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Science
Friday > Archives
> 1999
> February
> February 19, 1999:
Hour One: An Elephant Epidemic? / Star Wars Again?
In the past few years, nine zoo elephants in the U.S.
have died from herpes virus infections. Scientists studying
samples taken from the fallen elephants announced this week
that they have found that two different types of herpes
virus are involved. One seems to normally inhabit Asian
elephants, but does not harm them. The other form of the
virus seems to normally live in African elephants - and that
version doesn't harm them. But when Asian and African
elephants are put together, as they might be in zoos, the
virus can hop from one species of elephant to the other -
and Asian elephant herpes can be fatal in African elephants,
and vice-versa.
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Zoo veterinarians have successfully treated one
elephant with herpes medication, and that elephant
survived. The researchers' discovery, however,
raises some concerns. Will the virus hinder efforts
to breed endangered elephants, especially
considering elephants' low birth rates and existing
bans on elephant imports? And is it wise to allow
animals that normally wouldn't come in contact with
each other in the wild to mingle in zoos, possibly
swapping diseases?
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Plus...In his recent State of the Union address, President Clinton
proposed reviving an idea that has been on the shelf since he came into
office - providing some kind of defense system against enemy missiles
fired at the United States. His proposal sparked controversy from people
concerned that installing such a defense system would violate arms treaties
and encourage weapons proliferation.
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But underneath the foreign policy discussion lies a more basic
one: is what President Clinton proposes even technically possible?
The Strategic Defense Initiative program (nicknamed Star Wars)
promoted by President Reagan was designed to provide a space-based
shield that would use satellites to destroy incoming enemy missiles.
President Clinton's proposal is much more limited, and is designed
to provide a limited defense against a small-scale attack, not
a total defense against an all-out attack by another superpower.
But the mechanics of even that simpler program are still daunting.
The system would need to be able to identify, target, and destroy
inbound missiles in a matter of minutes, and do so with an accuracy
high enough to make the system worthwhile.
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The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
tests a modified Minuteman II missile for
use in a defense system. (larger)
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On this segment of Science Friday, we'll talk about the technology that
would be needed for such a defense system, whether or not the United States
has it currently, and whether the proposed defense system is a good idea
at all.
Guests:
Laura Richman
Veterinary Pathologist
Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine
Baltimore, MD
Richard Montali
Head, Department of Pathology
National Zoo
Washington, DC
John Pike
Director, Space Policy Project
Federation of American Scientists
Washington, DC
Keith Payne
Professor, National Security Studies Program
Georgetown University
President, National Institute for Public Policy
Fairfax, VA
Books/Articles Discussed:
"Novel Endotheliotropic Herpesviruses Fatal for Asian and
African Elephants," by L. K. Richman, R. J. Montali, et al.
Science
, Feb. 19, 1999.
Related Links:
Asian Elephant
Tracking Project
Elephant Net
Discovery
Online Field Notebook: Living With Elephants
Nature:
The Elephants of Africa
Herpesvirus
info
National
Missile Defense Program - a military site
Missile Defense critiques
from CDISS, a UK-based group which thinks that the program is unwise
NORAD - North American Aerospace
Defense Command
This segment produced by:
Karin Vergoth
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist
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