GRE Reading Comprehension
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Source: 1996
An experiment conducted aboard Space Lab in 1983 was the first attempt to grow protein crystals in the low-gravity environment of space. That experiment is still cited as evi- dence that growing crystals in microgravity can increase crystal size: the authors reported that they grew lysozyme protein crystals 1,000 times larger than crystals grown in the same device on Earth. Unfortunately, the authors did not point out that their crystals were no larger than the average crystal grown using other, more standard tech- niques in an Earth laboratory.
No research has yet produced results that could justify the enormous costs of producing crystals on a large scale in space. To get an unbiased view of the usefulness of micro- gravity crystal growth, crystals grown in space must be compared with the best crystals that have been grown with standard techniques on Earth. Given the great expense of conducting such experiments with proper controls, and the limited promise of experiments performed thus far, it is questionable whether further experiments in this area should even be conducted.
Which of the following can be inferred from the pas- sage about the device used to grow crystals in theSpace Lab experiment?
- A The device is more expensive to manufacture thanare the devices used in standard techniques in anEarth laboratory.
- B The device has not been used to grow crystals inspace since the Space Lab experiment of 1983.
- C Crystals grown in the device on Earth tend to bemuch smaller than crystals grown in it in space.
- D Crystals grown in the device in space have beenexceeded in size by crystals grown in subsequentexperiments in space using other devices.
- E The experiments in which the device was usedwere conducted with proper controls.