From Michael Kellock
Philip Cohen’s report of how some experts have reacted to suggestions that the theory of universality of the genetic code might be flawed provides yet another example of scientists defending a favourite theory with all the blinkered dedication of a lioness defending her cubs (30 August, p 35).
The pervasiveness of this attitude in disciplines as diverse as biology and astronomy, and the frequency with which it appears, should be a constant reminder to us all that the world’s greatest scientific minds once knew beyond doubt that the universe rested on the back of a giant turtle.
Foster, Victoria, Australia
