are you guys biologists?

[Meredith Lane]

On some levels, I think Mike Ivie is right: eventually, our populations
will crash (taking down most other things with them). Inexorable
evolution will yet again produce new radiations from the lineages that
survive (yep, there will be a lot of beetles, *again*--yikes). None of
that is particularly frightening. What _is_ scary is the pace at which
Homo sapiens (I prefer to call us "H. saps," it's somehow much more
indicative of our behavior of sapping resources) is promoting the
devolution that will lead to the new evolution.

As a biologist, I do think that it behooves us to pay attention to
population issues, and to realize that it is H. saps' rebellion against
being naturally selected that got us into this mess, even though it was
natural selection that got us to the point that we _could_ rebel against
it! As biologists, we need to teach, cajole, plead, beg, inform, educate,
vote and buy in such a way that H. saps will get off the top rung of the
Scala Natura and into a niche (selection pressures and all) co-equal to
that of any other biological critter (yes, I include plants, fungi, etc.
in my definition of "critter").

Meredith A. Lane                Curator, Division of Botany, KU Nat Hist Museum
2045 Constant Ave.                      Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Botany
Lawrence  KS  66047-3729        913/864-4493 or -7364  FAX: -5298 or -5294
                        UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
        mlane at ukans.edu  OR  mlane at kuhub.cc.ukans.edu

ÿÿ    Re: are you guys biologists?                                           R3-