Periscope

Not possible, says Worobey, who has constructed a family tree for the virus, which shows "with greater than 99 percent certainty" that HIV migrated from Africa to Haiti before 1966; then one person brought the "group M, subtype B" strain from Haiti to the United States around 1969. Almost all the strains found in the West today descend from that lone, unwitting patient.

The study has implications beyond Haiti. It means "Patient Zero"--Gaetan Dugas, who slept with more than 2,500 people before dying in 1980--may not have been the real Patient Zero. It also suggests, says Worobey, that presumed cases of AIDS in America that predate 1969 didn't actually have HIV. Or they had strains that died out, rather than spreading into a pandemic. If only the one from 1969 hadn't, either.

Antiquities: Less than a Full Deck
By Jesse Ellison

At the start of the Iraq War, U.S. troops were given decks of playing cards depicting Saddam Hussein and 54 other Baathist bad guys on the Pentagon's "most wanted" list. Now, new sets of cards illustrated with photographs of Iraq's wealth of ancient historical sites are being issued in hopes of teaching soldiers to respect the country's cultural treasures. Besides pictures of archeological landmarks and antiquities, the cards also offer basic lessons in historic preservation. The five of hearts shows a gun-toting soldier looking at a flattened desert expanse, and reminds troops to "Drive around--not over--archaeological sites." Other cards play to Bible-belt sensibilities. The two of clubs carries a picture of Mosul's Nabi Yunis Mosque and this message: "Ancient Iraqi heritage is part of your heritage. Old stories say that Jonah of the Bible was buried in this hill." The cards began arriving in Iraq and Afghanistan a few weeks ago, nearly two months later than the Army had intended, and perhaps four years later than they should have. Many of the sites shown on the cards have already been looted or blown up.

Quick Question: The Un-Diva
By Nicki Gostin

French Soprano Natalie Dessay has wowed European opera fans for years. Now, as Lucia in the Met's "Lucia di Lammermoor," she's won over New York's harsh critics too.