Man, this is one great Thread! I don't want to thank Posters individually and overlook anyone because each Post has wonderful, unique insights.
Having spent my entire Career in the Hard Sciences, I inherently lean toward Scientific Rigor. That said, I see instances all around me [and in myself] of what I call 'Prehistoric Man Brain' in action. I have no fear of Flying, but would take no issue with Aretha Franklin who only drives to all her destinations. Someone posted here recently about the 'need' to 'throw down a few first' to deal with his flying fear.
Scientific Rigor finally prevailed in this Case I followed intently re: extinction of the Dinosaurs. We used Iridium where I worked, and it's one of 'those' Minerals coveted on the Worldwide Market. Non-Earthly levels of Iridium were pivotal in buttressing the claim that a large Asteroid hit the Yucatan Peninsula, wiping out much of Life then on Earth.
Meanwhile, new Satellite Imagery on non-visible Wavelengths clearly points out Asteroid aftermaths at various Sites on Earth. Imagine Material Deposition in concentric rings; not unlike watching a drop of Milk ripple outward in slow motion. The Italian Site of such 'ejecta' is especially fascinating, and telling.
At the time, Alvarez's Theories were really skewered in the 'Scientific' Community. He upset the proverbial Apple Cart of the time, just as Copernicus and others did Centuries ago. I've been to Lawrence Berkeley Labs, and places like CERN in Geneve. It was always invigorating to see the leading edge of Research on various Theories.
To me, the tie-in to observing Scientific Rigor in Recovery is very germane. Centuries ago, we didn't understand Human Blood Circulation, and chalked it up to all sorts of wild, non-Scientific mechanisms. In a like manner, we thought Drunks to be 'possessed' somehow. Bad Character. Yeah, that's the Ticket. Bad Character. No? OK then, infestation by Bad Spirits. Ummmmm, maybe not...
The more that Science augments understanding, the more potential there is for successful, long-term Recovery. We can continue to learn not only what works, but
why.
'Alvarez Theory Of Dinosaur Die-Out Upheld...' ~ Lawrence Berkeley Lab News Center
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