I got about halfway through this Wired article by Mark Baard about the "resurgence" of cryptozoology, when I found this:
The media's renewed interest is partly due to the recent discoveries of the "hobbit" remains on Flores Island in Indonesia and the giant squid photographed by Japanese scientists, Coleman said.
And here is a loaded reference:
Cryptozoology has been taking its knocks since the discovery of Neanderthal man in the 19th century.
Many mainstream scientists at the time insisted the remains of Neanderthal were actually those of a sick or deformed human, said Coleman.
On one side, we have the creationists, who would like you to believe that every evolutionary biologist was suckered by Piltdown. "If they were wrong about that, they can't tell their butts from their elbows!"
On the other, we have the cryptozoologists, who would like you to remind you of all those bad, bad scientists who thought that Neandertals were sick or deformed. Why, "If they were wrong about that, they can't tell their butts from their elbows!"
Can't you just hear them? "They doubted us, but the ebu gogo is real! The giant squid is on tape! The truth is out there!
Can I just ask that future qualifying exams include a butt vs. elbow discrimination quiz?
