Re: The influence of memes on genetic evolution

From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@rogers.com)
Date: Fri 18 Apr 2003 - 19:24:44 GMT

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    At 09:06 PM 18/04/03 +0200, you wrote:

    >----- Original Message -----
    >From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com>
    > > The world has been whipped up into hysteria over terrorist attacks and
    > > "weapons of mass destruction." Governments want to ban the publication of
    > > sensitive scientific research results, and a group of major life sciences
    > > editors and authors has concurred. Some even suggest an international body
    > > to police research and publication. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho looks at the current
    >SARS
    > > epidemic and argues why all of those measures to control bioterrorism are
    > > misplaced, and what's really needed.
    >
    >Grant,
    >
    >Thanks for your contribution, but saying the words of a man I work with,
    >
    >" Why do we bother about SARS, if traffic kills, in the US, 50.000 people
    >a year !? "
    >
    >The 100 people killed by the disease are just drops in the ocean_ natural
    >selection, in all its complexity at work, the survival of the fittest....
    >This may sound hard and unreal, but before bioterrorism becomes a " real "
    >threat it has do some " real " damage.

    I am amazed to hear such a statement on this list. The concern is not about the people who have died from SARS, but the potential death toll and disruption from the whole world getting it. The last major pandemic killed 20-40 million, reportedly 8 million in Spain where it had an exceptional death rate.

    Keith Henson

    >Even so, 50.000 deaths or more, we still keep up the pace, don 't we !?
    >
    >We don 't care, we' re still speeding_ and we do hope, that we won 't
    >be killed or kill in the process........
    >
    >Kenneth
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >===============================================================
    >This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
    >Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
    >For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
    >see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit

    =============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit

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