LOCAL/STATE The han Daily - Thursday, February 22, 2001- 3A *RESEARCH U' astronomer links black holes with galaxies University astronomer Douglas Richstone has found that galaxies and blaek holes are almost always found together. Over the past decade, Richstone and his team of researchers have found black holes in all but one of the 30 spiral galaxies they have surveyed. The holes are found in the center of galaxies, where their gravitational pull will cause abrupt changes in the velocity of nearby stars. It is these changes that alerted Richstone of the frequency of black *oles. Human response to drugs linked to genetics Genetics may be the cause for peoples' bodies responding differ- ently to the same drug, University prof. Wendell Weber said last week. Small genetic mutations, called polymorphisms, can make a drug harmful to one person that may be helpful to someone else. The muta- tions have been linked to defects in the production of drug-metaboliz- ing enzymes and the prevention of drugs from passing through cell membranes. With the recent completion of *he human genome project, phar- macogeneticists are hoping that future drugs can be prescribed b'ssed upon a person's genetic .cde. SResearchers create self-fixing synthetic material Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a synthetic material that can repair itself when cracked or broken. The material, which contains microencapsulated healing agents and catalysts, could be used in areas such as. microelectronics and aerospace eiineering. 'The idea for a self-repairing materi- al was spawned by the biological rocess in which darage to tissue and otn er parts of the body results in an automatic healing response from the body. In the most recent test, the self- healing material was able to recover a9 much as 75 percent of its original strength. This ability of the material to heal cracks in its structure will enable it to last longer and require less out- de maintenance. MIT tests socially interactive robot Kismit, the first robot that can inter- act with humans using human-like habits, is currently being tested at the Massachusetts Institute for Technolo- gy. By mimicking humans over time, Kismit can apply what it sees and earns to be able to interact socially ith humans. The robot uses a wide spectrum of facial expressions, head .ppsitions and tones of voice. Researchers at MIT are continually etolving Kismit with new sensors and siftware to help it learn more. Even- tually, the researchers want Kismit to be the first robot to learn and develop from its surroundings. In the future, esearchers expect the robot will ecome more capable and indepen- dent. 2Genetic defect *-inked to chronic lung disease Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and Children's Flospital Medical Center in Cincin- ati have discovered a gene that an be linked to lung disease in infants and adults. Research teams led by Johns Hopkins neonatologist Lawrence M. Nogee and Jeffrey A. Whitsett identified a mutation in the surfac- tant protein C gene linked to a group of chronic lung disorders. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Susan Luth. American teens tops in illegal drug use By Ted Borden Daily Staff Reporter A study conductediiin part by the University released this week revuled that European teen- agers drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes more than their American counterparts, yet American teens abuse illicit drugs nuore. The data was compiled from a comparison of two studies taken in 1999: the European School Survey Project on Alhohol and Drugs, which polled 95,000 European Mth-grade students in 30 countries, and Monitoring the Future, a University study conducted among 14,000 American 10th- grade students in 140 scwols. A comparison of the two studies found: 61 percent of European teens drank alcohol in the past 30 days, compared to 26 percent of American teens. * 37 percent of Europeans smoked at least one cigarette in the past month, -compared to 26 per- "When I went Europe to last summer, I felt like every other teenager I saw had a cigarette in their hand." - Sherry Wong LSA junior cent of Americans. 41 percent of American students used mari- juana, while 17 percent of Europeans did. * 23 percent of Americans used other illicit drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine, compared to 6 percent of Europeans. Among the 31 total countries surveyed, the United States had the third lowest percentage of smoking and the second lowest percentage of drinking. "I was surprised by the extent, rather than the direction, of the findings and I was not prepared for the magnitude of the differences," said Lloyd Johnston, the University social psychologist who leads the project. Students in Germany and the Netherlands did not fully engage in the study. Johnson said the data from those countries may have decreased the dif- ferences in illicit drug use between Europe and the United States. Johnson added that future study collaborations with European organizations are likely. Though he would like to find partnerships in Asia and Latin America, he said the lack of funding in those areas does not make those connections seem feasible. Many University students said they were not surprised by the survey's findings. "Those numbers don't amaze me," said LSA junior Sherry Wong. "When I went to Europe last summer, I felt like every other teenager I saw had a cigarette in their hand." LSA freshman Lindsey Simon shared similar sentiments. "That makes sense because Europe has such lower drinking and smoking ages than the U.S.," she said. Johnson said he does not think that is the whole story. He credits the differences to the fact that the origin of the drug epidemic in the United States during the 1960s and lesser developed anti-drink- ing and anti-smoking