[meteorite-list] Science Loses When PR Becomes Top Priority (Brenham Meteorites)
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061106/OPINIONS02/611060326/1006/OPINIO Science loses when PR becomes top priority Kevin Evans Voice of the Day November 6, 2006 In the last couple of weeks, there has been tremendous media attention given to the Houston Museum of Natural History and NASA scientists' "discovery" and recovery of a 154-pound Brenham meteorite fragment in a Kansas wheat field. Their use of ground-penetrating radar was touted for its potential in exploration of the planet Mars. What the world doesn't know is that Katie Click, an 18-year-old high school senior from Springfield, working on a project in conjunction with her earth science teacher and Missouri State University scientists, made a similar discovery just two miles away from the Kansas site, using the same GPR technology, two weeks earlier. The difference - aside from the reported $50,000 the museum paid for their discovery - is that Katie was conducting her research for the Ozark Science and Engineering Fair. Science teachers train young scientists to formulate multiple working hypotheses, to test hypotheses by making observations and collecting data, to integrate and interpret the data, and to present the results in scientific meetings or literature, where it is subject to critical review and discussion among the scientific community. Unfortunately, in the course of conducting her science fair project, she has just learned an important new step in the scientific method - contact the media first. There are also some factual issues related to the discovery that need to be addressed. In the first place, this is not the first or biggest Brenham meteorite found. Second, it is not the first use of GPR to image buried impact craters or meteorites. In fact, it is not even the first Brenham meteorite to be imaged using GPR. Katie did that two weeks earlier when she pushed a GPR over Haviland crater, the only known impact crater associated with the Brenham meteorite, and a short distance away from the "discovery" locality. It is ironic that two teams converged with the same ideas to determine the age and image the impact horizon with GPR, since the last major scientific effort to examine the Haviland crater and its meteorite-strewn field was in 1933. Initial reports from the last expedition mentioned the possibility of the largest meteorite fragment. It turned out to be cable from an oil rig. Some later reports are also in error. The precise age of the impact is unknown. The Earth Impact Database estimate an age of 1,000-2,000 years, but these are only estimates. Scientists in the 1960s confirmed that American Indian beads made from the Brenham meteorite were found in burial mounds of the Hopewell Culture, which lasted from 200 B.C. to 400 A.D., so the age of the impact has to be at least 1,600 years old. The bottom line is: you can't look at sediments and determine their ages in the field. It requires careful laboratory analyses and collection of samples from locations that are conducive to preserving carbon, such as along a horizon rich in meteoritic material. The meteorite hunter who guided the Houston science team clearly wasn't interested in gaining contextual information on the fragmentation and impact of the Brenham meteorite when he dug up meteorites over the last two years, including the 650 kg specimen that was the second largest recovered. The commercial meteorite market has a seamy underside. "Meteorite hunter" may sound like an auspicious-sounding title, but it can be akin to tomb raiding. Archeologists and paleontologists are all too familiar with commercial collectors in their fields. Meteorites provide the same opportunity. At best, meteorite hunters can provide rare or exotic specimens for scientific study, but more often than not, vital information is destroyed or specimens wind up in the hands of private collectors. When public institutions and government agencies partner with commercial enterprises to hunt for meteorites and then publicize undocumented claims, it short-circuits science methods and it sends the wrong message to students. This concerns me both as a geologist and as a teacher of future scientists. In the last couple of weeks, there has been tremendous media attention given to the Houston Museum of Natural History and NASA scientists' "discovery" and recovery of a 154-pound Brenham meteorite fragment in a Kansas wheat field. Their use of ground-penetrating radar was touted for its potential in exploration of the planet Mars. Kevin Evans is an assistant professor of geography, geology and planning. __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Science Loses When PR Becomes Top Priority(Brenham Meteorites)
