The Biology of Complex Organisms : Creation and Protection of Integrity

On December 6, 1961, a contract was signed by which the research institute of the Wander AG in Freiburg became the Max-Planck-Institut fUr Immunbiologie. The transfer of ownership took place during a happy expansion phase of the Max-Planck­ Society in which a growing economy in Germany allowed the foundation of many new research institutes by the Max-Planck-Society and other organizations. Nevertheless, it was a remarkable event. The acquisition by an academic organization of an institute formerly operated by an industrial company was rather unusual, not to speak ofthe fact that not only the facilities but also the entire scientific personnel were taken over. Retrospectively, the 40 years of the institute in the Max-Planck­ Society can be divided into 2 very different phases of 20 years each. The first 20 years were characterized by a continuation of the research that had begun in the Wander institute and centered on the structure and function of the bacterial compound endotoxin. During the second 20 years, the institute more than doubled in size and developed into an interdisciplinary research center that focuses on the development and organization of multicellular systems by combining studies in two fields of research: immunology and developmental biology. th The 40 anniversary of the foundation of the Max-Planck-Institute was celebrated by a ceremony including a scientific symposium. The first part of this volume presents the lectures given at the symposium by six leading biologists. Towards the end of the 20th century, biology seems to have replaced physics as the leading scientific discipline. At the beginning 21st century, the potential impact of biology on the fate of mankind has placed this discipline in the limelight of public interest as well. It is therefore important that biologists leave the ivory tower of their laboratories and explain to the public what they do, how they do it, and what they want to achieve. In the first part of this volume six leading biologists present their views on the principles nature uses to generate complex organisms such as man, and on strategies such complex organisms use to protect their integrity in a hostile environment. The scientific process is revealed as an intellectual endeavor aimed at goals that enrich our culture rather than threaten it. The chapters are lectures read at a symposium on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology (Freiburg, Germany). Aimed at a general audience without being trivial Front Matter....Pages I-IX Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Evolution of development....Pages 3-13 The cloning of mammals: what are the problems?....Pages 15-25 Size control and timing in development....Pages 27-34 How the immune system protects the body from infection....Pages 35-45 Biological curiosities: what can we learn from them?....Pages 47-52 Quality control of immune self non-self discrimination....Pages 53-59 Front Matter....Pages 61-61 About the history of the MPI for Immunobiology....Pages 63-76 The second twenty years of the MPI IB....Pages 77-82 Short history of immunology in Freiburg....Pages 83-92 Front Matter....Pages 93-93 Samples Symposium Ceremony....Pages 93-93