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Jack DeBaun’s critical letter (Dec. 30, 2018) about C.R. Scotese is revealing. The problem is, we are not sure if the criticism is his opinion or that of someone, not named, at a website reportedly with questionable safeguards. Of note is the personal attack against the messenger (Dr Scotese) while paying little attention to the data. That might be expected of someone unable to give credit where it is due, or merely covering biases.

Instead of “… an obscure person with no discernible expertise in this area …” and “… who is not an expert in paleo temperature reconstruction …” as stated by Jack, Christopher R. Scotese, Ph.D., earned his doctorate in geology and paleogeography in 1985, from the University of Chicago. He recently retired from the University of Texas, Arlington, after years with its Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and now is an associate at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences with Northwestern University. He has coauthored more than 100 scientific publications and originated the Paleomap Project which researches coal desert deposits, tropical soils, salt deposits, glacial material and more to determine the history of the earth’s climate.

To slander such an accomplished person calls into question the author of the slander. If Jack was passing on the opinion of an anonymous source, he should look elsewhere. It was “not difficult” for me to find Dr. Scotese’s biography on Wikipedia. Be honest.

JEREMY CONLIN

Cocolalla