Brave New Foods.(Cornell university research on growing vaccine-bearing plants)

Watching plants grow was never Hugh Mason's idea of a good time. He was always more interested in organic molecules--DNA, proteins, viruses-- than in the organisms themselves. But these days he's spending a lot of time fretting over his tomatoes. They grow in pots--dozens of them--in a greenhouse at Cornell University's Boyce Thompson Institute in upstate New York. At first glance they seem quite ordinary--bright red and a bit larger than a golf ball.

Upon closer inspection, however, there's something odd about them. What is it, exactly? Mason pauses, allowing his visitor a few moments of puzzlement. His boyish face and calm demeanor are reassuring in a molecular ...