Edward J. Steele

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Prof. Edward J (Ted) Steele is a controversial Australian molecular immunologist formerly with the University of Wollongong, now listed as a visiting fellow at the Australian National University. Steele's research has led a resurgent interest in the French scientist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, the man who developed the first theory of evolution, pre-dating Charles Darwin by fifty years. Steele was also the subject of a dispute with his employer, which led to his widely publicized dismissal and subsequent reinstatement.

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[edit] Scientific interests

Ted Steele developed the theory of reverse transcription from the somatic (body) cells to the germline (reproductive cells). This reverse transcription process enables characteristics or bodily changes acquired during a lifetime to be written back into the DNA and passed on to subsequent generations. This is what used to be known as neo-Lamarckism.[1] Steel's theory provided the first mechanism to explain Lamarckian evolution: when successful somatic (body) cell changes occur due to environmental changes, copies of the copious new messenger-RNA that have been produced by the successful cells are picked up by harmless retroviruses acting as gene shuttles and transported across the tissue barrier – the Weismann Barrier – to the germline. Finally, the new genetic information is integrated into the DNA by a process involving reverse transcription. This process of writing or translating new information into the DNA provides the essential precursor to acquired changes being passed on to progeny; to the next generation, thereby demonstrating Lamarckian inheritance of acquired characters. Darwinian natural selection then goes to work on the progeny and subsequent generations: those fit for survival do so and those not fit die out. This recombination of Darwin and Lamarck by Steele is now known as meta-Lamarckism[2].

During the 1980s and 1990s Ted Steele clashed with the scientific establishment, particularly in the UK, over this theory and his support for Lamarck's place in modern science. Steele has stated publicly in an interview with the ABC program Lateline that his controversial theories have had a strong impact on his career "To be branded a heretic and a pariah meant that my career to keep doing research in this area were extremely limited."[3]

His book, Lamarck's Signature was variously praised and criticized by the scientific mainstream.[4] In the first decade of the 21st century however, scientists around the world have achieved experimental results that have re-awakened interest in Lamarck and supported the long-held beliefs of Ted Steele.[5]

[edit] Dismissal and dispute

In January 2001, Steele made several allegations to the media in regard to 'soft' marking resulting in the upgrading of full fee paying international students. Steele was summarily dismissed by UoW's Vice-Chancellor Gerard Sutton, stating that the university’s reputation was "placed at a serious and imminent risk as a result of Associate Professor Steele’s claims." Steele declared his dismissal unfair and instituted legal proceedings.The case received wide media coverage[6] In August 2001, the Australian Federal Court found that the University of Wollongong had breached its staff enterprise agreement and did not following correct conduct and dismissal procedures in Steele's case. Following the verdict Steele expressed publicly that he wanted his job back.[7]

On April 5, 2002, UoW Vice Chancellor Gerard Sutton acceded to NTEU demands and reinstated Dr Ted Steele to his position within the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Wollongong. It was made public that Steele's reinstatement was unconditional and involved backpay. President of the National Tertiary Education Union, Dr Carolyn Allport announced the importance of the victory and precedent that the court's ruling set. "The NTEU has said all along that Dr Steele was dismissed illegally. The union's position has been completely vindicated by the findings of four judges of the Federal Court and Dr Steele's subsequent reinstatement. The reinstatement comes after a 15 month legal and political campaign by the NTEU. It is a victory for all NTEU members because it clearly demonstrates that university staff cannot be dismissed without a proper and fair hearing. This requirement is the fundamental protection of intellectual freedom in Australia's universities and the successful campaign to reinstate Dr Steele has reaffirmed that protection for all Australian university staff and for the community that our universities serve."[8]

The University of Wollongong subsequently appealed the court's decision, but again lost and was ordered to pay Steele's court costs (estimated to be approx. AUD$40000). The University set out with further investigations into the allegations of soft marking in an effort to legitimately incriminate Steele, however there appeared to be a conflict of interest with Steele's former line manager being promoted to Dean, and chair of a subsequent enquiry. This led to Steele describing the UoW arbitration system as a 'Kangaroo court'.[9]

