ace sex stu NV company provides sea star mates BY MICHAEL BECKER News Editor PURPLE sea stars are making babies while flying over a million miles in space. Doug | Swanston operates Seacology, a North Vancou- ver-based business supplying marine life to universities and aquariums around the world. He supplied = Pisaster ochraceus sea star specimens to Dr. Bruce Crawford of the Department of Anatomy at UBC for an experiment con- ducted aboard the Endeavour, NASA's fourth shuttle mis- sion of 1996. The shuttle is scheduled to land today at Kennedy Space Center's Shuitle Landing Facility in Florida. While sea star sex doesn’t share the immediate high pro- file of the Spartan-207 inflat- able antenna experiment as seen on TV earlier during this shuttle mission, the long-term implications of the research could be far-reaching. Said Swanston, “There is the possibility that evidence gathered from this - experi- ment. will provide us with insights to concerns with pro- creation in outer space.” An understanding of embryo development in zero gravity may be important in the future if children are con- ceived aboard space stations or during interplanetary trips. The sea star experiment results may also be applied to human conditions, including muscle atrophy:during pro- / In Stock v Brand Names | Immediate Delivery SIMMONS LOW, LOW NEWS photo Mike Wakefield DOUG Swanston shows a sea star specimen. His North Vancouver company, Seacology, provided sea stars for research aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. longed space flight. Crawford's investigation is housed within the in-cabin Aquatic . Research Facility (ARF), a project under joint development by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). This first flight of the ARF accommodates micro- gravity experiments employ- ing aquatic specimens. Crawford’s experiment examines early sea star devel- opment and swimming behavior in a microgravity environment. Swanston col- lected the gravid (oozing egg and sperm gametes) sea stars at Tofino. “T was actually quite fortu- nate to be there at the right time,” he said. _ Crawford was having trou- ble finding sea stars ready to procreate. Up in space, speci- mens were fixed at prescribed time points for post-flight studies. Other specimens will be returned to Earth alive and will be compared to data from ground control experiments. Said Swanston . of his FUTON BLOWOUT! FACTORY FUTON Enirance in rear lane 947 COMPARE sil0 5 eee, pies sofa bed frame, ie um cc foe, sap fat coe pltacas end pitas Covers. Wale quantities lt 267 € Ist. Van Hon.~ Sat T-Spm Sunday 12-$ pm 994-4504 wy “TinkAPYBIOBE APPROVED Coupon may not be combined with any otter offer, involvement in the space pro- ject, “It's pretty exciting. | was just a child: when the manned space expeditions started. “As a child you would never dream of being involved. It was something bigger than real life. I have been part of a Space expedi- tion in a small way.’ Wednesday, May 29, 1996 ~ North Shore News — 5 Grocery stores face shutdown BY IAN NOBLE News Reporter A B.C.-wide labor dis- pute will shut six Safeway grocery stores and two Save-On- Foods and Drugs on the North Shore at mid- night Thursday. Canada Safeway and Overwaitea Food Group, which operates Save-On, served locals 1518 and 2000 of the United Food and Commer- cial Workers Union with lockout notices on Sunday. The food firms’ lockout decision came one day after the union served strike notice for Lower Mainland stores operated by Canada Safeway. An attempt at mediation failed. Neither side will speculate how long the dispute will last. The dispute revolves around wage rates and job- security. The companies say their employees’ con- tracts are too rich. Safeway public relations vice-presi- dent Toby Oswald: ‘said wage and benefits packages the members of for employees range from $8 to $27 an hour. On aver- age. that means costs for the two stores are up to SLLS8 more per hour worked than competing non-union and union food chains, such as Extra Foods. Oswald said that since 1988, the two chains have lost 4 combined 11% of the B.C. grocery market. “If the cost disparity continues we will continue to lose market share.” she said. UFCW Local 2000 rep- resents 2,000 workers in the Safeway and Save-On meat, deli and seafood departments. Local nego- tiator, Leif Hansoit said the stores are demanding across-the-board wage and benefit concessions total- ling $2 an hour immediate- ly while union members are looking for an “ade- quate” pay hike. Hanson added that union members ‘are con- cerned about job security. He said some of the meat the store sells is now cut, wrapped and priced off the premises. That reduces hours for union members, he said. ea Celebrate their accomplishments. — One dozen long stem roses arranged in a vase or presentation bouquet ._ June 1996 — _ with greens and pretty bow. ‘Flowers for the wrist, ~ 5 firs of 10W30 oil, lube & new filter — Ter Up Windshield Fluid ~ Free 21 Point Visual Inspaction ~ No Appointment Necessary | — New Cay Warranty Approved’ | Lonsdale a at 13th - On the Road in about 10 Minutes ' 988-4050 "ter the waist, the shoulder, the hair...for the evening of your life. | WAREHOUSE | | PRICES | Se LOCMLOLD y Survive O;P EN Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Ask about our FREE delivery, “ setup & mattress removal _— : - * | OP HN service : r & Monday to Saturday ; tay COLONY’! 9:00. 2.11. 10 6:00 pam. 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