Where did Hawaii’s volcanoes come from? Scientists have long believed that “hotspot” volcanoes that are located away from the edges of the earth’s plates — like Hawai`i — are caused by plumes of molten lava rising from deep within the Earth. But a recent article in the journal Science has cast some doubt on that theory.

Infestations of an alien species of limu, or seaweed, threaten Hawaii’s coral reefs, said UH botanist Dr. Cindy Hunter. Gracilaria salicornia was intentionally introduced to the islands in an attempt at aquaculture, she said, but has now become a menace to native reefs.

Experimental, genetically-engineered corn growing on Kaua`i may have contaminated nearby crops, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA fined biotech firm Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont, $72,000. The Iowa-based company found 12 corn plants on Kaua`i had traces of a crop that had been genetically designed to resist the pest rootworm.

In a move that may bring more local control over the governing of island marine resources, the National Marine Fisheries Service yesterday established a new Pacific Islands regional office and science center in Honolulu. Previously, Hawaii was under the jurisdiction of the agency’s Southwest Regional Office.

Traditional Hawaiian values need to be reflected in water resource management, a UH faculty member told the crowd at the Waikiki Aquarium Thursday night. UH Hui Konohiki faculty member Ka’eo Duarte contrasted the traditional Hawaiian view of water resources with that of a western hydrologist, differences that he said he personally exemplified in some ways.

The only known habitat for two of Kauai’s strangest endangered animals recently received critical habitat designation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The eyeless wolf spider and one of its prey, a shrimp-like eyeless amphipod, both live deep inside the dark, damp caves of Kauai’s Koloa District, and nowhere else in the world. Yet the size of the area covered by the designation was reduced by 94 percent after private landowners told the agency that the original proposal could have cost them millions of dollars.