N.M. cavers chart unique 'snowy' river of crystals

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN , Associated Press Writer, Space & Earth science / Earth Sciences

Caver John McLean talks about the many questions scientists have about the Snowy River formation while on an expedition in Fort Stanton Cave, N.M., on July 3, 2008. New Mexico's two U.S. senators have proposed legislation to designate the cave and Snowy River as a national conservation area. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

(AP) -- Hundreds of feet beneath Earth's surface, a few seasoned cave explorers venture where no human has set foot. Their headlamps illuminate mud-covered walls, gypsum crystals and mineral deposits. The real attraction, though, is under their shoes.

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Posted by DoctorKnowledge 07/24/08 11:46

Rank: 1/5 after 7 votes

"Unknown to science". Gimme a break. "Scientists" as such don't own knowledge, they aren't the only people who make discoveries. The microbes were just "unknown". (And hey, "unknown to the most select groups of published, acknowledged, famous, up-and-coming,world-class scientists, at that.) I.e., "unknown".

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Posted by thales 07/24/08 13:02

Rank: 4.43/5 after 7 votes

Here's your break, Doctor: they can't claim it's unknown to you without assuming what you know. Maybe you did already know about these microbes. Thus, "unknown to science" is LESS arrogant than "unknown to anyone".

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Posted by jeffsaunders 07/25/08 02:23

Rank: 5/5 after 2 votes

perhaps unclassified would have been more grammatically correct.

As there have been plenty of discoveries "unknown to science" of animal species that were commonly hunted and eaten by indigenous peoples.

To claim that none of these peoples was a scientist is pretty damn arrogant.

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Posted by DoctorKnowledge 07/30/08 19:57

Not rated yet.

Note that thales just misrepresented -- in the best scientific tradition -- misquoting me. I didn't write "unknown to anyone", I specifically said the phrase "unknown to science" was not appropriate, because it implies that only scientists can know things.

jeffsaunders got the point, and added his perspective.

On the other hand, thales' unlogical comment, which makes no point, except to abstractly criticize, appealed to Trippy, mikiwud, Corvidae, MrFred, RAL, Mercury_01, and yyz. Obviously deep thinkers, all.