going offlist on Protista, bacteria

["Ken Kinman" <kinman@hotmail.com>]

Dear All,
    Probably best to go offlist to continue these somewhat offtopic 
discussions.  I'm probably already skating on thin ice, and don't want to 
get thrown off the list.  We often discuss such things at 
sci.bio.paleontology (on usenet) and occasionally on Taxacom.
    However, I think it is grossly unfair (and inaccurate) to characterize 
dinosaurs (and all the rest of the metazoans) as occupying a tiny twig on 
the tree of life.  Such exaggeration will only confuse and intimidate 
students and everyone else.  Even "Korarchaeotes" (with very distinctive 
rRNA) are just an aberrant group within Class Crenarchaea.
    The number of Metazoan phyla has also gotten out of hand (I recognized 
24, and even that is too many).  Order Tullimonstrida (Tully monsters) is 
probably just an aberrant group of sipunculans or molluscs.
    And finally, ether-linked lipids are not restricted to the so-called 
"Archaea" (also called Metabacteria, which is an older and more appropriate 
name).  You can read about the ether-linked lipid "myth" in my 1998 paper 
(available online) at  http://www.geocities.com/kinman/april.html
        -----Going offlist with this now,  Ken
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