Re: Crocodile Rock

David Froehlich (eohippus@curly.cc.utexas.edu)
Sat, 14 Oct 1995 12:18:33 -0500

On 14 Oct 1995 jamesb@hgu.mrc.ac.uk wrote:

> Yes, our ancesters would have died in large numbers to
> crocodiles if they swam in the sea. But it isn't impossible that some
> would have survived, so this doesn't destroy the theory.

No, virtually nothing is impossible, just implausible. The explanation
that best explains the data with the fewest non-testable assumptions is
the one to be preffered. AAS makes a lot of untestable assumptions (no
fossil data for the aquatic phase, etc.) that to many scientists it seems
ultimately implausible (why choose a more complicated explanation that
explains some (but not all) the observations when there is a less
complicated explanation that explains more (but not all) of the data?).

David J. Froehlich Phone: 512-471-6088
Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory Fax: 512-471-5973
J.J. Pickle Research Campus
The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712