Re: NGS archaeoraptor stuff

[Phil Bigelow <bigelowp@juno.com>]

(Grumble, grumble: either I had too much coffee this morning, or I didn't
have not enough coffee):


>>This just in from NGS:
>>http://www.nationalgeographic.com/events/releases/pr000203.html
>
>ARCHAEORAPTOR STATEMENT
>
>    For Immediate Release
>
>WASHINGTON-Based on the best scientific information available at press 
>time,
>NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC reported on the Archaeoraptor fossil in the
>November issue of the magazine.
>
>Only after the magazine had been published did NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 
>learn
>about the possibility that the fossil might be a composite. If it is 
>a composite, it
>initially escaped detection by a team of scientists that included top 
>experts on bird
>origins.


It did *not* escape detection.  However, National Geographic did publish
on this specimen prematurely.



>We immediately began an investigation into the matter and took the 
>earliest possible
>opportunity to publish a disclosure of the new information in NATIONAL
>GEOGRAPHIC magazine (March 2000). We were obviously disappointed to 
>hear
>that Archaeoraptor might be a composite and are committed to getting 
>to the
>bottom of the mystery of this fossil.



It is not the job of National Geographic to do this (they still haven't
learned a lesson from this fiasco).



>The magazine will report the 
>findings to its
>readers.


Hopefully, this will happen  AFTER the scientists publish first.




>We also funded the original CT scanning work on the fossil and hope to 
>see the
>published analysis in a peer-reviewed journal soon.


Good.  Much better than "doin' science" in a pop-magazine.

grumble, grumble.  Back to the coffee.

                             <pb>

Disclaimer:  I *like* _National Geographic_ magazine.  But I think they
tend to get confused when it comes to distinguishing the process of
science from the process of journalism. (grumble, grumble).





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