally shook. Everyone gasped, and there was a brief instant of silence in the room. The speaker recovered quickly, and commented with a smile, while pointing towards the ceiling, "Uh-oh, he's mad..." An especially wry remark given that the meeting concerned genetics and the basis of life...

[ 03-01-2003, 03:37 AM: Message edited by: Emanuel Goldman ][/size][/font]