The unfair dismissal issue was resolved on July 6, 2002 when Steele and the University of Wollongong came to a confidential agreement. Although little is known in regard to the settlement, Steele did not return to the University of Wollongong.[10]. Further reading.[11],[12]

Steele is currently based at the Genomic Interactions Group & CILR at the Australian National University.[13]

[edit] Neo-Lamarckism and Research Legacy

In July 2006, Dr Corrado Spadafora published a paper providing evidence that male sex cells or sperm could indeed receive foreign genetic material - information from body cells being written back into the germline DNA. Spadafora presented evidence that a green fluorescent protein, a genetic tag attached to the sperm of a father subsequently showed up in the tissue or body cells of his progeny. He announced that there is in all mature spermatozoa, an efficient machinery to receive information from external DNA molecules and that this behavior is widespread. It has been observed in sperm from more than 30 species, from sea urchins to honey bees to humans. In about a quarter of cases the foreign genes have appeared in the next generation.[14] Spadafora announced in his paper that the genetic transfer mechanism he had discovered involves the generation and ‘non-Mendelian’ spread of new genetic information beyond that supposedly locked up in the chromosomes.

Simultaneously, in California, molecular biologist Dr Patrick Fogarty, working on gene therapy in animals and humans, found that foreign genes inserted into mice appeared in cells: both body cells and sex cells. He established even more evidence of the effect of reverse transcription or the writing of information back into the DNA of sex cells. But fundamental question for both Fogarty and Ted Steele, was; would the DNA appear in the offspring? Would the new reverse imprint be passed on to progeny? This was the critical evidence needed to demonstrate Lamarckian inheritance.[15] Having established the facts of the reverse transcription in the adult mouse, Fogarty announced, ‘we also examined the offspring and lo and behold, we found it showing up in a large percentage of the progeny as well.’ In fact, Fogarty and his team were achieving success in up to seventy per cent of progeny. ‘It’s very Lamarckian,’ he said, ‘because we take that animal and we not only change its functions and genotype but it carries through and changes the whole offspring as well.’

[edit] Selected publications

  • Steele, E.J.- Somatic Selection and Adaptive Evolution: On the Inheritance of Acquired Characters. 2nd Edition. Revised with an author's Postscript, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1981.
  • Steele, E.J., Lindley, R.A. & Blanden, R.V. Lamarck's Signature: How retrogenes are changing the natural selection paradigm. Allen & Unwin, Frontiers of Science: Series Editor Paul Davies, Sydney, Australia, 1998. In the USA, published by Addison-Wesley-Longman under Perseus Book imprint, Reading, MT, 1998

[edit] References

  1. ^ The implications of Steele's soma-to-germline feedback for the safety of somatic gene therapy in humans
  2. ^ Meta-Lamarckism is introduced in the book Lamarck's Evolution: two centuries of genius and jealousy
  3. ^ Interview on ABC Lateline
  4. ^ Robyn Williams Interview with Ted Steele
  5. ^ See Wikipedia article on Lamarckism, especially Neo-Lamarckism
  6. ^ When dollars do all the talking - "The sacking of an academic suggests that commercial issues outweigh free speech" The Australian, 18 April 2001, p. 35 (Brian Martin)[1]
  7. ^ Story from ABC News
  8. ^ Ted Steele reinstated - University of Wollongong finally comes to its senses NTEU archives
  9. ^ Article from the Institute of Science and Society
  10. ^ NETWORK FOR EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC RIGHTS
  11. ^ "Axed academic treated ‘worse than murderer’" by Aban Contractor, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 February, 2002.[2]
  12. ^ "Sacked whistleblower gets university job back" by Aban Contractor, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 March 2002.[3]
  13. ^ Profile and webpage at ANU
  14. ^ Generation of biologically active retro-genes upon interaction of mouse spermatozoa with exogenous DNA
  15. ^ Business Wirefrom, press release

[edit] See also