4 Page 2 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 4, 1986 SCIENCE IN BRIEF COMPILED FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS AND UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL REPORTS Pathologists examine possible Scientists unearth primate fossil By ADAM CORT :While sifting through thousands of fossils that were found on a recent University dig in Wyoming, scientists identified the oldest remains of a true primate, a distant human ancestor. The remains, unearthed from the Wyoming badlands, were identified by Philip Gingerich, curator of the University Museum of Paleantology and anthropology professor. Con- sisting of three small jaw segments and eight teeth, the remains are estimated to be around 53 million years old and belong to a primate called Cantius torresi. BEFORE THIS discovery the oldest known remains were around 52 million years old. Cantius toressi stands as an evolutionary bridge con- n'ecting two previously unconnected primate families. "You could say this is in some broad sense the oldest ancestor of humans," Gingerich said. The primate is thought to have been a fruit eating tree-dweller that lived in the jungles covering North America 53 million years ago. It was about the size of a grey squirrel, weighed 2 to 2.5 pounds, and had a muzzle like a fox, wide eyes, wooly fur and a long tail. GINGERICH'S DISCOVERY has received much attention because it represents the oldest known human "ancestor," however, he says that it is even more significant in what it in- dicates about early primate develop- ment. "It is particularly interesting not in that it's a bit older but in what that step back represents," says Gingerich. The discovery "ties together" two previously unconnected groups of primates-the lemurs, mainly noc- turnal mammals confined to Madagascar, and the tarsiers, noc- tural mammals of Southeast Asia. Scientists have hypothisized such a link for some time, said Gingerich, but this is the first concrete evidence of the connection to date. Cantius torresi is believed to be the link because it bears characteristics which are unique to each species. Its teeth are small and relatively broad, characteristic of the tarsier but not found in the lemur family, and the positions of the cusps, the points on top of the teeth, are like those of lemurs and not tarsiers. THE FOSSILS WERE initially collected by University graduate student Victor Torres in the summer of 1984 near the Yellowstone River in the Wyoming badlands at a site where Gingericl and his students have been gathering fossils for 11 years. It took until the end of 1984, however, to prepare and catalog all the items collected that summer from the Clarks Fork basin. "Then I pulled out the pieces and began to study them," Gingerich said. "I didn't realize im- mediately what their significance was. It took some study to figure out what it meant." Publication of the discovery has been in the works since May, said Gingerich, and his findings are being published in this week's issue of the journal Nature. Gingerich has continued to serach for Cantius torresi at his Wyoming site since the summer of 1984; however, he said the results have been disappointing. "We found only ione single tooth of this cantius last summer on an ant hill," he said. News and Information Service Photos Three fossilized teeth and a jawbone from Cantius torresi (foreground) are compared with a human tooth. The Cantius tooth at the far right is comparable to the back center human tooth. (Right) An artist's; rendition of Cantius torresi. The furry, wide-eyed primate is believed to be a distant ancestor of man. University scien- tists recently discovered the animal's remains in the Wyoming badlands. It is estimated that the primate lived there about 53 million years ago. remains of Challenger crew CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.-Pathologists are examining human remains recovered from the Atlantic to see if they are those of Challenger's astronauts, sources said yesterday. NASA said yesterday that it had recovered no shuttle debris so far from the ocean bottom despite six days of searching with sonar and robot submarines. Two promising "targets," the space agency said, turned out to be the old wreckage of a helicopter and a light airplane. That left 17 other potential targets about 15 miles offshore where photographs and radar indicated that large objects hit the water, NASA said. But with the sea yielding less debris each day, officials weighed cutting back on the search of the ocean surface. The Navy was pulling its ships out at the end of the day yesterday, leaving the sea sweep to the Coast Guard, which also was reviewing whether to continue. President Reagan took the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger explosion away from NASA yesterday and entrusted it to an independent board "with no axe to grind." In an executive order, Reagan directed the panel, headed by former Secretary of State William Rogers and one-time astronaut Neil Ar- mstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, to report its findings within 120 days. Bomb kills 9 in East Beirut BEIRUT, Lebanon-A powerful bomb exploded in an East Beirut office building yesterday wrecking shops, sparking huge fires and killing nine people in an attack linked to opposition to President Amin Gemayel. Hours before the blast, fierce battles engulfed the Green Line