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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Living Fossils
Message-ID: <683@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Oct-84 10:17:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.683
Posted: Mon Oct 22 10:17:12 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Oct-84 06:02:49 EDT
References: <399@uwmacc.UUCP>
Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 27

[]
>The term "living fossil" has been used a couple of times by Larry
>Bickford in this newsgroup.  Exception has been taken to this
>phrase by at least two people.  Ethan Vishniac called it a "silly
>term" and Michael Ward said ....

>Note that while this article is directed to evolutionists, and
>points out that some of them are deriding terms apparently invented
>and widely used by evolutionists, I am not trying to concoct a scenario
>of division within the evolutionary camp.  Rather, it seemed to me
>that the dissatisfaction with "living fossil" was directed at Larry,
>as if it were a creationist term that he made up.  I have tried to
>show that this is not so.

     I never thought Larry invented the term, nor did I mean to
be taken as flaming at him over it.  I still think it's a silly
term.  My evident disagreement with professional biologists over this
is a purely semantic one.  It's amusing, but insignificant.

     I was interested in seeing its origin ferreted out by Paul
Dubois.  Thank you.

"I can't help it if my     Ethan Vishniac
    knee jerks"         {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
                           Department of Astronomy
                           University of Texas
                           Austin, Texas 78712