Biological Station is impressed with the way in which Bermuda has set down tough guidelines to ensure a healthy environment and quality of life for future generations of Bermudians.

Dr. Henry (Hank) Rosenthal, who is married to an Hawaiian and undertook graduate work at the university there, believes that the islands of Hawaii could do well to follow Bermuda's example in several areas, including gun control, car control, environmental regulations and land ownership.

"I think the Bermudian people are a more aware body politic than in most places. They have learned to live within a set of constraints and have been forced into an awareness of the environment that has helped preserve the Island. It's too bad that Hawaiian policy makers couldn't have learned some lessons from Bermuda. The unrestricted sale of land in Hawaii has meant that a lot of it is passing out of local ownership.'' With Dr. Rosenthal's arrival in Bermuda, the scope of studies undertaken at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR) has moved into yet another dimension.

He sees his new position as a logical career move from his previous post at the University of Florida's Whitney Laboratory. At the Whitney Lab, all the scientists were studying marine organisms at the cellular and molecular levels. At BBSR, the potential exists to place the results of such studies into a broader environmental and ecological context. As for his current research, which centres around the spiny lobster, Bermuda, he says, is the ideal place.

"BBSR is already a world-class institution in the field of open-ocean research. But the directors and scientists realised that Bermuda also offers exciting potential as a centre for researching aspects of molecular and cellular marine biology,'' says Dr. Rosenthal.

This particular branch of marine science, which studies marine organisms at the molecular and cellular level, has taken on a new urgency in recent years.

There are implications that, in the future, could directly affect Bermuda and the rest of the world. For not only is the understanding of this field vital to the overall ecosystem, it is now also becoming increasingly apparent that there are potentially vital medical implications in many of the new scientific discoveries.

"It could be,'' explains the scientist, "that the key to curing certain baffling diseases such as AIDS or Alzheimer's may lie on the ocean floor.'' As an example, Dr. Rosenthal cites his research on abalone molluscs done while he was at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He says that the molluscs' larval form must find the correct spot on the ocean floor in order to transform into adult form. In doing so, they recognise certain chemicals there.

The eventual identification of that chemical took on new significance when it was realised that the chemical in question can mimic one of the human brain's most important neuro-transmitters. As a result, he will soon be presenting his data to the annual meeting of the Association for Neuroscience, attended by around 15,000 delegates.

"At that point, I tell them, `Here it is, it's up to you how you use that information'. This chemical could have the potential to cure neurological disorders such as schizophrenia or depression,'' says Dr. Rosenthal, emphasising at the same time, that when he began his study of the abalone, he was not specifically looking for medical applications: "It was a side result, not the main focus of my research. But it does reinforce the importance of this field of study. And it's a way of making people understand how vital it is to learn as much as we can about the marine ecosystem and how its preservation could have far-reaching implications that were never dreamed of, even a few years ago.'' Much of the research that will be occupying Dr. Rosenthal in Bermuda will be the methods by which marine animals interact with the environment. This is where the spiny lobster comes in -- with its large-size olfactory antennules (noses, to the layman) readily accessible.

"It turns out that most marine organisms are very, very dependent on their sense of smell. I know it seems astonishing, but it's true!'' With neurological illness taking an increasing toll on the rapidly aging human population, the '90s is already being referred to as "the decade of the brain'', says Dr. Rosenthal.

"Nerve cells communicate with each other chemically -- it is the chemical language between cells that drives our thinking process. We may not realise it, but we are chemical critters. So whatever I may learn about a Bermuda spiny lobster, for instance, may be of great interest to clinical researchers at places such as the National Institutes of Health.'' This chemical senses study has been recognised as being of fundamental importance to science, says Dr. Rosenthal.

Almost everything that goes on in our bodies consists of cells giving off human scents and signals to each other: "Nowadays'', he says, "humans are one of the most deficient animals when it comes to smell. But as human beings evolved, hand/eye co-ordination became so important that our brains expanded and our noses lost a lot of power. In early times, man could walk into a cave and, just by smelling, could tell how long it had been vacant. If it had only been 15 minutes, that could be very important to his survival, because there might be some chap hovering about with a big club, or a dangerous animal lurking nearby.'' Dr. Rosenthal, who obtained undergraduate degrees in biology and psychology from the University of Southern California, did graduate work in biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Hawaii. He returned to do his doctorate at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

His journey into the rarefied world of science was a roundabout one, as he started studying history and then psychology. He became especially interested in the physiological aspect of psychology. (That, he says, is the study of neurons and how they detect chemical signals). From there, it seemed a natural step, for a "very water-oriented'' person, to move into the field of marine science.

He believes that since his findings here may turn out to have clinical implications, there is a potential source of additional funding for the Station.

"There may be organisations that would be more than interested in contributing to basic research in specific neurological diseases, such as epilepsy. If we can get research grants and donations from such organisations, it would be good for BBSR and, I believe, good for Bermuda.'' ON THE SCENT -- The spiny lobster will provide plenty of food for thought for Dr. Rosenthal, who is centering his research around the succulent Bermuda crustacean.

DR. HENRY (HANK) ROSENTHAL, a marine scientist who specialises in molecular and cellular marine biology, will widen the scope of research at the Bio Station.