Informant38

RESEARCHERS at the University of Milan mixed swine sperm with the DNA of a human gene called decay accelerating factor, or DAF, and then used the modified sperm to fertilize pig eggs. The eggs were implanted into sows to produce litters of pigs that carried the human gene.
"What we obtain at high efficiency and low cost is genetically modified pigs expressing the human protein..."
msnbc/news


This is not a problem for the stories of
Cordwainer Smith. The scope of his vision and the uniqueness of his style remove them from a direct reliance on current events. Plus, in Norstrilia, there are moments of serendipity that serve to make the novel seem like it was written last week. Rod completes his purchase of the Earth with the help of a sentient computer, who, as one tactic, sends the largest amount of "Instant Messages" on record. Rod also becomes involved in a recurring sub-plot in Cordwainer Smith's stories {written in the 50's}, the plight of the underpeople.
The underpeople are genetically altered animals who act as servants and do the dirty work for humans. No doubt inspired by the Civil Rights movement when these stories were written, the underpeople's problems remain fresh and topical today, whether you read them as a metaphor for exploited people, or as a straightforward commentary on the issue of animal rights itself.

Greg L. Johnson at sfsite



{while nobody was looking, something truly evil took over everything}