Fact or fiction? 7 eco-myths debunked
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The rain forest is a natural phenomenon
In 2003, writer Charles C. Mann wrote an article in The Atlantic (later to be turned into a book) that posited a startling idea — that the Amazon rain forest, far from being a natural phenomenon, was a purposefully engineered tree farm planted by humans thousands of years ago. Rogue archaeologists Clark Erickson and William Balée believe the North and South American continents were populated by large and advanced civilizations that pulled off enormous feats of geoengineering, and the rain forest is a result of hundreds of years of fruit and nut tree cultivation by farmers. If we planted it once, that would mean we could plant it again.
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Comments
All I have learned here, is how to achieve the scientific status of 'rogue'. Bloody hell..
Geo-engineering of past eons -- planting amazing tree farm. Geo-engineering of 21st century -- planes spraying nano-particles of aluminum (and other potentially harmful substances) into upper atmosphere to reflect the sun away... Pretty cogent proof of scientific progress equating to regression in intelligence. All things being equal -- by the time it might be accepted we ought to be planting a new rainforest it will be way past the time that there might be any point in doing so... BTW --.... More
This is crazy. We can remove all of trees because we can plant more at any time. Yeah, except the ground soil will be eroded, the rainfall decreases and planting hundreds of thousands of trees will go over well with the right wacko wing of the world. Why, they would argue, would you plant anything if we can just go another country and destroy those tress.
The Terrasect Project that did a bioscan thru Africa found literally hundreds of a type of plam seed washing out of the streambanks in the rain forest. The interesting thing was that it was a type of palm that cann't live there now. It is a palm grown for food and only grows well when cultivated. So who knows about that?
The Amazon has some odd things going on there. The native tribes speak different languages, but can understand each other even across vast distances. There are and were.... More
It is useful and helpful for mereplica handbags
If the Amazonian rainforest was created by "hundreds of years of fruit and nut tree cultivation" wouldn't it be full of fruit and nut trees? Been there, it isn't.
Wow - someone (with no credentials whatsoever) "posited" a "startling" "idea" "later to be turned into a book". I guess we have to take that very seriously. But it was worth the visit for the "Sarah Palins of archaeology" comment!
Are you kidding? Are you high? Crackpot theorizing by a couple of obscure professors constitutes "debunking"? So a highly advanced civilization created the rainforests in South/Central America, Africa, Southern Asia and elsewhere? Who were they? The freakin' saucer-men? Scientologists led by a time-traveling Tom Cruise? Magical monkey-people from the third ring of Saturn??? My god, what an embarrassment this article is. "Mother Nature Network" indeed... What multinational corporation sponsors.... More
Where is the evidence of these "civilizations"? Also, rainforests exist on other continents. This sounds like science fiction to me.
What a load of crap!
Which astroturf organization set this up?
Stephen (4:43 pm), you must be kidding. Quote: "You realize that this article isnt about really proving these things one way or another, right?" Oh, that's why there's the word "debunked" in the headline. Look it up. This is my first time on MNN.com, but I won't come back here. Some featured article!
What a terrible article. That's all I can say. The reasoning behind most of these isn't remotely sound, and some of them are downright preposterous. Was someone just trying to get readership by being different and controversial?
Should have been "7 Strawmen Set On Fire". Except for the rain forest one, which is genuinely preposterous. Even if the "man-made" assertion is true, it would take millennia for another one to grow. And where would we just "plant it again", you moron? If we cut down what we've got for lumber and the use the area for farmland, where exactly will we just "plant it again"?
This whole article especially the one about rainforests is just about the most absurd nonsense ever spouted out. I am not sure if author is having a huge laugh or some absurd cynic who thinks they are edgy by opposing obvious truths. Here is a tip, rainforests have existed a LONG LONG LONG time before man even came on the scene. Also the "journalist" must have failed all his science classes because he doesnt understand that in order to "debunk" something you need to actually PROVIDE PROOF.... More
You realize that this article isnt about really proving these things one way or another, right? They are just throwing some of the things believed by different folk out there. YOU go out and do some research to find the truth of the matter.
What a maroon.
"Well, yes, this thing is true 99% of the time, but occasionally not. So I declare it "debunked". Sarah Palin's stoopider younger brother believes aliens planted the rain forest, so it's descruction is meaningless."
Sheesh.
Does more need to be said?
"I bet" is past tense unless you're talking to someone who automatically accepts your bet, as in a game of poker; "I'd bet" or "I'll bet" express an offer to place a bet. "Couldn't" has an apostrophe, and "without" is one word.
I'm sorry, but this entire article feels like it was written by a 5 year old to get hits for their website. In particular the article on the rain forest. While there is proof that there are areas in South America that were cultivated for by a little known people, there is no evidence for mass work these "rogue" archaeologists might suggest. It would also mean they created the sahara desert, as it helps feed the growth of the South American rain forest...
There are also rogue.... More
Wow, a couple defenses of big-business agriculture and a few hastily thrown-together "edgy science" theories culled from the internet count as a "debunking"? Or even "journalism"?
How much were you paid by agriculture businesses to run this article?
Oh wait, looking at your sponsors list at the bottom of the page, I'm guessing you were just told to run it.
Rogue archaeologists? In other words, the Sarah Palins of archaeology.
"the rain forest is a result of hundreds of years of fruit and nut tree cultivation by farmers. If we planted it once, that would mean we could plant it again.Enter your comments here"
There has never been a more ridiculous statement made
This one sounds absolutely ridiculous. If the Amazon rainforest was planted even when man first inhabited the planet, it seems unlikely that that would allow for enough time to account for the profound biodiversity of the Amazon.
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