A SPECIAL REPORT: COLUMBUS

MEANWHILE: UC Irvine Prof. Jonathon E. Ericson is keeping his passport handy, waiting for Spain or the Dominican Republic to grant his 7-year-old request. . . . Both nations claim to have Columbus’ remains, but neither has permitted Ericson to scientifically test their veracity. . . . Why not? “You build an icon, and if someone tears it down, people get upset,” Ericson says. “Even if it’s wrong, it’s part of people’s history and lives. In that light, it’s understandable.”