battle zone dividing Christian East Beirut from the Moslem western sector. Christian and Moslem militiamen fought with mortars and artillery but the fighting eased at dawn. Police said the explosion that devastated the lobby of a 10-story office building and wrecked nearby shops was the sixth in 24 hours and apparently was part of a bombing campaign against Gemayel loyalists. Nine people were killed and at least 15 wounded in the blast in an east Beirut neighborhood, about 800 yards from the headquarters of the Christian Phalange Party, which is loyal to Gemayel, police said. fH.i.an president *titensremn PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti-President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier sent soldiers to two northern trouble spos yesterday and rode, around in a bulletproof car in an effort to show that he is in control after a week of riots. Doctors and other sources said more than 50 people'may have been killed in the violence. Duvalier also met with U.S. Ambassador Clayton McManaway. The United States is the main source of aid to his impoverished Caribbean nation, and the amount of aid could be effected by Duvalier's human rights record. The army convoy was seen moving through Port-au-Prince to the highway to Cap Haitien and Gonaives, where some of the most violent riots occurred last week. Journalists are prohibiuted from leaving Port-au-Prince without govenrmeuit authorization. Sporadic protests began Nov. 27 after security forces shot and killed three students demonstrating in Gonaives, 100 miles north of here. The protests intensified a week ago in Gonaives and Cap Haitien, and they spread to Port-au-Prince for the first time Thursday night and Friday. Aquino promises to consult: other countries on U.S. ties MANILA, Philippines-Presidential candidate Corazon Aquino said yesterday that she would consult other countries in the region and "above all" the Philippine people before signing a new treaty on the future of U.S. military bases. Mrs. Aquino, who is challenging President Ferdinand E. Marcos in Friday's special election, also said election fraud could make it difficult for her to win. The road to Malacanang (the presidential palace) grows darker as election day approaches," she told nearly 3,000 Filipino and foreign businessmen at a luncheon in a suburban hotel. "Sinister plans to cheat the people of their liberation are afoot." Youngest candidate ever I I I 4 Gramm-Ru (Continued from Page 1) become "pretty sizeable" in sub- sequent years. "Many programs will get gutted. There is no question about it," he said. "Financial aid is dealt with separately because they don't want to take money away from students. So they are going to change your fees in the way specified by law." "I think there will be modest cut- backs," Gramlich added. "You may have higher .interest rates and a little more private loan-like terms, but I wouldn't look forchanges beyond that." BUTTS, however, was worried about these changes coupled with the 4.3 percent proposed cutback this year. "The thing that concerns me is that if you raise the interest rates, you put more mortgage pressure on the students,"he said. "I'm mortified hSTRICTLY ORIGINAL Songwriters Expo Thursday, Feb. 13 1986 in the U Club 9:30 p.m. (*All interested performers* please call 763-1107) dman forces 4.3% with people who dismiss the 4.3 per- passed, analysts doub cent cut as not problematic." ministration and Cong In recent years, the Department of it would actually do to' Education has received heavy reduc- implemented. Some of tions. In 1980, its budget was $14.4 as a political tool more billion. Today, adjusting for in- law. flation, that allotment would equal out "A lot of people who to $22 billion, but the actual 1986 Gramm-Rudman act f budget is $17.76 billion.Grm-u anctf "Any way you look at it, education ning essentially said t has made its contribution to cutting why they supported the federal deficit," Butts said. would create, if put in BECAUSE of the chaotic manner in tolerable situation,' which the Gramm-Rudman bill Kingdon, chairman o student aid cut bt that the ad- ress knew what the economy if fficials view it than an actual osupported the rom the begin- hat the reason it was that it to effect, an in- said John of the Univer- sity's political science department. "It forces them to come up with something better. That something, I assume, has to happen. "They're going to have to try some alternative approaches rather than let Gramm-Rudman get triggered. I don't think anyone in the end really finds the Gramm-Rudman formula acceptable in theory. The trouble is everyone is going to play chicken right up to the end." I MSA, ad'minstration work on relations (Continued from Page1) Josephson said controversies such as the University's new computer fee could have been avoided by more communication between students and the administration. "If they had asked our input when they were planning the fee, there probably wouldn't have been a problem," he said. FRYE SAID last night that the University's executive officers have discussed relations with studentshand part of the problem is rapid turnover in student leaders. "Some assemblies have asked us to speak, others haven't. It's tricky because we can't invite ourselves to the meetings, but we've talked about looking out for ways to make ourselves accessible." Asking representatives of the assembly