Dr. West said the others still considered leaving a possibility.

Dr. West did not return several phone calls today.

Dr. West would not say how far along the experiments were, or whether any embryos had been created.

Meanwhile, Dr. West was not the only professor with a popular following hired here today.

- that he decided to write a role for Dr. West in the movie, playing a loose version of himself.

Dr. West grunted as if he'd heard it all before, or wasn't listening.

"At the most, he probably wouldn't live for more than another six months," Dr. West said reluctantly.

Dr. West is not too bothered by these seeming exceptions.

Dr. West, who had led the threat of an exodus, declined to say whether he would stay.

Dr. West said events like this seemed to bring out the loonies.