January 6, 1997

Headliners

A national Associated Press article called upon UCSC astronomers Robert Kraft and Michael Bolte for input about a new theory that researchers have overestimated the ages of the oldest stars in the galaxy by several billion years. Kraft, Bolte, and others are taking the theory seriously, but have yet to be convinced.

Andy Markovits of politics is already getting press for his forthcoming book about soccer. In an article about this country's aversion to soccer as a spectator sport, the Utne Reader cited Markovits's book, which concludes that soccer flies in the face of the American cult of individualism. With all that teamwork, it's just too tough for spectators to judge the performance of individual players.

Carter Wilson of community studies was featured in a lengthy Sacramento Bee story about anthropologists who are exploring the new frontier of "cooperative anthropology," in which scientists reach out to help the people they are studying. Like many quoted in the article, Wilson, who has smuggled antiviral drugs into Mexico to help HIV-positive men, says the assistance helps establish common ground between researchers and their subjects.

Seismologist Thorne Lay gained notice for his role in devising ways to verify compliance with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Science reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and San Jose Mercury News covered a session cochaired by Lay at the recent American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.

Also at the AGU meeting, the Mercury News described the efforts of UCSC researchers to use cave deposits, such as stalagmites, to gauge changes in regional climate. Paleoclimatologist Jim Zachos, geologists Pete Holden and Craig Lundstrom, and undergrad Djuna Bewley (who collected a stalagmite for analysis from a nearby cave) all got mentioned.

Anthropologists Adrienne Zihlman and Alison Galloway were featured in a Sacramento Bee story about the latest theories on why women have a higher fat ratio than men.

Associated Press called upon toxicologist Ron Tjeerdema for comment about the environmental hazards posed by a sunken oil tanker discovered near Cambria. It might be wisest to let the tarlike oil leak out slowly, Tjeerdema suggested. The Orange County Register and the Monterey Herald were among the papers carrying the article.

At the height of the holiday spending frenzy, USA Today called psychologist Anthony Pratkanis for comment on the psychology of unavailability and consumer reaction to this year's craze--the Elmo dolls. Pratkanis also was interviewed by Woman's World about persuasion tactics you can use in the office, and the Associated Press in Dallas called him for insight into the persuasion tactics of cults.

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