U. PROFESSOR CO-AUTHORS AN ARTICLE IN NATURE

Research by University of Utah biology professor James R. Ehleringer
is highlighted in this past week's edition of the prestigious British
science journal Nature.

The article, "Tracing the Geographical Origin of Cocaine," is
co-authored by Ehleringer, John F. Casale, Michael J. Lott and
Valerie L. Ford. Ehleringer is the former chairman of the U.'s
biology department, and Lott also is with the Utah university, while
Casale and Ford are with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's
Testing and Research Laboratory in McLean, Va.

The Nature article notes that the origin of cocaine is determined
through mass spectrometry, with different chemical isotope signatures
showing up depending on where the plants are grown. The article says
distinct carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios identify the country of
origin for cocaine grown in South America.

By combining this information with differences in other trace
chemicals, the article adds, "we correctly identified the source of
96 percent of 200 cocaine samples."

The research was the subject of a Feb. 2 feature in the Deseret News.
At that time, Bob Klein, DEA supervisor at McLean, said the drug
agency learned of Ehleringer because of the Utahn's work tracing
explosives and fake currency.

"We were very favorably impressed," Klein said, and agency experts
wondered if the technology could be expanded to trace illicit drugs.
Ehleringer has "really proven the viability of the technique."