Madam, - Might I voice my dismay regarding your decision to insert almost a full page dedicated to a certain Mr Flores into the "ScienceToday" section of your newspaper (Nov 4th).
True science is an expression of man's quest for knowledge and understanding. But not at any price.
Objectivity, facts, measurable and repeatable observations are the tools which ought to be applied, whether to construct scientific theory or the products that derive from them.
Dick Ahlstrom's first piece is none of this, peppered as it is with the language of speculation.
Listen to it: "might", "appears to have", "may", "possibly", "could have", "implication", "suggests that", "unclear", "indicated".
His second piece is much more confident, however, and we are treated to fascinating, on-the-spot reporting of the life and times of Mr Flores.
The possibility contained in the first piece has transformed seamlessly into probability.
Speculation has become fact.
Dick himself is not to blame for this of course.
The so-called Theory of Evolution is a creaking, listing shell of vessel, so full of holes it's a wonder it floats at all.
And all who sail in her are forced to continue bailing her out and in so doing have no choice but to employ guesswork, hypothesis, hedged bets and blind faith.
Belief in evolution is a faith system, not a science.
Articles relating to faith would be better located in your religious section.
Leave science to the scientists. - Yours, etc.,
IAN HICKEY, Finglas, Dublin 11.
Madam, - How disappointing that the otherwise excellent "ScienceToday" (Nov 4th), was marred by the headlines, "Mini men who punched above their weight" and "Welcome to the family, Mr Flores".
These reports then go on to describe the only near complete skeleton as that of an adult female , perhaps 30 years old at time of death.
According to the report in Time (Nov 8th), the team of paleoanthropologists apparently nicknamed this adult the Hobbit, a gender neutral if unflattering term.
They go on to speculate on the Hobbit and her kin! Unfortunately, both this report and that of Dick Ahlstrom reproduce the figure of a male homo floresiensis from the Australian Museum in Sydney. Plus ça change, etc. - Yours, etc.,
CLARE MCCUTCHEON, Old Chapel Bandon, Co Cork.