Re: CROSSING THE BERING STRAIT? How ridiculous!

Kevin Miller (millerk@ix.netcom.com)
Sat, 30 Nov 1996 20:58:11 GMT

There are a few very plausible explanations that would have to be
disproven before you could rule the Bering Straits theory out. Among
them are fleeing from an enemy or following a food source.

I do think that these sorts of theories (e.g. Bering Straits
migration) do take on a life of their own, however, and need to be
challanged. Some of the new work going on with DNA may help sort
things out eventually.

Kevin

edconrad@prolog.net (Ed Conrad) wrote:

>Whoever came up with the theory that man arrived in
>North America by crossing the Bering Strait is certainly a prime
>candidate for science's Dunce of the Century Award.

>Let's be realistic and use a little common sense!

>What tribal leaders, in their right mind -- from wherever they were --
>would search for ``greener pastures" by heading so far north?

>True, they may not have realized they were heading north (assuming
>there were no maps or compasses), but they'd soon realize it was
>getting colder and more hostile the further they traveled.

>Why would they continue? Why would they start off in the first place?
>How would they know that -- if they ever completed their trip --
>they'd be much better off than they were before?

>What would they have done for food? Once their supply of food was
>exhausted, what did they eat? Where did they find the additional food
>they most certainly would have had to have?

>How about the trip itself? If it happened (which it obviously didn't),
>how did they protect themselves from the elements? After all, even if
>they made the trip in record time, they'd have spent many, many
>nine-to-10-month ``winters" in a most hostile environment.

>This litany of absurdities could go on and on.

>The plain and simple fact is that it never happened.

>Let the scientists who cling to this ridiculous idea give it a try to
>prove their point that it IS possible. But let them make the trip
>without themal clothing, battery-powered heaters, a stockpile of food,
>directional finders, etc., etc., etc.

>May then -- ONLY then -- they would realize how prepostrous
>the theory is.

>As I've said, all it takes is a bit of common sense to realize that
>the earliest man to inhabit of North America certainly didn't make
>the trip by cossing the Bering Strait.

>Naturally, such a ridiculous theory was originally presented because
>of an inability by the scientific community to explain man's presence
>on the North American continent.

>It was just one of many flights of fantasy by dreams and hallucinators
>who think, while you can fool some of the people all of the time and
>all of the people some of the time, you can't fool all of the people
>all of the time.

>