European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 16, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 the stars and stripes Friday september 16,1988 Pluto called a new kind of world neither Moon nor asteroid study shows los Angeles Dpi a new study of inc geological makeup of Pluto Indi Cates that the Liny planet on the outer fringes of the solar system is not an Aster Oid or a Moon that escaped from neigh Boring Neptune but developed like other planets spare scientists said. Pluto is not an asteroid said Astron Omer William Mckinnon. A has a lot of ice which the asteroids do not have. It also has a satellite which asteroids do not have and because it never was part of the aneroid Belt it could t have formed there. Pluto has been the source of Contro Versy of one sort or another Ever since it was discovered said Mckinnon a specialist in the study of Pluto and its extremely eccentric orbit. Mckinnon of the Mcdonnell Center for space sciences at Washington University in 51. Louis reported new results or studies involving Pluto s geological composition and that of its Moon Cha Ron in wednesday s Issue of the British journal nature. He and a colleague Steven Mueller of Southern methodist University in dal Las said they found an unusually High ratio of Rock to other materials on the planet which suggests a very Hig i density. The study also revealed an icy crust most Likely composed of methane and water making Pluto a new kind of world somewhere Between asteroids and Pla Nellick Moons. But Pluto they insisted is neither asteroid nor Moon but a True planet bom in the hoi solar gases that pervaded the universe and from which scientists Theo Rize that All of the other planets in the solar system evolved. Mckinnon said misinformation has circulated Tor years about the origins and composition of the planet. Because of Pluto s Small size slow rotation and unusually eccentric orbit some observers suggested that it was not a True planet bul an escaped Moon from Neptune. Pluto has a highly elliptical orbit it s not circular Mueller said. I d have to say it s kind of squashed irregular. Peo ple have said that it might have had a traumatic encounter with another cos Mic object and escaped from Neptune s influence. Bul it seems less Likely All the Lime that it did escape from Neptune. " Pluto is primarily Rock and some ice m Ueller said. The ice occurs in the Rock itself and had it formed about Nep tune and then escaped it would have had More Pluto with a 248-year orbit around the Tun is usually referred to As the most Distant planet from the Sun in our solar system out that is not always the Cue. It is usually the Mest Distant planet Mckinnon explained. For 20 years out of every 248 it is inside the orbit of Nep tune. That now makes Neptune the farthest planet and it will remain so until1999,c after that Lime he said Pluto and its satellite Charon will return to Lite places As the farthest bodies away from the Sun. New computer techniques and observational methods Are changing the Cata log of data on Pluto Mckinnon said and will continue to improve knowledge about the Distant planet and in Moon. Judge refunds bulk of Yonkers contempt Fine new York api a Federal judge of a million contempt Fine to Yonkers officials but told the City leaders and other parties in the desegregation Case to move quickly on any changes to a proposed housing plan. . District judge Leonard Sand who ruled in 1185 there was housing segregation in the stale fourth largest City said wednesday he would allow revisions in the plan intended to alleviate discrimination Lull he insisted icy be finished by sept 30, Sand added Hal he expected both sides in the desegregation lawsuit would get together and work things out because the City had Learned what one councilman termed a very expensive civics we must move Forward with As much Speed a circumstances permit said Sand. He said the Case was 8 years old. But that not a single Yonkers resident had enjoyed improved housing opportunities As a re sult of the lawsuit. The new plan designed to Lessen the Impact of 200units of Low income housing by mixing some of it with Middle and upper income units must be approved by the Justice department and Sand. It must then be formally approved by the City Council before it can replace the original plan Sand imposed. That plan was resisted by the Council prompting Sand to Fine the City j 1,638,300 for contempt of court before the Council finally gave in Early saturday. In voting to approve incentives for Sand s plan the coun cil asked that the substitute plan be considered. Sand returned a Check for ssi9,200 on wednesday essentially refunding the Fine incurred the Day before the Council meeting thai ended the Battle. The refund meant Hal Yonkers Eon Lempel had Cost it s-150.50s. Although the escalating fines had lolalcdssi9.ioo before thursday s368,595 of Hal had been designated for City schools. . Armed