More Evidence For a Clovis-Killer Comet

fortapocalypse sends word that a new paper was published today in the journal Science on the hypothesis that a comet impact wiped out the Clovis people 12,900 years ago. (We discussed this hypothesis last year when it was put forth.) The new evidence is a layer of nanodiamonds at locations all across North America, at a depth corresponding to 12,900 years ago, none earlier or later. The researchers hypothesize that the comet that initiated the Younger Dryas, reversing the warming from the previous ice age, fragmented and exploded in a continent-wide conflagration that produced a layer of diamond from carbon on the surface. While disputing the current hypothesis, NASA's David Morrison allows, "They may have discovered something absolutely marvelous and unexplained."

Comments

Re:12,900 years ago?

[ultranova]

Your comment implies that there is no merit to demonstrating intolerance to bad ideas. That's a very popular conception, and I think that, as a liberal policy, it's been utterly disastrous. Now, clearly, it can be effective in a discussion or argument to assume that the other person is capable of meaningfully participating in that discussion or argument, but that's not the same as tolerating bad ideas. Cultural pressure is one of the great factors in meme progression and suppression, and it needs to be used.

Saying that an idea is good is the same as saying that you think it's correct. Consequently, tolerating only good ideas is equivalent to tolerating only ideas you agree with. That has been shown to result in disaster, time and again. That's why we have freedom of religion nowadays: the alternative is constant religious warfare. Similarly, not tolerating bad ideas will eventually lead to a fight.

Liberal policy of live and let live is really all about the first part. You will never be left to live in peace unless you're willing to do the same to others; and that means tolerating their ideas, no matter how imbecilic they might be. Your only alternatives are to use force or to pick on your neighbours until they snap and use it on you.

Finally... Meme suppression ? You do realize that suppressing a meme requires oppressing the people who would pick it up or keep it ? I believe Stalin did something like that - for the benefit of society, of course - and is forever afterwards remembered as a brutal, murderous tyrant for it; I really don't think that it would be a good idea to try it here.