> >On Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:07:44 -0800 (PST), John Stockwell
> ><john.19071...@gmail.com> wrote:

> >> On Dec 19, 8:53 pm, AGWFacts <AGWFa...@ipcc.org> wrote:
> >> >http://librivox.org/is-mars-habitable-by-alfred-russel-wallace/

> >> > In 1907 Wallace wrote the short book Is Mars Habitable? to
> >> > criticize the claims made by Percival Lowell that there were
> >> > Martian canals built by intelligent beings. Wallace did months of
> >> > research, consulted various experts, and produced his own
> >> > scientific analysis of the Martian climate and atmospheric
> >> > conditions. Among other things Wallace pointed out that
> >> > spectroscopic analysis had shown no signs of water vapor in the
> >> > Martian atmosphere, that Lowell’s analysis of Mars’ climate was
> >> > seriously flawed and badly overestimated the surface temperature,
> >> > and that low atmospheric pressure would make liquid water, let
> >> > alone a planet girding irrigation system, impossible. (from
> >> > Wikipedia)

> >> >http://www.archive.org/download/is_mars_habitable_cal_librivox/is_mar...

> >> Yep. Percival Lowell---another great intelligent design theorist.

> >Heee! You are right---- that never occurred to me. But he was not
> >the only astronomer who believed he saw artificial canals on Mars:
> >there were a handful of people who made astonishingly accurate
> >measurements, and detailed maps, of these utterly imaginary canals
> >and seas.

> >Wallace took as fact that the canals existed as described. That
> >was perfectly reasonable on his part, considering he didn't have
> >his own telescope *AND* considering the other astronomers besides
> >Lowell who reported seeing the canals.

> >It freaks me out, and I find disturbing, how these perfectly
> >rational, reasoning, critically-thinking scientists were able to
> >fool themselves; even Lowell said many of the largest canals he
> >observed seemed to briefly appear, then disappear for long periods
> >of time.

> Seeing fine lines is an artifact of direct obsrvation with the naked
> eye.  If memory serves me, it was an Italian astronomer who first
> referred to fine lines seen in his observations of Mars as canali,
> which simply means (IIANM) fine lines.  Lowell and others misread
> canali as canals and took off from there.

> >It makes me wonder what other things scientists of the world see,
> >but don't actually exist. Peer review is supposed to limit this
> >problem, but what happens when instrumentation to make
> >observations exists in the hands of a tiny few?

> Good question.