(AP) LIMA, PERU: The Joint Andean Cultural Archaeology Survey Expedition, a joint
archaeological team composed of experts from a number of U.S. universities,
has been forced to call off its current year's efforts due to the sudden
illness of one of its researchers.
Dr. Haywood Kyle of the University of Arizona, one of the principle
scientists on the expedition, became unaccountably ill last evening and
lapsed into an apparent coma. Dr. Kyle had shown no signs of impending
illness, according to other members of the expedition. He had, however, been
working very late on the evening in question, studying several important
artifacts discovered recently by the expedition.
"Dr. Kyle was in excellent health, and was showing no signs of feeling even
remotely poorly last evening," said Dr. Thomas Mathis of Vanderbilt
University, another of the expedition's principle scientists. "He was very
excited about studying the artifacts we found, of course, since they appear
to be of Mayan rather than Incan or Huari-Tiahuanaco origin, and the Maya
are his specialty. But I can't see how even an all-night binge of studying
them could have resulted in this!"
The expedition members were all placed under observation in case Dr. Kyle's
illness should be due to something communicable, and were flow back to the
United States via a chartered flight. They will all remain under observation
until this weekend, when it is expected that they will be released barring
any signs of illness.
Expedition members all stated that they are hoping to be able to return to
the southern Andes to resume their work at the earliest opportunity.
