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Research roundup at MSU-Bozeman (#212)
December 02, 2002 -- by Evelyn Boswell and Annette Trinity-Stevens
Buffalo bones
Four or five major layers of bison bones have been found along the Marias River about 20 miles upriver from Fort Benton. Some of them seem to be the result of prehistoric human activity, says anthropologist Jack Fisher at MSU. Fisher is now analyzing bones that were excavated there from 1999 through 2001. Fisher said he doesn't know if the buffalo were killed at that location or somewhere else. He wants to return to the site next summer with an MSU geologist who specializes in prehistoric sites. Approximately 10 undergraduate anthropology students have helped Fisher in the lab and at the site over the years. The bones are located on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Blame game
The first European outbreak of syphilis occurred in Italy, but many countries blamed each other for the sexually transmitted disease. The French called it "The Italian Disease." The Italians called it "The French Disease." The Spanish and Germans called it "The English Disease." Syphilis was discovered in Europe in 1495, and it took almost 500 years to discover an effective treatment, Herbert Swick said at MSU during the third annual conference on Medical History of the American West. Feelings about treating the disease changed over time, he added. During the 17th century, for example, Europeans wanted to deny treatment, thinking it would only encourage immorality. In the 18th century, they said it was a medical disease and must be treated.
Bear trouble
Black bears in New Mexico are a hunted species but don't appear to be over hunted. At least that was true in 2000 when Cecily Costello ended an eight-year study of the bruins. Since then, drought has affected the bears' natural food supply, sending more bears to garbage cans and other human sources of food. The state's response has been more hunting to reduce bear populations, especially around human-populated areas. Costello thinks that may worsen the problem. She's reanalyzing her data to see whether harvesting adult males means more subadult males move into an area. And the subadult males tend to be the ones that get into trouble with humans. The project is for her doctoral degree from MSU and is funded by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
New to nursing homes
If you have an elderly relative moving into a nursing home, you may want to sit down right away with the staff to find out who does what. That advice comes from Cynthia Walton, a graduate student in the MSU College of Nursing. Walton studied the caregiving behaviors of 18 families in Missoula who placed elderly relatives in nursing homes. Most families stay involved in their relative's care but don't always know what their role should be: Does the staff take care of teeth brushing at night or should the spouse, for example. An orientation session can clear up those gray areas and make both family and staff more confident about the care they give, Walton said.
Contact: Annette Trinity-Stevens (406) 994-5607 or annettet@montana.edu
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