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Library – Archives – Humanities  / Education / Center for Humanities & History of Modern Biology / Exhibits, Projects and Initiatives / Plant Science, Biotechnology, & Agriculture

The Early Days of Biotech on Long Island

Timing makes a difference in how a given location experiences a biotech boom. Jim Hayward, currently of Applied DNA Sciences, worked in the UK in the 1980s, and found that the differences between the US and the UK meant that it was easier than expected to find funding. Here, he’s talking about his work as a postdoc with biospectroscopist Dennis Chapman:  “This was in 1984, ’85. The crest of the biotech revolution in the US had already preceded that in Europe by maybe as much as a decade. When we filed our patents, there really was no biotech presence in Europe. Remarkably, money began to chase us.”

Jim Hayward / Applied DNA Systems

Plants need nitrogen to grow, but a significant portion of the nitrogen in fertilizers is not absorbed by the soil or used by the growing plants. Rather, it washes away into waterways, rivers, and the ocean. This in turn has had devastating effects on marine life. In some areas, excessive nitrogen in the oceans has caused algae blooms that kill wildlife, make it dangerous for people to consume fish or shellfish or in some cases even swim in affected waters. This problem isn’t limited to poorer countries. Nitrogen pollution is a serious problem here on Long Island. In our case, the nitrogen comes primarily from septic tanks and cesspools, although nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers also plays a role. Nitrogen pollution in the waters around Long Island has hampered fishing, made it dangerous to eat seafood from some areas, and caused environmental changes that make coastal areas more prone to flooding.