Fw: Devolution????

["Gerald W. Bracey" <gbracey@EROLS.COM>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Louise Doskow <lrosed@ptd.net>
To: Louise Doskow <lrosed@ptd.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 1999 7:01 PM
Subject: Devolution????


>
> >The following is circulating in the evolutionary biology community:
> >
> >
> > From sperkins@zoo.uvm.edu Thu Nov 11 09:20:49 1999
> >
> > DISEASES LAUD KANSAS DECISION
> >
> >  (AP) The Ebola Virus, speaking from its headquarters somewhere in
> >  Africa, today thanked the Kansas Board of Education for its
> >  recent decision to remove evolution from the state's science
> >  curriculum. The virus pointed out that the resulting eventual loss of
>
> >  evolutionary biologists would make life easier for it and many other
> >  emerging diseases, as health workers would not be able to distinguish
>
> >  lethal and nonlethal strains that had evolved from one other. In its
> >  two recent visits to the U.S., the Ebola strains involved were those
> >  that had evolved from the deadly human strains into strains that kill
>
> >  monkeys, not people. "If they hadn't known, we could really have
> >  inspired hysteria," commented Ebola. "More fun next time."
> >
> >  Meanwhile, Hantavirus, Cholera, AIDS, and Influenza
> >  announced that they had no intention of stopping their own evolution
> and
> >  looked forward to even more successful world tours in the future.
> Although
> >  none of them expressed much interest in visiting Kansas, they denied
> they
> >  had plans to boycott the state. Finally, stock futures for a variety
> of
> >  "old-fashioned" diseases (such as diphtheria and
> >  streptococcus), malaria, and tuberculosis went up, as it appears that
>
> >  humans now are increasingly prepared to ignore the evolution of
> antibiotic
> >  resistance for diseases that have long been held in check by modern
> >  medicines.
> >
> >  Diphtheria, speaking from its exile in poorer parts of the former
> >  U.S.S.R. commented, "The lack of new antibiotics seems to reflect a
> >  human arrogance that assumes we can't evolve and come back."
> >  It pointed out that malaria and TB had already evolved forms that
> were
> >  immune to all known antibiotics. "Without understanding how we
> evolve,
> >  humans are turning themselves into fodder."
> >
> >  Asked to comment on the Kansas decision, Diphtheria smiled
> >  and said, "Thanks, Kansas, we'll be seeing you."
>

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