Reflectorites
Has anyone noticed that Huxter and Susan have suddenly gone quiet on
this? I wonder why? ;-)
On Thu, 19 Oct 2000 21:54:12 +0800, Stephen E. Jones wrote:
in response to
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On Fri, 13 Oct 2000 13:54:34 EDT, Huxter4441@aol.com wrote:
[...]
SJ> I presume that biochemistry and molecular biology *are* Hirsch's field. >>
>
>++++++++++++++++++
>You may presume that, but a simple literature search shows that he has
>NOTHING in print that has anything to do with DNA, molecular biology, or
>especially evolutionary genetics.
>
>I could find only:
>
>Wang RR, Hirsch RF.
>: Refining hollow obturator base using light-activated resin.
>: J Prosthet Dent. 1997 Sep;78(3):327-9.
>: PMID: 9297653; UI: 97442686
>
>: Hirsch RF, Rachlin EM.Ion-sensitive electrode potentiometry of organic
>anions: application to
>: quantitative structure-activity relationships.
>: J Med Chem. 1983 Sep;26(9):1235-9.
>: PMID: 6887198; UI: 83294414
>
>: Hall LH, Hirsch RF.
>: Detection of curare in the Jascalevich murder trial.
>: Anal Chem. 1979 Jul;51(8):812A-819A. No abstract available.
>: PMID: 484861; UI: 80018045
>
>
>Which of those is pertinent to the study of genetics, evolution, molecular
>biology?
>
>Presumption flawed.
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[...]
SJ>Dr Hirsch has kindly sent me a web link (see below) where some of his
>expertise in "biochemistry and molecular biology" can be gauged.
>
>These are invitations for grants from the DoE in experimental and
>computational structural biology, of which Dr Hirsch advised me he was
>"the lead program manager". ...
>http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/fr00_02.html
[...]
SJ>I received more information privately from Dr Hirsch but I am double-checking
>with him to see if it is OK for me to post it.
Dr Hirsch has now given me permission to post a statement of his
experience and responsibilities.
For the past 16 years Dr Hirsch has been a program manager with the U.S.
government, three of those years with NIH, the remainder with the
Department of Energy.
He has some 15 or so scientific publications but mostly before 1990
(which makes one wonder about the reliability of Huxter's searches).
Dr Hirsch is going to send me a complete list of these, plus his full
address to the American Chemical Society with references.
Dr Hirsch has mentored six Ph.D.s in analytical chemistry, and did research
for a year as a senior visitor at the University of Oxford.
Since 1991 he has chaired the structural biology task group at the
Department of Energy, which supports an annual budget around $28
million for research in molecular biology, instrumentation, computing,
databases (Protein Data Bank), and synchrotron stations for protein
crystallography and other techniques.
He is also involved in managing the genome program and serves on an
NIH Advisory Council as DOE representative.
So it can be seen that "biochemistry and molecular biology *are*
Hirsch's field"!
As senior scientists like Dr Hirch `come out' (as it were) and identify
themselves with the ID movement, I would expect more to follow. It is
unclear how many this will be, but it should be at least sizeable minority.
This presents a real problem for the Darwinists who have tried to portray
IDers as a bunch of no-nothings pushing a discredited 18th century
argument. Sooner or later the Darwinists are going to have to treat ID
seriously or the public is going to start to notice (if they haven't already)
the credibility gap between the Darwinists rhetoric and the reality.
Steve
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"Probably nothing in biology is less predictable than the future course of
evolution. Looking at the Permian reptiles, who would have predicted that
most of the more flourishing groups would become extinct (many rather
rapidly), and that one of the most undistinguished branches would give rise
to the mammals? Which student of the Cambrian fauna would have
predicted the revolutionary changes in the marine life of the subsequent
geological eras? Unpredictability also characterizes small-scale evolution.
Breeders and students of natural selection have discovered again and again
that independent parallel tines exposed to the same selection pressure will
respond at different rates and with different correlated effects, none of
them predictable." (Mayr E., "Toward a New Philosophy of Biology:
Observations of an Evolutionist," [reprint of Mayr E., "Cause and effect in
biology," Science, Vol. 134, 1961, pp.1501-1506], Harvard University
Press: Cambridge MA, 1988, p.33)
Stephen E. Jones | Ph. +61 8 9448 7439 | http://www.iinet.net.au/~sejones
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