Man is this guy bitter, here's his email address if you wish to send him an e-hug. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Rob Wesel http://www.nakhladogmeteorites.com -- We are the music makers... and we are the dreamers of the dreams. Willy Wonka, 1971 - Original Message - From: "Ron Baalke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Meteorite Mailing List" Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006 9:57 AM Subject: [meteorite-list] Science Loses When PR Becomes Top Priority(Brenham Meteorites) http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061106/OPINIONS02/611060326/1006/OPINIO Science loses when PR becomes top priority Kevin Evans Voice of the Day November 6, 2006 In the last couple of weeks, there has been tremendous media attention given to the Houston Museum of Natural History and NASA scientists' "discovery" and recovery of a 154-pound Brenham meteorite fragment in a Kansas wheat field. Their use of ground-penetrating radar was touted for its potential in exploration of the planet Mars. What the world doesn't know is that Katie Click, an 18-year-old high school senior from Springfield, working on a project in conjunction with her earth science teacher and Missouri State University scientists, made a similar discovery just two miles away from the Kansas site, using the same GPR technology, two weeks earlier. The difference - aside from the reported $50,000 the museum paid for their discovery - is that Katie was conducting her research for the Ozark Science and Engineering Fair. Science teachers train young scientists to formulate multiple working hypotheses, to test hypotheses by making observations and collecting data, to integrate and interpret the data, and to present the results in scientific meetings or literature, where it is subject to critical review and discussion among the scientific community. Unfortunately, in the course of conducting her science fair project, she has just learned an important new step in the scientific method - contact the media first. There are also some factual issues related to the discovery that need to be addressed. In the first place, this is not the first or biggest Brenham meteorite found. Second, it is not the first use of GPR to image buried impact craters or meteorites. In fact, it is not even the first Brenham meteorite to be imaged using GPR. Katie did that two weeks earlier when she pushed a GPR over Haviland crater, the only known impact crater associated with the Brenham meteorite, and a short distance away from the "discovery" locality. It is ironic that two teams converged with the same ideas to determine the age and image the impact horizon with GPR, since the last major scientific effort to examine the Haviland crater and its meteorite-strewn field was in 1933. Initial reports from the last expedition mentioned the possibility of the largest meteorite fragment. It turned out to be cable from an oil rig. Some later reports are also in error. The precise age of the impact is unknown. The Earth Impact Database estimate an age of 1,000-2,000 years, but these are only estimates. Scientists in the 1960s confirmed that American Indian beads made from the Brenham meteorite were found in burial mounds of the Hopewell Culture, which lasted from 200 B.C. to 400 A.D., so the age of the impact has to be at least 1,600 years old. The bottom line is: you can't look at sediments and determine their ages in the field. It requires careful laboratory analyses and collection of samples from locations that are conducive to preserving carbon, such as along a horizon rich in meteoritic material. The meteorite hunter who guided the Houston science team clearly wasn't interested in gaining contextual information on the fragmentation and impact of the Brenham meteorite when he dug up meteorites over the last two years, including the 650 kg specimen that was the second largest recovered. The commercial meteorite market has a seamy underside. "Meteorite hunter" may sound like an auspicious-sounding title, but it can be akin to tomb raiding. Archeologists and paleontologists are all too familiar with commercial collectors in their fields. Meteorites provide the same opportunity. At best, meteorite hunters can provide rare or exotic specimens for scientific study, but more often than not, vital information is destroyed or specimens wind up in the hands of private collectors. When public institutions and government agencies partner with commercial enterprises to hunt for meteorites and then publicize undocumented claims, it short-circuits science methods and it sends the wrong message to students. This concerns me both as a geologist and as a teacher of future scientists. In the last couple of weeks, there has been tremendous media attention given to the Houston Museum of Natural History and NASA scientists' "discovery" and recovery of a 154-pound Brenham meteorite fragmen
Re: [meteorite-list] Science Loses When PR Becomes Top Priority(Brenham Meteorites)
On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 22:06:49 -0800, you wrote: >Man is this guy bitter, here's his email address if you wish to send him an >e-hug. Yeah, the guy does have a bit of anger in him. However, I did find it very interesting and noteworthy that some high-school girl had in fact found a Brenham with a GPR before the NASA team showed up and did the same, and that news really should have made it to the press. (To me, that's a bit more impressive than a team of trained professionals with expensive equipment finding one). __ Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list