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To determine if scientific investigation is enough to prove or disprove the existence of controversial species, using mermaids and dragons as an example.
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“Mermaids: The Body Found”: a documentary that speaks on the existence of a mermaid species in hiding, and the evidence that would back this hypothesis up. The movie follows the story of a group of scientists that encounter various pieces of evidence that may lead to the belief in the existence of mermaids. The first piece of evidence that they find is “The Bloop”, a recording of a mysterious sound produced by a member of an unknown species in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. In another recording, an entire population of the same species seems to be communicating with dolphins. The recordings are later linked to a series of mass whale “beachings”, which the scientists attribute to a Navy sonar test. In one of the die-offs, a body with mixed seal and dolphin parts is found and taken in for study by Dr. Paul Robertson, Dr. Rebecca Davis, and Dr. Brian McCormick. Through study of the body, several discoveries are made: the fin of the body had bones (which marine mammals like the manatee don’t have), its large spleen would’ve allowed it to store oxygen for long periods of time, its phalange showed that it had hands, and the high ridge in its hips meant that it once walked upright, on two feet. The study of the body’s DNA showed a profile almost exactly the same as the human profile. Additionally, the documentary uses sightings of similar creatures as proof of the hidden existence of mermaids. There exists a camera-phone recording of two boys who once encountered the same body in a beaching (the body was retrieved by the Navy), a recording of fishermen catching one of these beings in their net, and the testimony of a man that once worked in the Navy, who claimed to have seen the same creature in captivity at his work place, and he brought along a small video of it. Finally, the scientists rely on the tall-tales of fishermen who’d seen mermaids in the depths of the ocean, picking up spears and carved materials in their nets, and the fact that there are shared mythological stories of mermaids in different cultures around the world, who had no way of communicating with each other in their time. The Aquatic Ape Theory: this theory was developed by marine biologist Alister Hardy, and is currently supported by evolutionary anthropology writer Elaine Morgan. The theory states that, due to flooding in the coasts around five million years ago, part of the evolution that took place between our last relative and modern humans took place in water. This would have happened out of the need for food in order to survive, and would have resulted in an ape-like, aquatic 3
species, otherwise known as the mermaid species. The main supporting argument for this theory would be the fact that humans share many qualities with marine creatures, while differing in these aspects with other primates. For instance, humans have webbing between their fingers, a layer of fat that insulates the body from cold water, advanced control over their breath (can hold breath for longer than any other land species), a flexible spine, salty tears and sweat, an inherent ability to swim that appears from a young age, and have lost the body hair that would difficult swimming. Mermaids are mainly known for appearing in the mythology of many cultures with no connection. The eldest story concerning a mermaid appeared in Syria in 1000 B.C., and later in Ancient Assyria. In both cultures, one of their goddesses took mermaid form. The most well-known story is probably that included in The Odyssey by Homer, in which Ulysses encounters evil sirens that lure fishermen into the sea with their chants. Another renowned story is “The Little Mermaid”, a folk story/fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in the year 1836. Christopher Columbus claimed to have seen mermaids while exploring the Caribbean, although he could’ve just seen other marine mammals such as manatees or dugongs.
Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real: a documentary that supports the possible existence of dragon 65 million years ago (Cretaceous period). The documentary features Dr. Jack Tanner, a paleontologist, who finds the body of an unidentified animal, along
with several human bodies from the Middle Ages. The body’s unusual features lead Tanner to believe it belongs to a dragon: its scaly skin and tail give it reptilian characteristics, but its wings and talons show that it was capable of flight, along with the light but strong honeycomb structure of its bones. The body’s huge heart
would pump extra blood to the chest muscles, and, although it’s declared to be a carnivore, it has molars. The molars have crushed rock stuck in them; Tanner suggests that, since rock is a source of platinum, they served as fuel for their fire. The hydrogen that is produced in the two bladder-like organs found in the body,
mixed with the oxygen in the air, would allow the creature to produce a flame, and the fleshy palate at the back of their throat would protect them from the backdraft of the fire. Considering they lived during the Cretaceous period, dragons would’ve been wiped out by the same source that exterminated dragons. Nevertheless, 4
Tanner suggests a theory that would explain the dragon’s survival. Only marine
species survived the mentioned mass extinction, and crocodiles, like dragons, have a fleshy palate, which proposes the possibility of common ancestry. During the mass extinction event, a species of marine dragons would’ve adapted to living in the sea. Centuries later, the species would return to land; Tanner believes that the
species of marine dragon that is half-way into readapting to land would have the characteristics of the dragons in Chinese mythology. There are many historical, mythological, and even religious tales of dragons and sightings of the species. The eldest come from Ancient Greece, where historian Herodotus, in 500 B.C., claims to have seen the bones and remains of serpents with bat-like wings. Alexander the Great, two centuries later, reported a hidden dragonlike creature seen hidden in a cave, having people worship it as a god. Allegedly, King Morvidus of the Britons was killed by a dragon while fighting to stop it from attacking his peoples. The creature was so big that it swallowed him down “in one big gulp.” The Middle Ages are known for the legends of dragon-slaying knights, fighting against the evil they represented. In these stories, dragons were shown as treasure-keepers. The epic Anglo-Saxon (old English) poem “Beowulf” recounts the story of an eponymous dragon slayer, who’s most remarkable deeds were slaying many sea reptiles (marine dragons) and one land dragon known as “Grendel”. In Polish folk telling, the famous Wawel dragon is known for living in the Wawel cave, which is a tourist attraction in Poland. Finally, the great traveler Marco Polo describes having seen a variety of snake-like reptiles with talons (although without wings) in the province of Karajan. The Bible refers to a dragon in the form of “Leviathan”, an evil marine reptile in Job 41:1-34. It is described as a “fiery flying serpent.” Also, the dragon was closely linked to the idea of hell by being placed in a war against heaven’s angels.
