NATURE|Vol 442|10 August 2006 NEWS IN BRIEF

School board regains Museum goes ahead evolutionist majority with online database Supporters of the teaching of evolution Archaeologists and anthropologists in US schools regained leverage in a key now have online access to a treasure battleground state last week when Kansas trove of nearly 300,000 artefacts voters kicked out two conservative members from Africa, Asia, the Americas and of the state board of education. Oceania. The primary election on 1 August The new Quai Branly Museum in means that the new board, once installed Paris, which opened in June, brings in January 2007, will have six members together collections of cultural items, in favour of teaching evolution and four textiles and art from France’s former BRANLY QUAI DU MUSÉE DESCOINGS/ GRIES/B. P. against. The board is expected to overturn colonies. The museum’s online teaching standards passed last November database includes details of artefacts, that labelled evolution “controversial”; these such as the African mask pictured here. standards were backed by proponents of Photographs, historical details and intelligent design — the notion that life was associated research for each artefact are available at the museum’s website, shaped by an intelligent designer. www.quaibranly.fr. The election is the latest swing in a seven- year tug-of-war. In 1999, the Kansas school board voted to essentially remove evolution revenue to coastal restoration and protection Congress, according to Senator Tom Harkin from the curriculum, only to overturn that against hurricanes. Scientists agree that (Democrat, Iowa). decision the next year when voters installed wetlands reduce the effect of hurricanes on President George W. Bush vetoed the three moderates on the board. Conservatives land, and the plan has the support of such bill last month (see Nature 442, 335; 2006), regained the majority in 2004. diverse groups as the American Petroleum but a two-thirds majority in both houses of Supporters of evolution are claiming Institute, the hunting organization Ducks Congress could override his decision. “The victory, even if it may only be a temporary Unlimited, and the conservation group president’s veto is not the last word,” said one. “The intelligent-design movement is Environmental Defense. Harkin, who pushed for the legislation. He finding out that they can’t legislate science,” claims that embryonic stem-cell research says Jack Krebs, president of Kansas will be a key issue in November’s elections. Citizens for Science. Japan lays out plans for Also last week, the liberal think-tank a base on the Moon Center for American Progress released a report arguing that state support for More drilling could benefit Japan has announced a timetable for its embryonic stem-cell research is insufficient, Louisiana’s wetlands plans to travel to the Moon. At a symposium and that federal funding is needed. on lunar exploration in Tokyo last week, an Oil, gas and healthy wetlands — maybe official at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Louisiana can have it all. Agency (JAXA) announced a deadline of Politicians think locally On 1 August, the US Senate voted to open 2020 for sending astronauts to the Moon, and act globally on climate 8.3 million acres to oil and gas drilling — on and 2030 for constructing a base there. top of the 40 million already open — on the But the latest plans could cost ¥3 trillion The United States is willing to tackle climate Gulf of Mexico’s outer continental shelf. (US$26 billion), and sceptics are already change, at least at a local level. Two high- Half of the extra revenue would be shared speaking up. “To go the Moon would cost so profile partnerships formed last week aim among Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi much that I don’t think anyone could afford to tackle greenhouse gases regionally — but and Texas. A similar bill from the House to, except possibly America,” says Bruno with international help. of Representatives, passed in June, would Gardini of the European Space Agency in Former president Bill Clinton has joined open even more areas. The two bills must be Noordwijk, the Netherlands. forces with mayors from 22 cities on six reconciled if drilling is to begin. A more modest proposal comes from continents, including London, Los Angeles Louisiana’s governor Kathleen Blanco is South Africa, where the cabinet in July and Mexico City. The Clinton Climate encouraging her state’s residents to vote for approved plans to bring the country’s space Initiative will encourage its partners to a measure that would allocate all the extra activities under the umbrella of a new space share resources to reduce the amount of agency. Funding has yet to be agreed, but greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. government officials say they hope the And British prime minister Tony Blair last agency will be established within a year. week signed up with California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose state is a leader in innovative technologies to cut Senators set sights on pollution. The deal is only a statement of stem-cell legislation intent, but it could bring California into the active UK carbon-trading market. Congressional backers of human embryonic A. J. SISCO/ UPI PHOTO/NEWSCOM UPI SISCO/ J. A. Correction stem-cell research have a target date The News Feature “A little goes a long way” (Nature for reintroducing legislation to expand 442, 351–352; 2006) incorrectly suggested support for such research. In January that Steven Ley carries out chemical reactions 2007, a bipartisan group of senators at 195 C, the temperature of liquid nitrogen. Restoring wetlands could reduce the effect of plans to bring up the bill as one of its first Experiments are in fact performed at 78 C, the hurricanes on cities such as New Orleans. orders of business with the newly elected temperature of solid carbon dioxide in acetone.

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