Observations on the STS Scene
by Irma S. Jarcho
In our Fall 1995 issue I wrote about the natives of Easter Island and the scary way in which the inhabitants destroyed their environment. Now comes an equally scary sequel in the November 1997 issue of Discover -- "Paradises Lost," by Jared Diamond. The story encompasses three islands in Polynesia: Mangareva, Pitcairn (of Bounty fame) and Henderson. Sometime between 800 and 1000 A.D. planned settlements were established on these three remote outposts by the Polynesians. The deficiencies of one island, say stone on Mangareva, were abundantly supplied by one of the others and, for a time, everyone flourished. Trade was brisk among the three outposts.
This trade came to a halt because of environmental changes on Mangareva and Pitcairn, which included habitat damage and mass extinction of plants and animals. These probably resulted from the combination of hunting for food, habitat destruction for gardens, and the depradations of rats that had arrived as stowaways on the canoes of the settlers. The severing of the Mangarevan trade led to the extinction of the human population of Pitcairn and Henderson.
Although questions remain, the main outlines of the story are clear. The inhabitants of all three islands inflicted heavy damage on their environments and destroyed many of the resources necessary for their own lives. It's the story of Easter Island all over again.
All this devastation seems remote from us, but is it? In these islands, too, as in our own country, forests were green, water fresh, food abundant. We should examine such environmental trends in the world today -- and these are ominous. "Ask not for whom the bell tolls . . . ."
More on Hormone-Mimicking Chemicals
One of the most interesting happenings for those of us who like to keep up with research in science is to follow the unfolding of a story. At first just one or two stray articles in this or that science journal. Within years, or perhaps even months, what seemed a far-fetched notion acquires the cachet of observable truth.
I can think of many such breakthroughs in the last few decades. The plate tectonics theory, which was fought tooth and nail by old-line geologists until finally the evidence grew too overwhelming for even them to deny. This also happened with the impact theory of dinosaur extinctions, although some diehard volcanologists still plump for that as the cause of dinosaur deaths.
There have been other tales recently, but it is too soon to tell whether they are to achieve status as truths or peter out as unconfirmed theory. One such is the contamination of the environment with synthetic chemicals that mimic hormones, which I first raised in our Spring 1996 issue. These chemicals are thought to be responsible for low sperm counts and other effects on the reproductive cycles of humans and animals, and articles about them continue to surface. A short article in the January 1998 issue of Discover details the finding that testosterone and other male sex hormones -- the so-called androgens -- are as vulnerable as estrogens, the female hormones which have been the focus of research to date. Experiments are now being carried out to determine what effect, if any, these androgen-blocking chemicals have on living animals, in this case, guinea pigs.
Is too much "Fixed" Nitrogen Dangerous?
There have appeared a spate of articles concerning the nitrogen cycle and the very great increase in the amount of fixed nitrogen on the Earth. One such article is "Nitrogen," by James Trefil in the October 1997 issue of Smithsonian. Humans have been increasing the supply of fixed nitrogen in three major ways -- the burning of fossil fuels, the growing of legumes (which have in their roots nodules of nitrogen-fixing bacteria) and the industrial production of fixed nitrogen for use as fertilizer. These three sources are estimated to contribute 140 million tons of fixed nitrogen per year to the environment. Some scientists feel that this creates a potential for "nitrogen saturation." According to Trefil, an excess of nitrogen would produce an environment of lower biodiversity -- there were in an experiment about half the number of species on a heavily fertilized plot compared to garden plots with lower nitrogen content. There would be more haze in the air and more green scum on ponds. Some ecosystems might be lost.
Remedies proposed include "precision agriculture" -- carefully monitoring the amount and timing of nitrogen fed to plants. A second line of attack is using natural and artificial wetlands, where nitrogen can be returned to the atmosphere as molecular nitrogen. Humans are controlling -- for better or worse -- one of the major natural cycles. Let us hope we know how to do it well.
The Heifer Project -- bringing self-sufficiency to the developing world
One of the best gift-giving ideas I have ever heard of -- the Heifer Project International (HPI) -- has sent out its gift catalog. Supporters can "buy" an animal to be donated to a family in a developing country. According to the Earth Times for 16-30 November 1997, these gifts can change the life of the recipients. For example, in 1983 HPI sent 105 rabbits to four families in Szechwan Province, China. Today more than 40,000 rabbits provide meat and income for a village (you know rabbits!). Prices vary -- $500 for a cow, $20 for a flock of chicks, $120 for a pig or goat. You can even buy a share in a gift animal, lowering the cost further. HPI can be reached at 1-800-422-0755 and at http://www.heifer.org/. This seems to me a wonderful project for a classroom of concerned and caring students.
Opposition to Irrational Advocacy of Animal Rightists
In this issue I have reviewed two valuable initiatives -- the packet from the Americans for Medical Progress and the Science for Life Exploring Animal Models in Basic Research curriculum from Florida State University. I urge all science teachers, especially biology teachers, to obtain the curriculum (which is free), to subscribe to the AMP new service (also free), and to alert their students to the threat of the animal rights activists who are impeding progress in medicine and surgery. PETA, The Humane Society, Friends of Animals, and similar irrational advocates are a danger to society. I, for one, do not believe that "a rat is a dog is a boy. . . ."
Four Pages of Psychics in Manhattan The other day I was looking for the number of a publisher in the Yellow Pages. Much to my astonishment, I ran up against "Psychics" and "Psychic Life Readings" -- four pages of them in Manhattan (and, I later learned, two pages in the Brooklyn directory). Everything from "A Psychic Susan" and "Abby's Live Psychics" to "Network Sample Readings" and "Samantha Young." You can see why I am planning a workshop on pseudoscience at the NASTS Conference in Naperville, IL, this coming March!
As the author of these "Observations on the STS Scene," I welcome your comments on the issues I have raised. Write Irma S. Jarcho, Teachers Clearinghouse for Science and Society Education, 1 West 88th St., New York, NY 10224, or send an e-mail to irmjar@aol.com (this may be done directly or through the Clearinghouse web site: www.freeinfo.org/tch/). I would prefer a letter.
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