Mysterious "science"

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Date

I received numerous replies from scientists, laypersons, and even NBC
employees expressing sympathy with my posting about NBC's "Mysterious
Origins of Man" (MOM) program.   I have received no negative comments yet
(other than re: header and spamming!).  Science in America and the rest of
the world is far too important not to object to this kind of portrayal of
it.  Nevertheless, I do apologize for the multiple postings and the
superlong header (but some people are interested in where this goes--all is
now going as blind copies).   I understand that some people may not have
received a copy of my comments or the producers news release; for a copy,
just email me.

I excerpt a few of those more helpful or interesting responses and my
replies here:

1.   Jere - I just want to congratulate you on your activism on this issue.  I
know this is cynical, but my sense is that our numbers are so small that
NBC can afford to ignore us if it is only the scientists protesting.  Is
there a way for us to make a louder noise - to enlist an educated public to
complain about how they are being treated?

How about the following:

Enlist the support of the press - could science societies sponsor a short
course or workshop for journalists - educating science writers about how we
do science and how TV misrepresents science?

Enlist major museums with with monthly magazines that reach the public -
Articles that expose misrepresentation of the scientific process with
pointed examples.

Material could be put on the WWW to assist teachers and students in
watching TV science specials by listing common forms of misrepresentation
so that there would be guidelines for flagging bad coverage  - perhaps a
form for checklisting and rating or ranking scientific content.

One way to combat "Mysterious Origins" specifically would be to show it to
>students - to critique - kind of "dissection lab."  I work
>with students in all my courses with respect to how science is
>represented to the lay public, and they pick up very, very fast on "loaded
>words" and "weasel words," the nature of evidence, the fact that fossils
>are never ancestors, that hypotheses must be testable, that we never
>"prove" anything in science,  to discount anything that begins with
>"scientists believe," etc. etc.

REPLY:  Excellent ideas.  Some science writers have contacted me already.
If you want to use the program as an example of bad science, bad media
public trust, or whatever,  you can order it for $19.95 from the producers,
if you care to give them any more money.   To order, call 1-800-846-9682.

2.   I tend to agree with Jere's post and think it has wider relevance than
the "dumbing of America", certainly it relates to the numbing of Australia
and I suspect to the rest of the electronically connected world.
        As Jere points out, it is ironic that counter arguments are likely
to be used as publicity fodder without getting much of a hearing in their
own right, but this can hardly be an excuse for remaining silent.  Again it
would be hypocritical of members of the list to object simply to the
canvassing of silly ideas in public, since much of our area of interest
might be criticized on this ground, some of it no doubt correctly.  We
should however lend our support to the high school teachers of America and
the world as they set out yet again to explain that not all ideas are of
equal value and that the best way to distinguish between them is by
analysis of the evidence, not by the entertainment value of the
presentation.

3.  The following posting should be of immediate interest and concern for all
educators - especially science teachers.  If anyone has suggestions on
other listings for teachers where this should be posted, please feel free
to pass it on.

4.  Yes, I know that we'll lose. But, we cannot stand and watch it happen.
Science is a howl. But, too many see us as super-serious pocket protector
types. Methodology aside, I'm offended that the story presents scientists
as essentially humorless. I got into science because it is fun. I wish that
we could convey the enjoyment to the next generation.

5.   I'm writing an article for a magazine about how the teaching of
evolution is being undermined (mostly by Creationists who are getting
their message out due to public misunderstaning of science).

REPLY:  The "Mysterious Origins of Man" program was not a creationist job.
Indeed, they wrote a scathing review of it in their Genesis newsletter
because it promoted that dinosaurs and man lived together millions of years
ago, etc.  It seems to be a Hare Krishna job.

>From the MOM website (http://rumba.ics.uci.edu:8080/faqs/mom.html):  "MOM
is apparently an attempt to use science to support Hinduism. Much of the
material in the program is based on the contents of two books, Forbidden
Archeology and The Hidden History of the Human Race by Michael Cremo and
Richard Thompson, both of whom
appeared on the show and are members of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, a
branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness."

6.  Thank you for passing along your press release. Could you pass along
>Mr. Cote's e-mail address as well?  I have already harangued Coke,
>McDonalds and Wendys because I'm a stockholder in these companies.

REPLY:  Yes.  Lots of information about that particular program "MOM" is
available on the MOM Web Site.

