Section A · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, July 12, 2000
Fossils support Darwin
Water covered state during Mesozoic era
By L. Candy Ruff Special to the Kansan
Fossils at the KU Natural History Museum offer solid evidence that the earth is about four billion years old, a KU geology professor said in a lecture Sunday.
A lecture by Bruce Lieberman, "The Fossils Speak: The Evidence of Darwin's Theory," was the first event of Kansas Scopes Week, sponsored by the Kansas Citizens for Science. More than 100 people attended the lecture.
Citizens for Science formed last August after the Kansas State Board of Education removed references to the evolution of species and the geological history of the earth from its science standards.
The fossils Lieberman used to make his case for the scientific evidence of evolution have Kansas connections.
He linked one of today's non-poisonous snakes with the mascosaurs of 70 million years ago by pointing to the similarities in skeletal structure.
"Both have strong jaw muscles that developed because of their environment," Lieberman said. "They have the unique hinged jawbones that allow their mouths to protrude to capture prey. Even though the two are separated by 70 million years, the species are linked by similarities."
The Kansas topography in that age — Mesozoic era — was quite different from today. A vast inland ocean covered much of the state and the mosaasaur lived exclusively underwater. The snake's modern-day cousins adapted to land and water while maintaining a strong degree of correlation in the skeletal structure, Lieberman said.
"We may not have the exact date to pinpoint when the mosasaurus lived, but carbon dating gives us a pretty good idea of how old these fossils are," he said.
Lieberman said the lineage of the horse is a good example.
Mesohippus, an ancient horse, lived 20 million years ago. Bearing slight differences in feet and teeth, the horse's oldest and smallest relative moved much faster. During this period, Kansas changed from an inland ocean to an ocean of grass.
To escape its enemies Mesohippus needed quickness and the ability to run long distances because few trees dotted the landscape.
Lieberman used four other examples to illustrate the gradual growth horses underwent as their environment changed. The animals gradually increased in size with the landscape dominated by grassland.
Later, four toes gave way to one large one that slowed down the horse and better supported its larger frame. That change came about as the horse found itself in a more forested environment. The increase in trees and foliage offered places to hide and a greater variety in which to feed. Smaller teeth shaped to eat grass gave way to large incisors with the ability to rip through the flesh of smaller prey.
"The examples you see here are not direct ancestors. It is not a simple progression through time but there are links and similarities," Lieberman said. What you see at the Natural History Museum represents years of scientific research done in countries around the world, he said.
Young-earth creationists behind the
"We may not have the exact date to pinpoint when the mosasaurs lived,but carbon dating gives us a pretty good idea of how old these fossils are."
Bruce Lieberman KU Geology Professor
move to discount scientific evolution want to eliminate the geological history of the earth, Lieberman said. They work to weaken the definition of theory by offering hypothesis and speculation as being on equal scientific footing, he said.
"Placing evolution theory alongside that of the Biblical-driven creationists would be like saying we will study the world being flat with the world being round. The two bear no similarities.
Scopes Week continues through Friday. Origins opens at 7 p.m. today in the Lied Center. The play recreates the 1925 Scopes "Monkey Trial," in which a Tennessee public school teacher was prosecuted for teaching evolution.
At 2:30 on July 22, Tom Willis —spokesman for Intelligent Design,a creationist-oriented advocacy group—will lead a tour of the Natural History Museum, and counter Lieberman's explanation of evolution.
Bruce Lieberman, professor of geology,
explains evolution at the KU Natural
History Museum. Lieberman guided the
group through various exhibits around
the museum on Sunday. Photo by Melissa
Thornton/KANSAN
-By BriAnne Hess
University helps foreign students to acclimate
By Jenny Barlow
Special to the Kansan
Eleven foreign Fulbright grantees are participating in a six-week orientation program at the University of Kansas that will prepare them for graduate studies at U.S. universities.
"This is the first year for the program, and it is truly a feather in the cap for KU," said Christa Hansen, special programs coordinator for the Applied English Center, about the Foreign Fulbright Graduate Students Program, which began recently.
"Very few places offer this program, and we are pleased to be invited to host this orientation," she said.
And the Institute of International Education is equally pleased to bring the program
to the University. It was impressed with KU's strong Applied English and orientation programs.
"The AEC has a long-standing, well-respected reputation in the U.S." Hansen said. "Our program is one of the oldest in America. The Fulbright students will attend orientation to graduate education and American society and culture. The classes will review oral presentations, technical writing and research skills, while KU faculty mentors will provide guidance."
Grantee from the program, whose goal is to use educational exchange as a means to increase understanding between the United States and foreign countries, will live in Naismith Hall during the orientation.
They are from several countries, including Venezuela, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Japan and Madagascar, and will study fields ranging from analytic chemistry to political systems, Hansen said. But for Mauro Nunez, a Fulbright grantee from Chile, improving his English skills is paramount to succeeding in graduate studies.
"In the next six weeks, I hope to strengthen my reading and writing skills because I understand that my courses and professors will not pity me because I am foreign." Nunez said.
A reception was held last week by the AEC for the grantees to meet fellow students, staff, and faculty mentors. The program will end Aug. 15, and the grantees will
leave for their respective universities to begin graduate studies.
"This is my first time out of my country," said Abou Bakar Bamba, Fulbright grantee from the Ivory Coast. "After the orientation at KU, I will attend Georgia State University for about five years to receive my Ph.D. in American Diplomatic History."
Some of the Fulbright grantees had exciting first impressions once they arrived at the KU campus.
An introduction to U.S. attitudes also surprised some of the menaces
"It's amazing here," Nunez said. "I couldn't believe the campus when I first saw it because it is so beautiful and amazing."
also surprised some of the grantees. "My first impression was that Americans are very friendly since they are always smiling."
Bamba said. "However, in Africa, we really take time to greet people when meeting someone new, and Americans are more shallow that way."
But grantees also mentioned how American culture was not completely foreign.
"I have a lot of contact with American culture back home in Chile," said Nunez. "I drink Coke and eat at KFC and watch Married With Children and The Simpsons."
Even though the grantees were becoming acclimated to U.S. culture, many of the students said they planned to return to their native country once their Fulbright program ended.
"I will indeed go home when I finish my graduate studies," Bamba said. "The work I do here
will teach me how to manage politics effectively to help my country and the rest of Africa."
The Fulbright Program, which is financed by the U.S. Department of State, has nearly 200,000 alumni from more than 140 countries around the world.
"The Fulbright Program is fantastic because it really helps students in developing countries have the chance to get a good education," said Samuoy Sin, Fulbright grantee from Cambodia. "The program really produces a good impact to the developing world and to America as well."
Each year, about 5,000 Fulbright grants are awarded to students, professors and professionals.
— Edited by Ben Embry