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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2003)
DISCOVERY continued from page 1 the original 81 party members, and their final resort to cannibalism. To date, no physical evidence of canni balism has ever been found. After viewing the episode last week, Tasa said the Discovery Chan nel's sensational focus on cannibal ism clearly aimed to attract audience members rather than educate them. "In a lot of ways, you can't blame them for that," he said. "The audi ence probably wouldn't want to see all the technical details." Considering the first 45 minutes of the episode were entirely on the drama tization of the Donner Party experience; Tasa said he was disappointed to see such a small amount of time spent on explaining the actual results of research on the excavated bone fragments. "They tried to fit too much into an hourlong show," he said. "1 was left wondering about a lot of things." Squeezed into the last quarter of the show was the filming of a five-day archaeological dig in August that took place at the Alder Street camp site, one of many the Donner Party visited. With the help of instruments such as ground-penetrating radar, which were unavailable to earlier re searchers, the crew found verifiable evidence of the party's campsite and eventually uncovered burnt and hacked bone fragments. Oregon Department of Trans portation archaeologist Julie Sch ablitsky identified the largest bone fragment found at the Alder Street site as coming from a large mam mal, but not necessarily a human. After the bone fragment was found, Tasa used the University's field emis sion scanning electron microscope to identify it as bone from either deer, bears or humans. Because the episode made little time for analysis of the fragment, Sch ablitsky said she and her colleagues were left with more questions than answers after viewing the crammed information. "(The special) was more entertain ment than education," she said with a frown. She added that due to extremely dramatic music and re-creations that surrounded the portrayal of cannibal ism, she and Tasa are considering working with television stations that are more educational. Anthropology major Victoria Reed — a student enrolled in Tasa's fall term osteology lab that focuses on the study and identification of bone fragments — said she was entertained by the episode but hardly impressed. "It was interesting, but over-drama tized, as most things on the Discov ery Channel are," the senior said in an e-mail. Reed said she was happy to see that her professor didn't "cave in" at the end of the special by making in accurate assumptions about the ex cavated evidence. "(Tasa) confirmed that the non-di agnostic bone fragments were from a large mammal but wouldn't say ab solutely that the fragments were hu man, " she recounted. "I think the (Dis covery Channel) producers were probably a little disappointed by that." Contact the business/science/ technology reporter at caronalarab@dailyemerald.com. PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER. L WAX STUDENTS•FACULTY•STAFF Flu Vaccination AT THE UO HEALTH CENTER For Students Beginning October 15 • Cost $10 Monday - Friday, 9 am - 4 pm • All treatment areas in the University Health Center. For faculty/staff eligible dependents over 13 years of age • Clinics Saturday, October 18 and Saturday, November 15, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Beginning October 15 • Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 8:00 - 9:00 am • Area C in the University Health Center Cost: Vaccine free for those who present their UO ID and Blue Cross Insurance Card • Vaccine $18.50 for UO faculty/staff/retirees who do not have Blue Cross Insurance f J \A 017358 Who should get the Flu Shot? • Persons 50 years and older • Persons with any of the following conditions: Long term heart or lung condition, kidney disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, asthma, and conditions which compromise the immune system. • Women who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during flu season (Nov. - April). • Physicians, nurses, staff, and anyone else coming into close contact with people at risk of serious influenza. Cost Students: $10, All other faculty/staff: $18.50 Faculty/Staff/Dependents 13 yrs. and older: free to those who present UO ID and Blue Cross Card For more information, call the University Health Center • 346-4444 O UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BEST DRESSED BREAST Cancer Awareness Fashion Show ondavf October 20th EMU Ballroom • 7:00pm Sponsored by the UO Health Center’s Health Education Program Free and open to the public 346-2843 tor more information n of Breast Cancer Awar to expand your understc reast cancer. Informatior more beautiful than this! UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
