sciencemag.org SCIENCEPHOTO: THOMAS JAHN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTOBanana fungus hits Colombia
AGRICULTURE | Colombia declared a
national state of emergency on 8 August,
following confirmation of a dread fungus
on banana plantations. This is the first time
that Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4),
which has devastated banana harvests
in Asia, has been confirmed in Latin
America (Science, 19 July, p. 207). Signs of
the fungus were first spotted in June in
northern Colombia, putting the region on
high alert. After eradicating trees on nearly
170 hectares of quarantined cropland, the
Colombian Agricultural Institute announced
plans to expand biosecurity efforts. On
5 August, agricultural ministers from across
Latin America met in Quito to discuss
plans to prevent further outbreaks. TR4, for
which there is no treatment, kills plants by
disrupting their vascular systems, and it can
persist in soil for decades.New rules for at-risk species
POLICY | U.S. President Donald Trump’s
administration this week overhauled the
Endangered Species Act, curbing protections
for some at-risk species and making it easier
to develop in critical habitats. The new rules
would also let federal officials consider—
for the first time—economic factors, not
just scientific ones, in deciding whether to
protect a species. The changes are needed
to make the rules “clear, consistent, and
efficient,” Secretary of the Interior David
Bernhardt said. But conservation groups
say they will sue to block the new policies,
which could go into effect as early as next
month. “Science must guide our decisions,
not dollar signs,” says Rebecca Riley, an
attorney with the Natural Resources Defense
Council in Chicago, Illinois.U.K. to speed scientist visas
POLICY | U.K. Prime Minister Boris
Johnson last week announced plans to
make it easier for foreign scientists to
work in the United Kingdom after Brexit.
Research advocates welcomed the news,
because EU citizens—the biggest source of
nonnative scientific talent in the United
Kingdom—will need visas, which are
costly and cumbersome to obtain. TheNEWS
“
The striking advances [in science] come from
people on the fringes, being playful.
”
Polymerase chain reaction inventor Kary Mullis, to The Post and Courier in 1993.
Mullis, who won a Nobel Prize but held controversial views, died last week at age 74.IN BRIEF
Edited by Catherine MatacicA
fter more than 3 weeks, astronomers on 10 August re-
turned to work at 12 observatories atop Mauna Kea in
Hawaii, thanks to a deal between state officials and pro-
testers blocking construction of the $1.4 billion, 18-story
Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on what they say is a sa-
cred site. After protesters set up camp on the summit ac-
cess road on 15 July, the Mauna Kea observatories shuttered to
protect staff. The standoff has remained peaceful, however, and
the protest camp now hosts shops, cafeterias, and even visits by
Hollywood celebrities. But for astronomers, it has been the lon-
gest shutdown in the 5 decades since the mountaintop obser-
vatory opened in 1967. The deal involved building a temporary
roadway around the camp, over hardened lava. Law enforcement
will give protesters an advance list of all vehicles going up and
down—to show that they are not associated with the TMT.624 16 AUGUST 2019 • VOL 365 ISSUE 6454
ASTRONOMYMauna Kea telescopes reopen