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Can science fully prove or disprove the existence of a controversial species?
If enough scientific evidence from reliable sources is found, then science will be able to prove the existence of controversial species, because scientific facts have the ability to conclude on their existence.
Sources for investigation
Mermaids: The Body Found. Prod. Darlow Smithson. By Charlie Foley. Discovery Communications Animal Planet, 2012. Film.
Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real. Prod. John Smithson and Charlie Foley. Perf. Paul Hilton. Discovery Communications Animal Planet, 2004. Film.
"Mermaids: The Body Found | Premieres Only on Animal Planet." Mermaids: The Body Found. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://press.discovery.com/ekits/monster-week-mermaids/pressrelease.html>.
"No Evidence of Mermaids, Says US Government." BBC News. BBC, 07 Mar. 2012. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada18692830>.
"Are Mermaids Mentioned in the Bible? Do Mermaids Exist?" GotQuestions.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.gotquestions.org/mermaidsBible.html>.
"El Pakozoico: Galería De Paleontólogos De Ficción: Jack Tanner." El Pakozoico: Galería De Paleontólogos De Ficción: Jack Tanner. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013.
<http://www.pakozoic.com/2006/09/galera-de-paleontlogos-de-ficcinjack.html>.
"Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real; A Review." Proof of Evolution. N.p. 2009. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.proof-of-evolution.com/dragons-a-fantasy-made-
real.html>. 6
"Are Dragons Real? Facts About Dragons." LiveScience.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19
May 2013. <http://www.livescience.com/25559-dragons.html>.
"Animal Planet." Animal Planet. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/other/videos/dragons-evidence-ofdragons.htm>.
"Dinosaurs in Mythology." Humanities at Stanford. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://humanexperience.stanford.edu/feature-dragons>.
"Dragons; Evidence of Recent Dinosaurs." Dragons; Evidence of Recent Dinosaurs. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013.
<http://www.nwcreation.net/dinosdragons.html>.
"Alister Hardy." Aquatic Ape. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.aquaticape.org/hardy.html>.
Watch both documentaries, Mermaids: The Body Found and Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real. Research on the documentaries to test their reliability: find out who directed them, who wrote them, who appears in them and if they are who they claim to be, if the information they provide is accurate. Find further information on the existence of dragons: physical evidence such as fossils or bodies that may have been found, reported sightings, mythological and cultural appearances, and,
most importantly, the scientific feasibility of their existence. Would science allow for the existence of this species? Do the same for mermaids.
Test the reliability of the information found: verify the identity and level of expertise of the person or organization providing it, check the date of publication (it might be outdated), compare amongst sources to see if they back each other up. 7
Mermaids: The Body Found: the documentary has been referred to as a “documentary- style science fiction film.” NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) stated that “no evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found.” The identities of Dr. Paul Robertson, Dr. Brian McCormick, and Dr. Rebecca Davis can’t be proved. “drpaulrobertson.com”, which is his official webpage, shows this message to visitors:
The official Discovery Channel Animal Planet webpage for the press release of the movie states: “Editor’s note: This two-hour special is science fiction based on some real events and scientific theory.” The webpage only claims that the Navy’s sonar tests and the “Bloop” recording are facts. Still, the recording isn’t replicable and the same instance can’t be found again. Unreliable The Aquatic Ape Theory: Alister Hardy, one of the first persons to propose this hypothesis, was knighted by the Queen for his work with plankton as a marine biologist. This makes him a person of very high regard, but his theory was only based on his realization of similar human and marine animal characteristics when studying evolution (he was mainly inspired by Charles’ Darwin’s work on human’s evolution from apes). Elaine Morgan is mainly a feminist writer, not a scientist; she first used Hardy’s theory as a means to write a book about masculinity and femininity. There is no tangible proof that supports this
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hypothesis, only intellectual work that has been constantly challenged by the
academic community. Unreliable Mermaid mythology: There is no disproving the fact that mermaids appear in myths of various cultures, all around the globe, and they had no contact with each other while creating these stories. This is a fact. Nevertheless, how trustworthy are these myths? By definition, myths are NOT real; they are stories of fantasy and magic. The reported sightings by fishermen can easily be explained: a case of loneliness, home and sea sickness can cause any uneducated, naïve fisherman to confuse a marine mammal for beautiful creature. Unreliable Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real: this was marketed as a “docudrama”, a “speculative evolution of dragons”, “what dragon life might have been like if