Force recruiting Cente surrender with his Back to the Wall a suspect in a hostage taking incident in Richmond va., follows a policeman s instructions and puts bands Over head As he surrenders after a four hour standoff wednesday Al a military recruiting Center. The armed Man who said he we of lebanese de scent look 11 hostages at the Center but free them unharmed after two radio stations broadcast the gunman s statement that his goal his peace lit stateside pan am seeking Sale of latin american routes by the Wellington Post pan american world airways is seeking to sell it profitable latin american routes in an attempt la Gen crate Cash to keep the airline operating through in Winter. Pan am s problems arc deepening a a must of its failure to reach an Accord with its unions. Although this summer was one of Pun am i Best indecent years airline officials say they have enough Cash to make a $73 million pension fund payment. The pension fund payment could cat up a Large por Tion of the airline s Cash reserves which generally carry the airline through the slow Winter months. Pan am has been unable to line up any external financing because of its failure to obtain concessions from its unions said Pamela Hanlon a spokeswoman for the airline. The profitable latin american division is one of dwindling number of the airline s scalable assets. Babies born with syphilis increasing in California Sacramento Calif. Up the number of babies born with syphilis in California More than tripled since 1983, triggering worries Over the spread of Lher sexually transmitted diseases including aids state health officials reported wednesday. California doctors reported 72 babies bom with con genital syphilis in 1987, compared to 19 cases in 1983, and 57 new cases have been reported this year Kate health services director Ken Kizer said. If the trend continues. Kizer said the increase uninfected babies will be 50 percent from the 1987 Fig ures. It said sexual behaviour that puts people at risk for syphilis also could Lead to exposure to the aids virus leading Public health officials to believe More aids costs in no Boms also May be occurring in California. Chinese Tea drug colled alzheimer s treatment Pittsburgh a a memory enhancing Medicine derived from a chinese Plant has been reproduced in . Laboratories and holds Promise Foric senile As Well As victims of alzheimer s disease scientists say. This is not a cure cautioned Alan p. Kozikowski professor of chemistry and behavioural neuroscience Al the University of Pittsburgh. It s one hurdle in the path to Irving to find something that can be used in treating this disease and helping to alleviate some of the symptoms. For centuries the chinese have brewed Tea from the leaves of the Plant Hup Erzia Serra la and served it to the elderly to improve their memory. In 1986, scientists Al China s Shanghai Institute of Materia Mudica isolated the specific compound in the Plant responsible for improving memory. Since then . Researchers have been trying to synthesize the compound an alkaloid known As Hupci Zinc a. Kozikowski said he succeeded last week. The synthesis is particularly important because we can attempt to improve on nature. We should be Able to make something better in terms of its ability to get into the brain and work on specific enzyme systems he said. Zavon Khachaturian director of inc Institute on aging s office of alzheimer s disease research said Kozikowski s Dis covery is encouraging anything that s done on this Type of identification of Plant material Loim prove memory would make a significant contribution to alzheimer s disease said Khachaturian whose Agency is financing Kozikowski s research. The disease is such a devastating Dis ease. If you can keep somebody out of the Hospital for even six months or a year it s a major there is no known cause or cure for the progressive degenerative illness which attacks the brain and results in impaired memory thinking and behaviour. Researchers suspect As culprits genetic predisposition virus or other infectious agents and environmental toxins. China s natural Plant compound has been tested there on 200 people with impaired memories according to Kozikowski the chinese reported the subjects memories improved significantly. Improvements also were reported in tests on rats and monkeys in the United states and Switzerland. The synthesized compound will detested in the United slates on rats and other animals before being tried on humans said Kozi Kowelu. Meanwhile a new experimental drug to help alzheimer s patients known As or tha is being tested at 16 . Research results of the drug s safety and effectiveness Are expected Early next year Khachaturian said. Kozikowski said Hup Corzine a like tha blocks the enzyme responsible for breaking Down a primary neurotransmitter in the brain known As neurotransmitter is deficient in Alz Heimer s patients whose brain cells gradually die
