Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006

Scientists pay visit to Kennewick Man

By Anna King, Herald staff writer

SEATTLE -- The scientists studying Kennewick Man appeared slightly dazed as they emerged one by one Wednesday out of the University of Washington's Burke Museum into the drizzle.

The group had just finished a tedious day of studying the famous bones. Doug Owsley, a forensic scientist for the Smithsonian and lead scientist on the Kennewick Man study, plans today to detail his findings at the American Academy of Forensic Scientists annual meeting.

Owsley's glasses were fogged with rain, and he carried a bulging black backpack full of documents. Everything he had documented from his first study last July appears to be true upon a second look at the 9,000-year-old bones, he said.

Owsley said the 20 scientists looking at different aspects of the bones were turning up very interesting results.

"We're able to take it to a level that people necessarily didn't think possible," he said.

In the lobby of a Seattle hotel, more scientists sat hunched over their laptop computers inspecting graphics and comparing detailed pencil sketches of bones. But none was willing to disclose their findings.

Hugh Berryman, professor of anthropology at Middle Tennessee State University, said he was putting the final touches on his presentation about how Kennewick Man's bones broke while they were in the ground.

George Gill, professor of forensic anthropology at the University of Wyoming, said he was happy experts were able to spend some time with Kennewick Man's bones nearly 10 years after they were found along the shores of the Columbia River.

Gill said he was looking closely at Kennewick Man's skull to determine where he might have come from. Scientists have theorized he was about 45 years old when he died.

"The old pirates had it right; the skull and femurs tell the most about a person," he said.

Kennewick Man's bones are significant to scientists because they are considered one of the most complete ancient skeletons ever found.

"In my 35 years of doing this stuff, I've only seen three or four that old," Gill said.

Jim Chatters, the scientist who originally found and catalogued many of the bones, said he was glad to look at things that had been nagging him for years about the remains.

He was carefully looking at Kennewick Man's broken ribs and shoulder blade, he said.

"It's nice to see it finally coming to a close," he said. "It's been a long trip."