Civil War sub helps disaster research

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley may not yet have outlived its military usefulness.

Experts studying bioterrorism and weapons of mass destruction are using experiments conducted with the Civil War sub, which sank with its eight-man crew in 1864, to gauge effects of radiation on DNA.

"As with all great science, it's usually an accident that something comes along," said Dr. Jamie Downs, Alabama's chief medical examiner and a member of the Hunley's forensic science team. "You don't always get exactly what you're searching for, but there are often unintended benefits."

After the Hunley was raised off the South Carolina coast nearly two years ago, scientists studied whether its hull could be X-rayed without damaging DNA of the entombed crew. "There was no way we could use the Hunley as a guinea pig, so real research was needed before we could decide to use X- or gamma rays on the sub and its contents," said Paul Mardikian, the senior conservator on the Hunley project.

Researchers tested remains donated to science with both kinds of ionizing radiation and found there was no appreciable DNA deterioration.

Though the results offered little help with the Hunley -- X-rays were hindered by the sub's iron hull, and gamma rays had trouble penetrating the wet sand inside -- the research served another purpose.

Downs presented it to the Mass Fatality Management Partnership, a group of federal, state and local officials working on information related to weapons of mass destruction, and to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The experiments' results might help protect researchers handling bodies infected with lethal anthrax. The research also could protect health care workers, emergency personnel and others who might come near infected tissue, Downs said.

U.S. commander pledges to avoid civilian casualties

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Seeking to avoid a rift with Afghan allies, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan acknowledged Saturday that civilians had been killed in a U.S. airstrike this week and promised to find ways to avoid such mistakes in future.

The statement by Lt. Gen. Dan McNeill was made at a joint press conference with Afghan Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah in response to Afghan allegations that 48 people were killed and 117 wounded in an air raid Monday in Uruzgan province.

The dead included 25 members of an extended family celebrating a wedding in the village of Kakarak, Afghans said.

"Subsequent to the operation, we determined there were civilian casualties," McNeill said. "We will initiate a more formal investigation to determine what caused these civilian casualties and what we can do to make sure they do not happen again."

For his part, Dr. Abdullah reaffirmed that the Afghan government, which owes its existence to American support, fully backs U.S.-led operations against Taliban and al-Qaida remnants more than six months of the hardline Islamic militia's rule collapsed.

"The question is not whether to continue the operations against al-Qaida or not," Dr. Abdullah said. "We should find out ways and means in order to prevent tragedies like losses of civilians as collateral damage in this campaign."

Also ...

SEABEES LEAVE PHILIPPINES: At least 80 U.S. Navy Seabees were pulled out of the southern Philippines after finishing their work in support of a six-month counterterrorism training exercise, a Navy officer said Saturday.

Lt. Bill Siemer, an officer with the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion deployed in Maluso town, on Basilan island, said the Seabees were sent back to their home base in Kadena, Japan, on Thursday.

FARRAKHAN VISITS IRAQ: Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan arrived in Baghdad on Saturday for a two-day visit to discuss steps that could be taken to avert a U.S. military campaign against Iraq.

"Our purpose here is to see the people of Iraq, hopefully the leadership, and to see what we can do to possibly stop a war," Farrakhan told reporters on his arrival in Baghdad. Farrakhan opposes U.N. sanctions against Iraq.

Farrakhan, whose Nation of Islam is based in Chicago, already visited Qatar, Yemen and Lebanon as part of a Middle East tour.

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