[Coral-List] Gene Shinn's post of Walter Stark's article.

Peter Sale sale at uwindsor.ca
Thu Oct 25 14:15:39 EDT 2012


Listers,
Gene Shinn is only the messenger here, but cluttering up coral-list with 
pseudo-science is not helpful.  Walter Stark did indeed gain a PhD from U 
Miami.  He quickly ceased doing science, and found fame and fortune 
outside of science however, and his critique of the De'ath et al paper in 
PNAS hardly constitutes an example of how science should be done.  Apart 
from linking to the article in PNAS, his post is one unsubstantiated claim 
after another, along with the now familiar suggestion that scientists 
report their findings in order to secure lucrative research grants.  (It 
used to be only climate scientists that were accused of doing this, but 
now coral reef scientists appear also to be so accused).

I'd far rather see adverts for academic jobs only tangentially linked to 
coral reef science on coral list, and even the occasionally testy argument 
among scientists, than posts which link us to the likes of Stark's 
article.

Gene, your messages are often contrarian, but usually they cause us to 
think.  That's good.  But this one caused me to waste time reading 
something that brings no credit to its author, Walter Stark.

Peter Sale
 


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