REALL News - Vol 14 No 03 - 2006

Magazine Overview

Title: The REALL News
Issue: Volume 14, Number 3
Date: April 2006
Publisher: The Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land
Document Type: Magazine Issue

This issue of The REALL News, the official newsletter of the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land, delves into the complex and often controversial topic of alien abduction. The publication, dedicated to rational thinking and the scientific method, critically examines claims and indicators associated with UFO encounters and abductions, presenting a skeptical perspective.

Main Article: Have You Been Abducted By Aliens? Hasn't Everybody?

The lead article by Martin S. Kottmeyer addresses the prevalence of alien abduction beliefs, citing a 1998 Roper Organization poll where 20 out of 5,995 respondents claimed to have been abducted by UFO occupants. Kottmeyer extrapolates this to suggest roughly one million people in the general population might hold this belief, though he notes the margin of error makes precise figures difficult. He points out that the belief, while present, is not pandemic and is nowhere near the top of personal worry lists.

The article discusses Susan Clancy's book "Abducted!", which observes that many individuals who believe they were abducted do not recall the event itself, suspecting that hypnotic regression might bring back such memories. Kottmeyer notes the common belief that aliens attempt to erase memories, citing the Betty and Barney Hill case from the Sixties, where abduction suspicions arose from vivid dreams following UFO sightings. He questions the effectiveness of alien concealment if memories resurface through dreams or hypnosis.

Kottmeyer also references Budd Hopkins and the case of Steven Kilburn, whose abduction was suspected due to fear of a specific road, later confirmed through hypnotic regression. The criteria for abduction experiences expanded over time to include anxieties, recurring dreams, and peculiar anomalies. The article mentions Edith Fiore's book "Encounters" and its list of "The Ten Most Common Signs of Abductions by Extraterrestrials."

Analysis of Abduction Indicators

A significant portion of the magazine is dedicated to dissecting lists of abduction indicators, particularly those compiled by Melinda Leslie and others. Kottmeyer expresses skepticism about these lists, which often contain dozens of signs (e.g., 58 or more). He argues that such extensive lists make it almost impossible not to score high, regardless of actual experience. He criticizes the lack of rigorous scientific testing, factor analysis, or reliability scores for these lists, comparing them to urban folklore.

Kottmeyer highlights several points of contention:

• Number of Signs: The sheer number of indicators suggests aliens are not very secretive if so many signs are left behind.
• Universality of Signs: Many items on the lists are common experiences in the general population, such as back pain, headaches, sleep disorders, fear of spiders, or pro-environmentalism. He provides statistical data from various sources to illustrate this point.
• Subjectivity and Interpretation: Many signs are vague and open to interpretation (e.g., "strange," "unusual," "unexplained"), allowing individuals to project their experiences onto the list.
• Paranoia and Delusions: Several indicators, such as feeling watched, having a sense of mission, or feeling special, can also be symptoms of paranoia or delusions of grandeur, making differential diagnosis difficult.
• Hypnosis Concerns: The article strongly criticizes the use of hypnotic regression to 'recover' abduction memories. It cites Jacques Vallee's concerns that hypnosis can create false memories and that specialists were horrified by the methods used in ufology. Kottmeyer argues that hypnosis is not a reliable method for accessing true memories and can lead to irreversible traumatic experiences.
• Lack of Scientific Rigor: Unlike medical diagnoses that rely on fixed symptoms and tests, abduction indicator lists lack a clear method for differential diagnosis. Kottmeyer questions the validity of tests that cannot yield a zero score and where 20 out of 58 signs are considered significant, deeming it arbitrary.

He also discusses specific signs, such as flying dreams (which have a long history in mythology), reactions to images of eyes (supernormal sign stimulation), and unexplained physical marks. He notes how the lists tend to grow over time, with new indicators being added, further diluting their specificity.

Other Articles and Features

From the Chairman (Wally Hartshorn): Hartshorn shares personal travel plans for Spring, mentioning trips to Brownsville and Austin, Texas. He also notes that he will miss the April meeting where a video on Bill Nye will be shown.

Purpose: This section outlines REALL's mission as a non-profit, tax-exempt educational and scientific organization dedicated to rational thinking and the scientific method in examining paranormal and fringe-science phenomena. It details membership rates and REALL's commitment to objective inquiry.

Board of Directors & Editorial Board: Lists the members of REALL's leadership.

REALL Contacts: Provides contact information for the Chairman and Editor, as well as the organization's website.

A Nod to Our Patrons: Acknowledges members who have provided extra financial support.

Gleanings by Clark Olson: This column provides brief updates on various topics. It mentions the "Biblically Correct Tours" in Colorado, the discovery of a "rat-squirrel," and the remodeled evolution exhibit at the Field Museum. It also notes the death of creationist Henry M. Morris, a PhD hydraulic engineer and author of "The Genesis Flood." A short book review of "Just a Theory" by Moti Ben-Ari is included, discussing the nature of science and scientific theories. The section also features a puzzle demonstrating the brain's ability to read words with jumbled letters.

