Geological calibration of molecular clocks

[Thomas G. Lammers]

At 08:07 AM 7/11/2005, John Grehan wrote:
>I have not read the entire article although I have seen the abstract.
>Their concluding statement as cited by Robert is quite telling. If there
>is incongruence between two historical narratives (in this case the
>geological story and the molecular clock story) and the authors cannot
>make up their mind between them what value is the study?

"Value"?  Well, as a test of a hypothesis?  The geological story is a
hypothesis, and we test it with the molecular clock story.  If we get
congruence, we can accept the hypothesis; if we don't, we get more
hypotheses and test them.  I *thought* that was how science works ...

I must say,  that last sentence of yours sounds as though it was written by
a scientific creationist, the sort who expects every study to "prove"
things conclusively and without doubt, so they can "believe" it or not
"believe" it.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't think that's how science
works.


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
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