Wolfson College Record 2021

Personal News
90
to demonstrate the central importance
of the collagens in severe bone disease.
The identification of the genetic basis
of an inherited disorder, brittle bone
disease (osteogenesis imperfecta),
was a key achievement at this time.
Bryan pursued his fascination with the
complexities and importance of the
collagens at the Radcliffe Infirmary and
the John Radcliffe Hospital, and later in
the Weatherall Institute of Molecular
Medicine. The innovative and energetic
tempo of research in the Institute, and
indeed Professor Weatherall himself, were
an inspiration which lasted many years.
Here Bryan’s interest in the possibility of
Oxford’s victorious croquet team in 1978.
Bryan is bottom right
extracting DNA from ancient bone was born, and his collaboration with Professor
Robert Hedges at the Oxford Department of Archeology allowed ideas to be
translated into successful practice.
Two unrelated and unplanned events at about this time took Bryan’s career in
new directions. The first was a Royal Society Fellowship as a science researcher
and writer with ITN News. Tracking down science findings that would catch
media interest, the challenge of writing about these in ways that would engage the
public, together with the adrenalin-driven time demands of the 10.00 pm news,
were all great fun. They impressed Bryan with the importance of good science
communication.
The second came during a sabbatical in which Bryan visited Rarotonga in the
Cook Islands en route from Seattle to Melbourne. He collided with a palm tree
after starting his motor scooter in gear, and a dislocated shoulder delayed further
travel. It did not take him long to seek out the island’s library and immerse himself
in local archeology. It soon became apparent that the origins of the Polynesian
people remained a matter of controversy. Were they South American, as
postulated by Thor Heyerdahl, or Eastern Asian? A few pink wire nights led to
the hypothesis that using mitochondrial DNA to trace maternal ancestry could
be just the tool to resolve this matter. Unlike nuclear DNA, derived from both
father and mother at each generation, mitochondrial DNA, passed solely through
the maternal line, was not ‘contaminated’ with the DNA of marauding pirates
or explorers from distant lands and thus offered a true Polynesian descendency.
This thinking not only led to the salient conclusion that the Polynesians were
descended from Asian ancestors, but also that the large majority of Europeans
college record 2021