And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: A visitor to Discovery Channel Online sent you this Discovery News Brief. Check us out online at http://www.discovery.com From: "Molly" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 10:24:15 -0700 DISCOVERY NEWS BRIEF: Kennewick Man Under Study Scientists on Thursday embarked on an ancestral quest by examining Kennewick Man, one of North America's oldest skeletons found along the Columbia River nearly three years ago. The nearly-complete, 9,300-year-old skeleton is considered the oldest and most complete specimen of human remains found in the Northwest. It was found in July 1996 containing all major bones except the sternum, dispersed over a 300-square-yard area in Kennewick's Columbia Park. Michael Trimble, the head curator for the Corps of Engineers, says the bones, more than 350 pieces, were filled with water and were held together with sediment when they were found. The panel will analyze those soil samples for links to soil layers near the discovery site. Scientists also will measure the shape and width of the skeleton's face, dental remains and a stone point embedded in the pelvic bone, says Joseph Powell, a physical anthropologist from the University of New Mexico. The scientists will also observe any inflammation, trauma or toxins that could be indications of health and way of life of the Kennewick Man, who is believed to have been in his 40s or 50s when he died. But first, the six-member team of anthropologists and archaeologists will determine whether the bones are of Indian origin as defined by federal law, says team leader Francis McManamon, chief archaeologist for the National Park Service. If they are, the Department of the Interior will decide if there is a modern tribe to which the remains ought to be given. Legal wrangling had kept the bones from being studied. The Army Corps of Engineers, which took custody of the bones from the Benton County sheriff's office, had planned to turn them over to tribal representatives; five Northwest tribes have claimed the remains as an ancestor and wish to rebury them. But scientists later sued in federal court for the right to study Kennewick Man because he reportedly has non-Native American features. If the analysis isn't enough to determine whether the remains are Native American, the team may use radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis or other tests that could destroy small amounts of bone. Associated Press, Copyright 1999 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