to begin working with ad- ministrators also takes some of the workload off MSA's president, vice president, and key committee chairs, who are now the only channels bet- ween the assembly and the ad- ministration, Josephson said. A model in improved student- administration relations has been MSA's Legislative Relations Commit- tee, which has worked closely with the University's Office of State Relations. WORKING with the University's lobbyists, the committee has been able to gain information and advice on specific legislative bills, said Steve Heyman, the committee's chairman. In return, Heyman said, students are available to testify in legislative hearings. For example, Josephson last summer testified before a Congressional hearing on federal financial aid funding. "We just felt that we could both be more effective if we worked together on the issues we agreed on," Heyman said. Despite the improvement in relations, Josephson warned against becoming "complacent." At Eastern Michigan University, he said, student leaders who are invited to eat at the President's house once a week have been co-opted by the attention. Chemistry prof researches cures for cancer, herpes tations. Amidst casual L students opened h saying, "This is a' you can get ju published ..." THE openness d the rigorous requi makes. "He expec of the load," saj graduate stude chemistry. "He's you - you have to he'll steer you alon Andy Kawasaki, in medicinal chen Townsend is "a ve son, so you can e much more from him." One of the fact drew Kawasaki to the opportunity tc send. "It's very USE DAILY under someone with a good aughter, one of the reputation," he explained, "and us presentation by Townsend is very well known." prime example that TOWNSEND'S visibility has also t about anything resulted in numerous travel oppor- tunities. Before the year is out, Town- oes not conflict with send may end up going to meetings rements Townsend and symposiums in Taipai, West ts you to carry most Germany, and Japan. yid Dave Berry, a "It's never a 40-hour week - you're nt in medicinal looking at a 60 - 70 - 80 hour week," not going to teach Townsend said. 'And a lot of it is sheer teach yourself, and drudgery." ig the way." "I don't quite know how to explain , a graduate student why people keep driving and doing mistry, agrees that this," he said, finishing his coffee. "I ery demanding per- guess it's kind of like following a vein expect to gain that of gold, and you're looking for the having worked for mother lode, and it doesn't always happen. It could be the vein just ors that originally peters out - it was just a flash in the the University was pan. It's gone. o work with Town- "But in most of the big discoveries important to work you read about in the newspaper, the drug you are reading about is the product of many small 'eurekas' and a lot of disappointments. "I guess it's just the idea that you're C LASSIFIEDS doing something different and unique," he says. "That's quite an ac- complishment." wins Costa Rican election SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Attorney Oscar Arias won the presidential election convincingly over five opponents and now faces the problem of meetinghis pledge to keep Costa Rica out of the wars that beset Central America. Many observers had predicted a close contest in Sunday's election, but official results announced yesterday showed Arias, a pro-American moderate, with more than half the votes cast and a wide lead over his nearest competitor, Rafael Calderon. More than 1.1 million Costa Ricans cast ballots. With the votes counted from 3,510 of 6,751 voting stations, official results showed 338,890 votes for Arias to 290,018 for Calderon. Election officials projected a final edge of more than 100,000 for Arias, greater than in the unofficial projection of the total that they issued earlier yesterday. The four'other candidates, including a communist, shared less than 2 percent of the vote. Arias, 45, will be the youngest president in Costa Rican history when he begins his four-year term May 8. Calderon, 37, is a former foreign minister. 01 he MSwlpgan Bal1 Vol XCVI -No.88 The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967 X) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms. Subscription rates: September through April-$18 in Ann Arbor; $35 outside the city. One term-$10 in town; $20 outside the city. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and subscribes to United Press International, Pacific News Service, Los Angeles Times Syndicate, and College Press Service. 0 r AVAILA a U U. EU U . BLE NOW ..v ADVENTURE GAMES BY Editor in Chief ............. ERIC MATTSON Managing Editor ......... RACHEL GOTTLIEB News Editor.............JERRY MARKON Features Editor ........... CHRISTY RIEDEL NEWS STAFF: Eve Becker, Melissa Birks, Laura Bischoff, RebeccaBlumenstein, Marc Carrel, Dov Cohen. Laura. Coughlin, Tim Daly, Nancy Driscoll, Rob Earle, Amy Goldstein. Susan Grant, Stephen Gregory, Steve Herz, Linda Holler, Mary Chris Jaklevic, Philip Levy, Michael Lustig, Amy Mindell, Caroline Muller, Kery Murakami, Jill Oserowsky, Joe Pigott, Kurt Serbus, Martha Sevet- son, Cheryl Wistrom, Jackie Young. Opinion Page Editor ..........KAREN KLEIN Associate Opinion Page Editor ... HENRY PARK OPINION PAGE STAFF: Gayle Kirshenbaum, Peter Ephross, David Lewis, Peter Mooney, Susanne Skubik. 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