Owen Twiddle (Comics): Two comic strips by Owen Twiddle are included. The first, "Owen Twiddle," humorously defines "hominid" and discusses extinct and extant human species. The second, "Speciation Is My Speciality," humorously explores the concept of species distinction in relation to "Homo Stinkus Peditatum" and "Homo Bobo."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The overarching theme of this issue is a critical and skeptical examination of paranormal claims, specifically alien abduction. The REALL News, through its articles and features, consistently promotes rational thinking, the scientific method, and evidence-based inquiry. The publication actively debunks or questions phenomena that lack empirical support, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between genuine scientific understanding and unsubstantiated beliefs or folklore. The editorial stance is clearly one of skepticism towards claims that are not rigorously tested or supported by verifiable evidence, particularly when psychological factors or subjective interpretations might be at play. The magazine aims to educate its members and the public on critical thinking and the pitfalls of accepting extraordinary claims without sufficient proof.

Title: The REALL News
Issue Date: April 2006
Publisher: Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL)

This issue of The REALL News features a detailed examination of the theory of Punctuated Equilibria (PE), also known as 'Punk-eek'. The article, sourced from EvoWiki.org, explains that PE, popularized by Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge, suggests evolutionary change is not constant but occurs rapidly during speciation, followed by long periods of stasis. This theory aims to explain the patterns observed in the fossil record.

The Biogeographical Aspect

The article highlights that Punctuated Equilibria is often misunderstood. It is fundamentally an application of Ernst Mayr's theory of allopatric speciation, which proposes that speciation occurs in small, isolated peripheral populations. Gould and Eldredge noted that if Mayr's theory were true, the fossil record would exhibit a jerky succession of species rather than a smooth progression. The article clarifies that this concept primarily applies to speciation and rapid change, not other evolutionary processes.

Misunderstandings of Punk Eek

A significant portion of the discussion addresses how creationists commonly misinterpret Punctuated Equilibria. They often present PE as a concession from paleontologists, suggesting it admits a lack of transitional fossils. The article quotes Stephen Jay Gould from 1981, who expressed frustration with this misrepresentation. Gould clarified that PE was proposed to explain trends, not to claim the absence of transitional forms, stating that while transitional forms may be lacking at the species level, they are abundant between larger groups, citing the evolution from reptiles to mammals as well-documented.

The article emphasizes that Punctuated Equilibria solely attempts to explain the rate and pattern of evolutionary change as inferred from the fossil record, and attributing more to it is unsubstantiated.

Controversy and Critique

The theory of Punctuated Equilibria, particularly as presented by Gould and Eldredge, has faced significant criticism from evolutionary biologists. While most agree that evolutionary rates vary, the specific presentation of PE as fundamentally opposed to the neo-Darwinian paradigm is considered flawed. The article notes that the argument for continuous evolution in a punctuational manner has not been consistently supported by explicit reviews of the fossil record.

More damaging are studies by Phillip Gingerich on morphologic change in Cenozoic mammals, which demonstrated a more continuous pattern of gradualism. Further research into morphologic change in mammals has also failed to underwrite Gouldian punctuated equilibrium in the fossil record, with studies by Hurzeler, Chaline & Laurin, Fahlbusch, Harris & White, MacFadden, Krishtalka & Stucky, and Maglio cited. Carroll has emphasized that using operational taxonomic units, as per Stanley's method, is inherently flawed due to the limitations of Linnean terminology, and that anatomical detail, not taxonomic convention, is crucial for identifying punctuated equilibria. Levington concluded that fossil evidence for punctuation is slight compared to the more impressive evidence for gradualism, referring to Ernst Mayr as the founder of the punctuated equilibrium hypothesis.

Our Next Meeting

The REALL News also announces an upcoming meeting. The event will feature a video presentation by Bill Nye, 'The Science Guy', as part of the Skeptics Society's Distinguished Lecture Series. The presentation includes video clips from his current TV series, "The Eyes of Nye" (shown on PBS). The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 4, at 7:00 PM at the Lincoln Library (7th & Capitol) in Springfield, Illinois. It is free and open to the public. The Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL) is the organizing body, with contact information provided.

In This Issue

Other articles listed in the issue include "Have You Been Abducted by Aliens? Hasn't Everybody?", "Gleanings", and "Owen Twiddle".

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine appears to focus on rational examination of various topics, including scientific theories and potentially skeptical viewpoints, as indicated by the "Skeptics Society" mention and the general tone of the article on Punctuated Equilibria, which critically examines both the theory and its criticisms. The inclusion of a meeting announcement for the "Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL)" suggests an editorial stance that encourages critical thinking and evidence-based discussion.