they had existed”, by the Discovery Channel. Paul Hilton is an actor, who plays Dr. Jack Tanner, a fictional paleontologist. In addition, the information provided in the movie is challenged by Paul F. Pavao, who manages a page dedicated to evolution. He states that a 900 pound creature couldn’t have flown, that such a
big animal’s fossils would’ve been found by now (which they haven’t), that hydrogen would’ve been useless in assisting its flight, and that an animal with 6 limbs (2 wings and 4 paws) has never existed. Unreliable Dragon mythology: it is incredible how wide spread in legend these creatures are. Still, the website that provided this information (NWCreation) seems to be very biased and stresses on the fact that “Although dragon legends are often dismissed as myth today, many of these stories may have a historical basis in sightings of recent dinosaurs.” The stories seem to have been exaggerated and put out of context, in order to convince the reader that they are not myths. The Bible used dragons as symbols, not literally. Taking this into account, even if the sightings were actually real, they could easily be disproven: dragons of Komodo may have been confused for dragons, and dinosaur fossils could’ve been confused for dragon bones in the past, before science was well developed.
Unreliable
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Research on the existence of mermaids Information that supports the
Information that doesn’t support
existence of mermaids
the existence of mermaids
Mermaids: The Body Found
NOAA statement (reliable)
(unreliable)
Mermaid mythology and sightings (unreliable)
The Aquatic Ape Theory (unreliable)
Research on the existence of dragons Information that supports the
Information that doesn’t support
existence of dragons
the existence of dragons
Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real
evolution.com (reliable)
(unreliable)
Paul F. Pavao for proof-of-
Dragons in mythology (unreliable)
The results of my testing are very blunt. When weighing the information I found, the side that supported the existence of the controversial species won by quantity. Nevertheless, this became irrelevant when evaluating quantity, which, for this experiment, was much more important. Literally all of the data on the “supports” side was defined as unreliable, while the small amount of information on the “doesn’t support” side was reliable. It doesn’t matter if there is more on one side; if it’s not coming from a trustworthy place, then it’s as good as nothing. The side that doesn’t support the existence of mermaids and dragons has more reliability, and therefore, it has more value and is the one that should be taken into account. 10
This project has been an incredibly challenging process for me. Working with materials that weren’t tangible, having to test my hypothesis through investigation, and dealing with other scientists’ work were only some of the new tasks that I had to encounter. Overall, after all has been completed, I do believe that it has been a somewhat rewarding experience. The experiment’s objective was to test science’s capability to prove or disprove a concept, rather than testing the existence of controversial species. My hypothesis stated that, if evidence from a reliable source existed, then science would be able to prove the existence of dragons and mermaids. Across my extremely thorough research, I encountered mostly unreliable sources that supported the existence of my controversial species, and those that were reliable, spoke against it. There was no real, scientific, replicable evidence to back up the possible existence of these creatures. Therefore, my hypothesis was not supported by my results. It was disproven, rather, because of the fact that, even after hours of investigation, no trustworthy, scientific sources provided a substantial argument that could establish mermaids and dragons as actual species. There is one recommendation that I believe would make the replication of this experiment more successful. These apply especially to the part of the process that consists purely in researching. My main suggestion is to dedicate as much time and organization as possible to this stage. Since it is the foundation for the whole of the experiment, it should be the one that takes the most time and effort to complete. Take the time to find a variety of sources, read articles, watch videos, take notes and summarize, and even discuss the information with someone else. This will make the rest of the process not only easier, but more accurate and effective, and produce clear results at the end. This experiment really has shown me the power of science: the authority of hard, undeniable fact that has been discovered after investigation, testing, and discussion. Although most of the information I found wasn’t accurate, I realized how important a role science plays in our lives. Even science fiction, as shown in the documentaries, has the ability to influence, bring a new perspective, and challenge what has been established. But reality, truth, and knowledge, will always win out and bring clarity. So as much as I’d like to, based on the strong results of this procedure, I can say with certainty that I don’t believe in the existence of these controversial species.
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"Images 320." Gstatic. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1rWdfmvRqzoCe4yl0Ows1CnfpfvRB r0XHnmPqfmQZK5DU1AJPKg>. "Upload20060." Tus Criaturas. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://tuscriaturas.blogia.com/upload/20060816092815-los-supremos-dragonesniveos.jpg>. "ImagetbnA." Gstatic. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSh3BmoK9pxi44l1G9gjmbOv_fPW8P tk7X1icH7T1VKwrZy4MdfZQ>.
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