  Massive B type pulsators such as beta Cep and slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars
pulsate due to layers of increased opacity caused by partial ionization. The
increased opacity blocks the energy flux to the surface of the stars which
causes the layers to rise and the opacity to drop. This cyclical behavior makes
the star act as a heat engine and the star will thus pulsate. For beta Cep and
SPB stars the increased opacity is believed to be caused by partial ionization
of iron and these stars should therefore contain non-insignificant quantities
of the metal. A good test of this theory is to search for beta Cep and SPB
stars in low-metallicity environments. If no stars are found the theory is
supported, but on the other hand if a substantial number of beta Cep and SPB
stars are found in these environments then the theory is not supported and a
solutions needed. With a growing number of identified beta Cep and SPB stars in
the low-metallicity Magellanic Clouds we seem to be left with the second case.
We will in this context discuss recent findings of beta Cep and SPB stars in
the Magellanic Clouds and some possible solutions to the discrepancy between
these observations and the theory. We also describe an ambitious project that
we have initiated on the Small Magellanic Cloud open cluster NGC 371 which will
help to evaluate these solutions.
