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U.S. News & World Report: Archaeological treasures at risk in Iraq war
Iraq’s river valleys house some of the world’s oldest cities, which entice biblical scholars and archaeologists to such sites as Ur, Nineveh, and Nimrud for clues to the historical foundation of Old Testament stories and the origins of civilization. But also drawn to such sites are looters, who after the Gulf War broke apart thousands of feet of carved reliefs in King Sennacherib’s throne room and sold them on the black market -- a concern now facing preservationists, art historians, and archaeologists as war with Iraq seems imminent, says the February 10 U.S. News & World Report. “During the last Gulf War, people who were concerned at all were worried about bomb damage [to historical sites],” says Paul Zimansky, a CAS professor of archaeology. But it’s what happens after the bombing stops that really causes trouble, he says. Priceless artifacts went on the international art market almost immediately after the Gulf War, when facilities where treasures had been stored to protect them from bombing in Baghdad were looted and old ruins were left unguarded. “It’s a question of people digging up anything they can convert to cash,” Zimansky says.
Boston Globe: BU/Chelsea school partnership report
In his February 9 Boston Globe column “The Observer,” Sam Allis reflects on the 14 years of Boston University’s partnership with the Chelsea schools. (See January 10 B.U. Bridge for an article on all Chelsea public schools meeting federal improvement targets.) “BU focused on early learning from the start,” writes Allis. “The preschool program begins district-wide for children as young as three, and includes full-day kindergarten that runs until 2:15 p.m. and an extended day program running until 6 p.m. for working families. Both have waiting lists. Educators from well-heeled Lincoln came to see what Chelsea was doing.” Although people whom Allis quotes both criticize and praise BU’s involvement with Chelsea schools, his overall take on the unique partnership is positive and favorable. Morrie Seigal, chair of the Chelsea school committee, says of Chelsea’s future after BU leaves, “I have to tell you I have a deep sense of unease when BU goes. I have a fear that some want to go back to the old ways of doing things. That would bother the hell out of me.”
Fox News Channel: Looking beyond the mouse
More “exotic” species of animals are being used for scientific studies because researchers feel they can break critical new biomedical ground through such use, reports the February 5 Fox News Channel. “Exploring a wider range of animals simply gives us a bigger tool box from which to draw as we encounter problems that people or other animals have,” says Thomas Kunz, a CAS professor and director of the Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology. “If you’re trying to fix your plumbing and you only have one wrench, you’re going to be limited.” One of the hottest topics in biomedical research is finding out how and why animals age the way they do, he says, and cites bats as helpful because they “are long-living for their body size. They’re the size of a thumb and live up to 37 years. Studying an animal that lives long has advantages such as seeing the effects of something over a long period of time or studying the effects of aging.”
14
February 2003
Boston University
Office of University Relations