AMHERST COLLEGE

Amberst, Massachusetts

DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY

January 5, 1952

Dr. Josme Lederberg
Devartiuient of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Medison, Wisconsin

Dear Josh:

We heve hed two excellent devs of skiing here in

Amherst. The sxiing is one of the most enjoyable asnects
of living nere.
no

There are/definite 2lams for the sumer as yet, but
we plan some tie during the vacetion to go west to
collect flies in soutnern Arizona. The flies ere for the
Y chromosome problem which I believe that I sentioned to
you before. We figure on about « month Por this trip.
However, there is one thing ‘clding it back and that
is finances. I hove to get some su port for the research
problem but am not certain of getting it by summer. If
there is no way of finaneing the tris then we shall have
to postgone it u. til next year. There ere severel other
problemgwith Drosovhila wnich will kee» me bugy if the trio
fells through. I aa cuite interested in a sroblen with
Drosophila oseudoobscura wiich is concerned with the
effects of different inversions on crossing over in other,
non-inverted chromosomes. Work of this sort 4s been done
with D. melenaguster but we <now nothing sbout thig in
D. pseudoobscura. This is of some importance here be-
ceuse it will eh ve some idea about the anount of
recombination going on in the netural »covuletions of the
flies which contain thi-d chromcsome hetero zy gobs in-
versions. Of sarticular interest is the sroblen of
how imac recombination occurs in the other chromosomes
wien heterozygous inversions of different sizes oceur
in the third. The Stunderd?Arrowhead inversion letero-
zygote is is a simple loop and rether smakl- covering
only a small sortion of the chronoscne, On the otner
the Standerd/Chiricua me ey Sse a a lerge, overlepo-
ing one. There ere several inversions thet I would
Lise to test. The work in sebbine | Ww rer stocks

dicus but act B00 bad. heve also been working

on 1 the effects of low tenseratures on oteilé ty in D.
pseudoobscura. few weeks ago I tried out Novitski's
freezing tecmisue for getting vireins. Ten minutes at
about -10 degrees C. works well for D. melanogaster but
60 minutes will not work for Lb. 2s udoobvscura. Anyway
woat we are really interested to mow is wit happens to
the duun flies in neture during the wirfer when the teroera-—
ture really droos@ In D. robusta there is « reoroductive

 

 

 

 
 

diapause, but n thing like this has been sicwn for B.
oseudoobseura. There are other vroblens too and I have
a Tew students worxing ewey at then. What they will lead
to I have no idea.

My thesis, or rather ea version of it, has been sent
to EVOLUTION. If it is acceoted it will be out sometine
efter Seotenber of this year! Why don't all of the
journss follow the Am.. Nat. and use the »hoto-offset
method. In this war there cou.d be lerver issues and one
would not have tc wait a yvear to vet a niece of work

out?

Onl¥ two more weeks and the first semester will be
omer. I shall be done with wy genetics course but will
still have to lebcr on in the biolosy survey course. Next
seiester I shall give about e acnth of lectures on the
fundanentals of genetics end a week of lectures on genetics

a

and evolution. I an, however, looking forvwerd to the
oo sulation genetics course next semester. The class will
be suall (12) and mest of the students are in it beeruse

tev are interested in the subject (I hove). The only
ting unusual about the course will be the Lebore tory. As
fer as I know there is no poculaticn genetics ecurse
given that ans a _leb. We shall be doing wor with Droso-
shila on sexua_ isolation, iso! qecnani Bais » competition
between mutants and wild tyoe in ec-es te. = What enout
microorganisus- have you any suggestions for their use?

I am quite interested in sutting bues to works for somlla~
tion studies

      
 

I have been hunting end secxing at tots ting too long
so I shall cease for now. Both Liz and I are ‘eouy here
as far as the living is conesrned. The school is good
but for myself I feel that in addition to teaching -enetics
and varticulerly cooulution ceneties I would retner be
in en institution with a sraduete s@icol wiere there would
be sore conteet with those doing edverced wor's net only in
genetics but in cther flelds well,

 

Give my best regerde to Eether. I ho © tat
be able to see you t»’s suwnier. As soon as I mow what tie
olens ere to be IT shall Let vou ‘mow.

sancerely,