Who says there aren’t any disagreements over human origins? Not this guy.
[hat tip the Twitterati]
Teach The Lizard Overlord Controversy
About The Loom
Carl Zimmer writes about science regularly for the New York Times and magazines such as Discover, where he is a contributing editor and columnist.
He is the author of seven books, the most recent of which is The Tangled Bank: An Introduction To Evolution. His website is carlzimmer.com and his address is [ blog at carlzimmer dot com ].
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Books by Carl Zimmer
The Tangled Bank is the best written and best illustrated introduction to evolution of the Darwin centennial decade, and also the most conversant with ongoing research.--E. O. Wilson, Harvard University
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"Superb...quietly revolutionary"--Boston Globe
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"Fascinating...thrilling... Zimmer has produced a top-notch work of popular science."--Los Angeles Times
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"As thorough as it is graceful...This is as fine a book as one will find on the subject."--Scientific American
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"A book capable of changing how we see the world."--The Los Angeles Times
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"A fascinating story, which Zimmer unfolds as a tale of high-stakes scientific sleuthing."--Booklist
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- DISCOVERmagazine: Living World
- Top 100 Stories of 2009: #46: First-Ever Dinosaur Mummy Puts Flesh on the Bones
- Destination Science: Hunting Dinosaurs With Jack Horner
- The Intellectual Property Fight That Could Kill Millions
- Top 100 Stories of 2009: #42: Scientists Watch Pathogens as They Cause Infection
- Top 100 Stories of 2009: #43: Five Big Additions to Darwin's Theory of Evolution
- DISCOVER Blogs: Bad Astronomy
October 29th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
*sigh*
This calls for the Star Trek Double FacePalm AND a Bear Double FacePalm.
I didn’t see any mention of Icke’s name, but that’s what it sounds like to me.
I liked this part at the end:
October 29th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I always liked Icke. He has a way of making his crazy ideas sound plausible. Especially when he accused George Bush of secretly being an evil reptilian alien seeking to dominate the Earth. I can’t be the only to suspect that Icke may be right about that.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Hmm, he got his PhD at Yale. Seems a bit similar to Jonathan Wells, the ID advocate.
Why does my alma mater keep churning out these people?
October 29th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
My problem with Icke is the vaccine scaremongering. If these were just private beliefs that didn’t affect public health, I probably wouldn’t care about him as much.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Wasn’t Icke also responsible for Balloon Boy?
October 29th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
The first time I stumbled across this reptilian thing, I naturally assumed that it was a joke.
To be honest, my brain still won’t allow me to accept that people believe it. I know that some do, but I’m not strong enough to confront that fact. I just bury the knowledge in the dark recesses of my mind and let it fester.
There’s no place like home…there’s no place like home…
October 29th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Aside from the whack factor here – and, thanks for the laugh – I wondered how a married man could seriously decide to quit his prestigious job and become a professional crackpot. So, I ask, anyone, just how lucrative is a career in woo these days? I’m not talking about what James Randi does, but rather 100% crackpot charlatans.
I also have to wince at the references to Asian woo. Americans have the silliest notion of anything that’s not Christianity.
October 29th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Reminds me of when the ‘girlfriend’ joined up with the guitarist in SpinalTap; just so much woo, inspired by the love of a woman…
October 30th, 2009 at 11:35 am
It’s a hobby of mine to stay up to date on all the latest conspiracy nut-cases. I’ve spent untold hours reading this stuff, and I have to say it makes for some fantastic storytelling. The lizard-overlord people are kind of a minority fringe themselves, even within the fringe community. But having immersed myself in their “theories”, it’s a *little* less absurd than it appears on the face of it. Certainly doesn’t hold a candle to, say, scientology. Not sure if that’s a comfort to you, Kitty, but, these people at least do volumes of, I hesitate to say “research”, but I can’t find a better word. I mean, hours and hours looking into historical myths and gods, drawing connections between Quetzacotl and Egyptology and Grendl and whatnot. I kind of have a grudging respect for that. I mean, at least they’re reading, right?
October 30th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Good point there Matt. If schools should teach all the theories of creation, then Sitchin gets his slice of time too, and that means the kids have to learn a bit of Sumerian history.
Of course, that wikipedia article claims his translations have been generally found wrong. I haven’t seriously followed up on the citations yet, but someone felt strongly enough to register a whole domain to point out how wrong he is.
October 30th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Ugh. Why does my state accumulate so many loons? Balloon Boy’s Parents, Ward Churchill, Horn, Ted Haggard. The list goes on but it is too depressing for me to continue.