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December 18, 2000

For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Editor: Charles Drum

Divisive Election Will Benefit Both Parties

The divisiveness of the 2000 presidential election will benefit both parties and have a positive effect on the U.S. political system for years to come, say two political science researchers.

Based on results of their NSF-funded research over 16 years and four national elections, Ronald B. Rapoport of the College of William and Mary and Walter J. Stone of the University of Colorado say that activist on behalf of their candidates in one election carries over into support for the party in subsequent elections. "The mobilization of party loyalists, such as we have seen over the past five weeks, is likely to yield energized party members who will become more involved, by virtue of their experiences this year, in the 2002 congressional elections and in subsequent presidential and congressional elections," says Rapoport.

Research by Rapoport and Stone on 1984 and 1988 elections found divisive and often bitter contests for presidential nominees tended to mobilize active supporters for both the losing and winning candidates, and led to increased involvement in the subsequent campaigns. In the 1992 elections, they found that supporters of H. Ross Perot were active well beyond the election, contributing to significantly increased major-party activity in the 1994 congressional elections. This carryover was disproportionately directed toward support of Republican candidates and helped account for the Republican win that year.

"This research clearly holds out the promise of an important positive result from the conflict which has so profoundly affected the political system since November 7, "Stone says. "These benefits will occur because of, not despite, the protracted contest so closely fought after election day." [Charles Drum]

For more about Rapoport’s and Stone’s studies see: http://faculty.wm.edu/rbrapo/reports/index.htm and http://socsci.colorado.edu/~amstudy

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Mojave Desert May One Day Become Grassland

The Mojave Desert could be on its way to becoming grassland that is subject to frequent fires, threatening ecosystems in the west, say scientists at the University of Nevada. In research funded by the National Science Foundation, the discovered that non-native grasses such as Red Brome will dramatically increase their population compared to native species by the year 2050.

Led by University of Nevada at Las Vegas biologist Stan Smith, the scientists simulated the atmospheric conditions of the year 2050, when carbon dioxide would be nearly 50 percent higher than today's level. "As carbon dioxide levels increase," explains Smith, "non-native grasses dominate the Mojave Desert and Great Basin area, potentially accelerating the fire cycle, reducing biodiversity, and altering ecosystems."

The average fire cycle-the number of years between major fires--in the region is now 75 years or longer. That cycle could be reduced to as few as four years if annual grasses come to dominate the Mojave. "This understanding should allow us to develop environmental policies that can help sustain arid ecosystems in the face of such growth," says James Coleman of the Desert Research Institute, one of Smith’s colleagues in the research. [Cheryl Dybas]

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Experiments Test Quarks' Role in Magnetism

Recent experiments by a large team of physicists shed new light on the nature of magnetism. The 35-member team, supported by NSF and the Department of Energy, conducted the research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Bates Laboratory, published in the Dec. 15 issue of Science.

A proton is like a tiny magnet. Much of the proton's magnetism comes from the magnetism of the so-called "up" and "down" quarks within the proton and from their motion inside the proton (analogous to the electric current in an electromagnet).

The scientists were the first to conduct tests at the level of precision needed to find out whether other, more exotic, sources also contribute to the proton's magnetism. In particular, they tested the prediction that a third kind of quark, the "strange" quark, and its anti-particle can appear and disappear in a way that affects the magnetism of the proton. They were able to confirm that these contributions, if they exist at all, are extremely small.

The finding could have implications for future studies in nuclear physics that require precise measurement of magnetism. [Amber Jones]

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