by StarmanSkye » Thu Jan 19, 2006 6:57 am
I think there's a very good basis for the abiotic origin of oil -- certainly, it's a more compelling thesis than the organic theory of oil formation for exlaining how hydrocarbon deposits develop as hydrogen and carbon dioxide are exposed to conditions of high temperature and pressure, and found within a modest range of geologic structures. That's not to say that organic matter can't form coal, natural gas, oil-shale and oil deposits through geologic processes involving high temperature and pressure (since evidence of organic materials is often found within many hydrocarbon sources). <br><br>But what's far from certain is whether most sources have an abiotic basis -- OR that these abiotic reserves are relatively abundant or accessible. And too -- even IF oil were abundantly available, would it be smart to keep using it at ever-increasing rates despite what the majority of scientists believe is a major global warming problem? <br><br>One alternative would be to refine hydro-petrocarbon stocks into hydrogen and methane, and convert transportation and electric-generation and pumping-engines into efficient powerplants that can burn these fuels cleanly. Similiar high-efficiency engines can be readily developed to burn coal-processed gas-fuels cleanly also, in addition to powering small to medium-size neighborhood and industrial/production electical needs. A LOT can be done today to address urgent environment and energy needs -- all that's lacking is the imagination and the political will and the leadership, (unfortunately) much of it subverted by powerful interests and a kleptocratic corporatocracy.<br><br>A lot of good points made anotherdrew, on these issues and your other comments about an immense failure within science (and technology) to test new ideas and develop new systems in a timely manner -- which I attribute to a human failure of vision, lack of imagination throughout society, and lack of leadership in government and business. Lack of imagination and leadership both contribute to stasis, limits on creative risk-taking and communication, and entrenchment of status quo values, assumptions, and controlling interests -- leading to political, cultural and financial alliances that resist what is essentially the 'threat' to monopolistic habits of thoughts and franchises of new ideas and systems.<br><br>The 'business' of Science in many ways is like any other special-interest club or bureaucracy, with jealously-guarded 'turf' and status-perks and prestige the stakes of an entrenched hierarchy that is highly resistant to innovation or discoveries that shatter convention -- One of the biggest, modern examples of this is the late 1980s discovery by geophysicist Dr. Louis A. Frank that the earth's water has its origins in a daily deluge of thousands of house-size comets entering the earth's upper atmosphere. This was such a novel, revolutionary concept at the time, going against the accepted theories that Frank, despite being an accomplished scientist who had worked on space-flight experiments and equipment, was ridiculed, ignored, and discounted as a crackpot for years, while earth-scientists and meteorologists and prestigious peer-reviewed publications wouldn't even consider his claims let alone look at his evidence or findings.<br><br>Following are a few amazon reviews that expound on this invisible wall of entrenched beliefs in the scientific community that effectively slow down and impede the pace at which new ideas and discoveries are accepted and built-upon.<br>Starman<br><br>Note: Frank's theory is still controversial, but has been widely accepted into mainstream science discourse and substantially validated by observation and experiments, most recently by<br>Caltech.<br>*****<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1559720336/002-8497862-2949668?v=glance&n=283155">www.amazon.com/gp/product...e&n=283155</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>--quote--<br>From Publishers Weekly<br>If Frank, a University of Iowa physicist, is correct, millions of small comets made of ice and water strike the Earth's atmosphere every year; the continuous influx of cosmic HO, according to this theory, created our lakes, rivers and oceans, and will one day submerge the planet. The existence of small, previously undetected comets was confirmed by Clayne Yates of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1988, yet Frank's theory continues to generate sharp controversy. He maintains that small comets could have carried organic materials--the seeds of life--to Earth and may have triggered the extinction of dinosaurs. Frank's credentials are impressive: he helped calibrate the first U.S. lunar probes and has made a number of discoveries in astronomy. Written with Huyghe ( Glowing Birds ), the narrative presents evidence for an intriguing hypothesis as it casts light on the turf wars and professional jealousies that can hinder scientific research. <br>*<br>From Library Journal<br>Frank, a professional physicist, has proposed a hypothesis that the Earth is regularly bombarded by approximately 20 small water/ice comets per minute. He has further speculated on the implications of his theory for the origin of the oceans, the extinction of the dinosaurs, the origins of life on this planet, and much more. Here, he presents the evidence he has assembled and the story of his struggles with various scientific critics of his work. His basic theory may well prove to be true, but his eagerness to claim all sorts of grandiose consequences for his theory appears to be a bit premature. Also, readers should be aware that Frank is not yet supported by a consensus of scientific specialists. Still, as a provocative work in a hotly contested area, the book is recommended for academic and large public libraries.<br>- Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor<br>*<br>Every so often you read a book that changes the way you look at everything because it shows that something we took for granted is wrong. This is one of those books. Frank is not a terrific writer. There are slow passages and sections that are overly detailed and filled with arcane information. However, he is a scientist that stumbled on the origin of water on Earth . . . small comets that are constantly hitting Earth's atmosphere. This is astounding and went against all of the accepted geologic theories of the origin of water on the planet.<br>This book is also about the tunnel vision of scientists and the vicious in-fighting that goes on in academia when the status quo is challenged. There is a truism that scientists don't change their minds; they just die off and are replaced by scientists who believe the new theories.<br>I read this book when it first came out and was mightily impressed. Just recently a newly lofted satellite has proven Frank correct and a Scientific American article detailed the proof and the fact that his nay-sayers are now either eating crow or are marginalized in their continued denial. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in Earth sciences. --1handclapping<br>*<br>Frank explains in wonderful detail the problems that a scientist has when he makes an important discovery outside of his accepted expertise. He is not the first to suffer from this prejudice, nor will he be the last. But, it is important for us to be reminded that science too, often wears blinders and because of this, important discoveries are ignored and it takes decades before we are able to move forward in our knowledge of how things work. -- Brad Fregger<br>--unquote--<br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>