North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>]

> ARE MOBILE PHONES WIPING OUT OUR BEES?
> By Geoffrey Lean and Harriet Shawcross
> The Independent
> April 15, 2007
> http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/wildlife/article2449968.ece
> It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some 
> scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food 
> shortages, as the world's harvests fail.
>   


I'm not familiar with "The Independent," but this seems like a rather 
alarmist article, doesn't it? Something designed to sell papers, but 
that we needn't take too seriously?



> Evidence of dangers to people from mobile phones is increasing. But proof is 
> still lacking, largely because many of the biggest perils, such as cancer, 
> take decades to show up.
> Most research on cancer has so far proved inconclusive.


Take this, for example. Proof is "still" lacking? I was under the 
impression that scientists have found no link between cell phones and 
brain cancer (and there's been a lot of people looking into it, for 
obvious reasons). "No link" doesn't mean "inconclusive." Of course, you 
can always find some study, somewhere, that will show almost anything. 
That's why these studies are duplicated, to be sure that the results are 
valid. But this article seems to assume there's a link, but that it just 
hasn't been proved.

Well, I wouldn't say that none of this is true, necessarily, but I don't 
think I'd worry about it just yet. I'm sure scientists will determine 
the cause of the colony collapse disorder eventually. I just hope it's 
soon enough, and that the nature of the problem is such, that it can 
quickly be fixed. But for now, speculation is just ... speculation.

Bill

--
Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in 
rationality. ... When one admits that nothing is certain one must, I 
think, also admit that some things are much more nearly certain than 
others. - Bertrand Russell