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Re: Pollen From Permian/Triassic Extinction Show UV Induced Mutations



Quoting Richard W Travsky <rtravsky@uwyo.edu>:

> 
> http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20031013/pollen.html

> The prehistoric mutations probably occurred after gas and dust from
> massive volcanic eruptions damaged Earth's ozone layer, resulting in a
> torrent of damaging ultra-violet radiation from the sun, according to
> Clinton Foster, of Geoscience Australia, who presented the findings at a
> recent conference at Utrecht, Netherlands.
> 
> "An extreme change in the environment resulted and that caused conifers to
> produce mutant pollen," Foster told ABC Science Online. "The fascinating
> thing is that modern conifers show just these sorts of mutations in
> response to stress, such as extreme cold, dryness, or the Chernobyl
> fallout." 

OK, so the mutations do not necessarily indicate the presence of DNA-damaging
radiation, thus mooting Foster's whole argument about the ozone layer.  Or did
I miss something?

Nick Pharris
Department of Linguistics
University of Michigan