European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                 in is a it. A it a a a a itto.  a. T. A a a�?�.�?T�?��?��?�. ,. A a. National goo graphic a tribesman in Oman s shofar Region scrapes the bark of a scrubby frankincense tree to produce the ancient aromatic. Below an omani elder uses the fragrant smoke to perfume his Beard after a  better than Gold in Days of three magi by Donald j. Frederick National geographic despite centuries of belief Gold probably was t among those first Christmas gifts of the three Wise men. Many scholars think that biblical translations of Quot Gold and frankincense and myrrh Quot were somehow garbled Over time and that the Gold mentioned As one of the gifts was actually a Type of frankincense. Valued at least As much As the precious Metal it had a Strong sandalwood like Aroma. Quot biblical scholars have suggested that the word Gold does t refer to the Metal. It Means Golden frankincense the highest Quality aromatic at the time Quot says anthropologist Juris Zarins of Southwest Missouri state University. Quot i think that s exactly the right answer. Quot i Don t believe the magi brought the baby Jesus Gold. They brought him three types of  to the three magi frankincense. Symbolized divinity an offering that ranked with myrrh another prize arabian incense. Both frankincense and myrrh come from shall scraggly Trees. Several scrapings of the bark produce the desired gum resin droplets. Even today the Best frankincense Trees grow in Southern Arabia in Oman s shofar Region and in Eastern Yemen. At the time of Christ around 3,000 tons of frankincense May have been exported annually from Southern Arabia to consecrate temples mask the odor of cremations make co metrics and treat an array of ills from gout to a Quot broken.  in Rome frankincense was extremely popular among the wealthy. Emperor Nero supposedly lavished the equivalent of a year s arabian production on funeral ceremonies for his Consort Poppa a. Zarins preliminary excavations two years ago of two Quot lost cities Quot Iri the shofar area a bar and Safara Metropolis a have shown the Impact of frankincense Trade at the time of the nativity and Long before. Ancient maps and space age imagery enabled a team of explorers to find a bar. Satellite images showing traces of ancient Camet caravan routes helped Lead the team to the City on the Edge of the arabian Peninsula s empty Quarter near the Qara mountains. Bar Likely served As a staging area for Camel caravans that ventured across the forbidding landscape bound for mesopotamian markets. Local tribesmen steered the scientists to the legendary location of Saffaras Metropolis about 45 Miles away on the other Side of the mountains near the arabian sea frankincense processed there went by boat Down the coast to Yemen or to India. From Yemen it went by sea or Overland by Camel to Egypt and Northern Arabia. From there it could be sent on to Creek and roman markets. National geographic at the time of Jesus birth he civilized world sought incense for religious purposes. South Arabia controlled the source. The Cartel that developed in the Region has been called Quot an open of its time Quot Quot people have known that the material flowed from Southern Arabia to the Eastern Mediterranean. But until recently the questions of when this Trade began the mechanisms of How it was done and the routes used have eluded most people Quot Zarins says. Quot i m pushing for the idea that the frankincense Trade began As Early As 5000  the disintegration of the roman Empire the largest Market for aromatics a and the Rise of christianity dulled the Sweet smell of Success. Trade started to fall apart in the fifth Century. The seventh Century Rise of islam whose rituals Seldom required incense virtually put an end to it. A Day december 14,1993 the stars and Stripe science Short rules on human tissues after discovering a burgeoning business in the importation of human tissue for transplant surgeries in the United states the . Food and drug administration is issuing new rules to require that Bone Tendon and other tissue intended for transplant be screened to make sure it is free of disease. Commissioner David Kessler says his Agency discovered instances in which Masculo skeletal tissue was imported for transplant without satisfactory medical histories of donors about their risk factors without adequate testing of donors for infectious diseases and without donor consent. But he says the Agency is not aware of any cases of disease transmission resulting from the unsafe procedures. Most . Tissue Banks already test donors and tissue for the aids virus and other infections. The new rules apply to Bone ligaments tendons cartilage skin and other Masculo skeletal tissue. Existing rules cover organs such As hearts and  in breathing breathing pauses during Steep a up to 20 seconds Long a Are Normal in healthy children and adolescents. British and German scientists recorded breathing movements oxygen Levels and heart and respiratory rates of. 70 healthy 2-to-16-year-Olds As they slept. They found pauses similar a but longer a to those of infants they observed the longer pauses did not cause lower oxygen Levels in older children compared to infants perhaps because of their More sophisticated respiratory systems. The scientists say it is not the number or duration of pauses but their effects on oxygen Levels that relate to a child s  Gene aids plants plants became partially resistant to a virus when equipped with a Gene from mice suggesting a possible strategy for making crops resist disease a new study says. The Gene let the plants produce antibodies which Are proteins that Latch onto invading germs As part of an animal s defense against disease. The Type of tobacco Plant and the virus used in the research Are not important commercially but the approach might eventually help important crops fend off significant diseases said researcher Eugenio Benvenuto of Rome a Institute for new technologies Energy and Environ Mer. In the future researchers might inject Plant viruses into mice to provoke production of antibodies that specifically attack the virus then locate the responsible antibody genes and Transfer the genes into crops to  implant dangers British doctors report men who underwent costly synthetic hair implants can wind up with More than they bargained for painful disfiguring Scalp inflammation. Robert Kelly and Robert Marsden of St. George s Hospital in London say they have treated three men who tried the procedure and ended up with severely negative results a redness crusting and pus formation. And the hair fibres sometimes Feil out too. The procedure is allowed in the United kingdom but banned in the United states. A from wire reports 15