Whom do yew trust?

Publication Type:

Magazine Article

Authors:

Langreth, Robert

Source:

Science, AAAS, Volume 252, Issue 5014, p.1780 (1991)

Call Number:

U91LAN01IDUS

Keywords:

Taxus brevifolia

Abstract:

Last week's headlines to the contrary, the yew fight continues. The major newspapers reported a pair of agreements that were touted as satisfying to opponents in a tussle that has pitted good guy against good guy. On one side are researchers and clinicians who want to harvest the bark of the yew, a rare tree growing in the Northwest United States. The bark produces taxol, a promising new anti-cancer drug. Environmentalists are sympathetic, but they also want to protect the old-growth forests where the yew trees thrive.