The producers have a site that quotes selected scientists (pseudojournalism
to match the pseudoscience), as an advertizing gimick probably, at
http://www.bcvideo.com/bcvideo/

Mr. Cotes, who wrote and produced the program, can be reached at:

P.O. Box 97, Shelburne, VT 05482, Ph:  800-846-9682.  Email:
bcvideo@interport.net (Bill H Cote)

You could also write to:

Mr. Robert Wright (President of NBC)
       NBC
       30 Rockefeller Plaza
       New York, NY 10019

        Mr. Todd Schwartz (acquired the film for NBC)
       3000 W. Alameda,
       Burbank, CA 91523
       (818)840-3009

You can email NBC Entertainment at entertainment@nbc.com.  These are the
folks that are in charge of prime time and late night shows.

Make your letters reasonable, factual statements rather than outrage or off
the cuff remarks that can be used to advertise this program.  I think it
helps to emphasize that network TV has a public trust to uphold, to quote
Ted Koppel (of ABC).

7.  Talk about backfires!  I don't know what strategy to use; obviously
letters from us won't help.

This borders on a real news story:  Major network deliberately distorts
science and the scientific process to hype its ratings.  What if a major
network were to suddenly revive the piltdown man as the missing link,
rather than as a hoax?

REPLY:  True, some of the more volatile comments are being used as an
argument that scientists' own work or theories are threatened by this
"expose".  This is another example of the producers depth of
misunderstanding, ignorance and fear about how science is done, and their
greed to make money or promote the Krishna view.  I think we should keep
writing letters, but to NBC officials, affiliate stations, and the
sponsors.  We should develop the whole issue of the dumbing of America by
the media, politicians, and others that lack an appreciation of how and
what science is.

It really matters at all levels:  In the Oakland Tribune yesterday (p. A9),
an article headlined "High Tech Hits Road for More Scholars" noted that
semiconductor and biotechnology companies were leaving Californa and the
Bay Area because "The education here is not competitive with . . . other
parts of the country".   If we keep dumbing America scientifically, where
will we turn?

8.  I've forwarded your comments to our station's general manager, program
director and news director. Thanks for taking the time to write!

9.  >How were the Hare Krishnas involved in "The Mysterious Origins of Man"?

The MOM homepage goes over some of it.  The publisher of the two persons
mentioned in that context is, in its own words:    "Govardhan Hill
Publishing.
New Paradigms in Science.  Govardhan Hill, Inc. (GHI) is a nonprofit
educational institution which produces books and videos giving some insight
into fundamental questions about human life. How has the universe come into
being? How has human life originated? What is the nature of consciousness?
Is there other intelligent life in the universe? These are some of the
questions we discuss in light of modern scientific evidence and the ancient
wisdom of India." (from http://nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu/~ghi/index.html)

>Is this program pure, sensationalist pseudoscience?

It is the usual mismash of pseudoscience techniques:  self-proclaimed
experts, revisionist history, appeals to authority, self-declarations of
scientific inaccuracies without evidence to the contrary, exhumation of old
hypotheses that have been proved false long ago, extraordinary scientific
claims unsupported by evidence,  claims that establishment science is
hiding the truth, claims that their scientists can't get their stuff
published.  ETC.

>do the Hare Krishnas have an agenda?

I donno.  I have generally run from Krishnas at airports, so cannot comment
on what it might be.  The program was written by Mr. Cote, so he can answer
these questions best.
---------------------------

CONCLUDING QUSTION:  How can NBC be proud of this?

ANTICIPATED RESPONSE BASED ON COMMENTS RECEIVED AFTER LAST SHOWING:  Well,
the viewers are entitled to see alternative views.

CORRECT, Mr. NBC.  But get one of your legitimate scientific advisors to
help you pass judgement, not the word of Mr. Schwartz an expert in
acquiring programs and not science, or Mr. Cote, a sensationalist writer
and producer without known scientific credentials, but who seems to be
pushing the views of a particular sect.

SUGGESTION:  Run it if you need the ratings, but label it science fiction.
Or introduce it with a legitimate scientific explanation of how to do
science.  The controversy could help those ratings!




Jere H. Lipps, Professor and Director
Department of Integrative Biology and
Museum of Paleontology
University of California
Berkeley, California 94720 USA

Voice:  510-642-9006.  Fax:  510-642-1822.
Internet:  jlipps@ucmp1.berkeley.edu
WWW:  http://ucmp1.berkeley.edu