Scientists are opposing a bill in the US Congress that would “allow federally recognized tribes to claim ancient remains even if they cannot prove a link to a current tribe.” That could block study of the ancient Kennewick man. “Scientists fear that the bill, if enacted, could end up overturning a federal appeals court ruling that allows them to study the 9,300-year-old skeleton, one of the oldest ever found in North America. The skeleton was discovered in 1996 along the Columbia River near Kennewick, Wash., and has been the focus of a bitter nine-year fight.”