efforts in European countries. Monitoring the Future is conducted at the Sur- vey Research Center at the University's Institute for Social Research. The study, originated in 1975, receives research grants from the National Institu- tion on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. Legal mischief NEW V Bill would forbi cities from raising local nmum wage By Louie Meizlish Daily Staff Reporter As the Ann Arbor City Council considers a resolution that would set a minimum wage for those employed by city contractors, the state Legislature is looking into a proposal to forbid cities from imposing minimum wages higher than the state minimum wage. This legislation would affect all businesses, not just those that do work for the municipality. State Sen. David Jaye (R-Washington Twp.) intro- duced legislation this month that would amend the Min- imum Wage Law of 1964 to say "a local unit of government shall not impose a minimum wage require- ment that is greater than the applicable rate prescribed in this act." The state minimum wage is currently $5.15 per hour, although there is proposed legislation to raise this amount. Jaye said "artificially high" minimum wages set by local municipalities cause a loss of jobs among poorly trained workers. He also said his proposal was designed "to make sure opportunities exist for young people and people with very little training to have jobs." "Michigan taxpayers are very generous. ... Only a small fraction of workers that get minimum wage jobs have families. A large chunk are teen-agers or seniors," he said. But Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje said Jaye's pro- posal is a bad idea. "The party in control talks about giving local control to municipalities when they have been moving very aggressively to take control away from those communi- ties," he said. Hieftje's comments were echoed by Councilwoman Heidi Cowing Herrell (D-Ward IV). "I certainly think that it impedes on a community's self determination. The state should not make a lot of laws that inhibit local control," Herrell said. "A lot of people in homeless shelters do have jobs but they do not have enough to live on," she added. Councilman Joseph Upton (R-Ward II) said he also found problems with Jaye's proposal. "As much as I have been an opponent of the living wage ordinance in Ann Arbor, I think it is a local issue," he said. But Upton said there were certain circumstances in which state intervention was justified. "If our ordinance were to cover every organization within the city whether you do business with the city or not then the state may step in because how does that impact business within the state that have many loca- tions. ... That is kind of tricky," he said. .Jaye's bill was sent to the Senate Human Resources and Labor Committee, chaired by Sen. Glenn Steil (R- Grand Rapids). "You can't have municipalities all over the state hav- ing different minimum wages," Steil said. lie added that municipalities setting higher than aver- age minimum wages would force businesses operating within those areas to relocate to other municipalities. Steil said that because a bill similar to Jaye's has already been introduced in the House of Representa- tives, it is unlikely any action would be taken in com- mittee. "We are waiting to see what the House does," he said. DAVID KATZ/Da ly A window etching in Hutchins Hall depicts "mischievous" students removing a street sign from outside the Law Quad. Cleaves murder surrenders in Fint FLINT (AP) - A second suspect in the shooting death of Herbert Cleaves, brother of Detroit Pistons. guard Mateen Cleaves, surrendered to authorities yesterday. Dontrell Y. Smith, 23, of Flint, walked into police headquarters with his attorney, said Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur Busch. District Judge Ramona M. Roberts arraigned Smith on charges of open murder, conspiracy to com- mit murder, assault with intent to commit murder and a felony firearm charge. He was being held without bond in the Genesee County Jail, along with Jaroy L. Davis, 19, of Flint, who surrendered Tuesday and faces the same charges. If convicted, each man faces up to life in prison without parole. Busch saidthere are other sus- pects in the drive-by shooting, which happened early Sunday in Flint. Herbert Cleaves, 27, died after being shot in the abdomen. "We've been very fortunate to have both of these suspects just walk into the police department. That's very unusual," Busch said. "We're getting some good breaks." leave beh d ore thanyourfurniture. VOTE for the MemorialITree. VOTE online today at Senior Central, the U-Ms official Web site for seniors. www.umich.edu/umalumni/seniors Volunteers to replace goose eggs with fakes PONTIAC (AP) - Volunteers for a fourth year will be out replacing real Canada goose eggs with fake ones in an effort to stem the goose population in southeast Michigan. "We're gearing up and expecting even more people to take part," said Linda Reider of the Humane Society of the United States' Great Lakes Region- al Office in Bowling Green, Ohio. The best time to remove and replace eggs is in April, she said. Canada geese are protected as migra- tory game birds. Property owners who want to participate in the program must obtain a permit from the state Depart- ment of Natural Resources. Volunteers and permit holders have :removed nearly 8,000 eggs from nests since the program began in 1998. Last year, they removed 3,830 eggs from 731 nests in an experimental 100 square mile area in Wayne, Oakland Aid Macomb counties. "F _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ 'II.,L HE CALENDAR What's happening in Ann Arbor today EVENTS University Club, 763- 3202 O U ------..- - Japan Today," Sponsored by the Center for Japnese C+w~c Cnin rtc...-- SERVICES Campus Information I