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From: michaels@cornell.UUCP (Michael I. Schwartzbach)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Dinosaurs in Distress
Message-ID: <369@cornell.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Sep-85 15:28:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: cornell.369
Posted: Wed Sep 11 15:28:05 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 12:33:58 EDT
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept.
Lines: 28

With considerable amusement I have been following the Ted Holden vs.
The World debate, and if I understand his postings (which may not be
the case) he claims that the gravity on earth in ancient time was
felt to be lower, since Saturn was hanging somewhere in the sky and
causing tremendous tidal-effects. Now, on the hemisphere closest to
Saturn gravity would indeed be lower, but on the far side gravity
would in the same manner be much higher (right?). So unless Saturn
was in a geosynchronous orbit the poor dinosaurs would we squashed
periodically, and hence succumb. If on the other hand Saturn was
fixed relatively to earth's position, then only one hemisphere would
be inhabited by dinosaurs; in fact, the far hemisphere would be
totally void of life except for turtles perhaps. Is that the case?
And would any astronomers care to comment on the stability of a
system as described above. While I'm at it, let me try to preempt
Ted's response to the fact that dinosaurs are found all over the
globe: "Saturn's gravity sucked the continents upwards to the 
low-gravity hemisphere, and when Saturn disappeared they returned
to their orginal positions". I think I got the style of reasoning
right. I can't wait to hear Ted's response to this, but it will
probably be based on an understanding of the universe far exceeding
my own and any other mortal man's.

                                    Michael I. Schwartzbach
                                    CS dept. Cornell Univ.

"Everything is possible, but very few things can actually happen!"