Air Date: Week of July 12, 2002

This week we dip into the Living on Earth mailbag to hear what listeners have to say.

Transcript

CURWOOD: Time now for comments from our listeners. Marianne Das heard our piece on designer babies on WHYY in Philadelphia. "This week, I especially liked your story on germ line manipulation," she writes, "because you carefully weighed the advantages and disadvantages of this technique. What I like about your program is its balance of science and humanity. Keep up the good work."

KLCC listener Jesse Shue from Eugene, Oregon, took issue with our report about the All Species Foundation's effort to catalogue all life on earth. "I was disappointed that your story came with no criticism of the possible repercussions of such a massively invasive project. For example, in extremely biodiverse regions where a single species of insect may be limited to a single acre or even a single tree's canopy, the completion of this project would necessitate sampling every possible niche and, thereby, endangering these rarest of species. The existence of millions of undiscovered species should inspire reverence for nature, not a naive drive to endanger it through hyper-documentation."

You can comment on our program anytime. Just call our Listener Line at 800-218-9988. That's 800-218-9988. Or, write us at letters@loe.org. Once again, letters@loe.org. And, visit our web page at www.loe.org. That's www.loe.org. And while you're there, please take the survey we're conducting to give us some specific feedback and help us plan for the future. Let us know what stories you like or don't like. Or tell us what we should have more or less of. And, what about the internet? How can Living on Earth help you best use the web?

Everyone who responds to our survey will get a chance to win a neat little waist pack donated by the Patagonia Company. You'll also receive a list of ten household plants that can help keep the air clean in your home and office. So please, go to www.loe.org, and tell us what you think. That's www.loe.org. And click on the Living on Earth poll. And thanks to everyone who has already responded.

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