May 16, 1998
Letters
Menagerie on the move
I am puzzled by the conclusion that Homo erectus must have reached the island of Flores from Asia by seacraft 800,000 years ago, while the "large, elephantlike creatures, crocodiles, and giant rats" found alongside the H. erectus artifacts got there some other way ("Human ancestor may have taken to sea," SN: 3/14/98, p. 164). It seems to me that either they all could have come by seacraft (imagine elephants and crocodiles on a raft!), or, much more likely, they all could have walked.
Why is a craft a necessary part of the scenario?
Collier Smith
Lafayette, Colo.Archaeologist Michael J. Morwood says the nonhuman animals could have swum to the island. -B. Bower
Shifting the burden of proof
In evaluating a possible connection between the recent stranding of beaked whales and NATO sonar tests ("Whales stranded during military test," SN: 3/21/98, p. 184), NATO spokesman Captain David Barron notes that the observation "does not establish any scientific cause and effect."
True, and research is called for. But this is the same argument the tobacco industry used successfully for decades to block regulatory action based on merely correlational studies of lung cancer and smoking.
When one considers how little is known about the relevant variables (beaked whale physiology, ecology, demography and behavior; military testing procedures; and so on), it is almost inconceivable that definite cause and effect could be established to a skeptic's satisfaction.
When will we finally place the burden of proof on the side of those desiring to change the natural status quo?
Jim Moore
La Jolla, Calif.Pheromones: A competitive edge?
"Nailing Down Pheromones in Humans" (SN: 3/14/98, p. 164) discusses an interesting study regarding the existence of human pheromones and the ability of women to synchronize the menstrual cycles of their neighbors. The author suggests that genes for producing pheromones arose in our species as a means of promoting genetic diversity.
A more satisfying explanation, I believe, is that alpha females propagate such genes because they benefit from synchronizing the menstrual cycles of lower-ranked females. An alpha female who is synchronized with her competitors can be reasonably assured that the alpha male will not impregnate them.
Eric Carlisle
Dallas, TexasLocal feedback on LTER
"Ecologists Go to Town" (SN: 4/4/98, p. 219) missed a critical component of the Baltimore Urban LTER's success.
The Baltimore LTER is made up primarily of local co-principal investigators and their staffs at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland at College Park, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where the LTER research office, site manager, and staff are located. In addition, significant staff and resources are being provided by the local offices of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of the Census, the Environmental Protection Agency, and NASA's Office of Earth Science. Participation by state, county, and city agencies, as well as others has also been a major help in data acquisition and logistics.
These local institutions and researchers and their spirit of cooperation are what make the Baltimore LTER a candidate for long-term success in integrating the social, ecological, and physical disciplines for understanding urbanized areas as ecosystems.
Timothy W. Foresman
Baltimore Urban LTER
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Baltimore, Md.
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