Controversial Remains

A U.S. Appeals court had decided that scientists can go ahead and study the bones of so-called "Kennewick Man," despite objections from Indian tribes and the federal government. (The feds and the tribes can still appeal further.) The Indians say the 9,000 year old skeleton should be tribal property, under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, even though there is no apparent connection between it and modern tribes in America. For background on this controversy, see this piece I wrote for Reason back in Dec. 2002.