Thomas Eisner,

Nature's

in Issues in Science and Technology (Winter 1989-90), 2101 Medicine Chest Constitution Ave. N.w., Washington, D.C. 20418.

Even optimists now concede that plant and animal extinctions are going to occur at an alarming pace well into the next cen- tury. "We have yet to comprehend what it is we lose when species disappear," warns Eisner, a Cornell biologist. In the area of medicinal chemistry alone, he says, the implications are staggering.
Overall, nearly one...