Nothing will kill a "theory", actually only a speculative inference, faster than a cold, hard chronological fact. The most probable inference now, and always was, that they crashed in the open ocean which means the plane will likely never be found. If they made it to an island perhaps we will get lucky and remains will turn up.
Another lesson here is the ready acceptance of "scientific" support for archaeological inferences [DNA, facial recognition, etc.]. Too many these days are playing up "archaeological science" and forgetting that archaeology is a science, a SOCIAL SCIENCE, not a physical science. It is a social science that secondarily uses techniques borrowed from the natural sciences. These techniques are important but they can never be the core of archaeology. There is also what I call the 'pitfall of natural sciences': such techniques come from outside our field and competence, from Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Astronomy, Biology, etc., and we are ultimately totally dependent on our colleagues in those fields. All too frequently the pattern is:
(1) a new technique appears, (2) archaeologists rush to endorse and apply it, (3) after ten or twenty years or so the original discipline tells the archaeologists that assumption No. 12 underpinning the new technique has proven to be wrong, (4) so forget all the conclusions based on it.
A classic example of this pattern is C-14 Dating which proved to be flawed when it turned out that the ratio of C-12/C-14 in the atmosphere had not been constant. Fortunately what exposed this problem (dendrochronology) also helped to correct the problem.
I know that "archaeological science" is very popular today and it sells but it should not dominate our discipline, especially a sub-specialization like Historical Archaeology. Good cultural and historical questions should be our core and the equal use of archival analysis and archaeological record analysis, where natural sciences can play an important secondary role, should remain at the center of our field.
Robert L. Schuyler
University of Pennsylvania Museum
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA l9l04-6324
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From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Branstner, Mark C <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2017 11:05 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: news feed: new photo may show Emilia Earhart after crash
There is a link in the Guardian article to a PDF of the original publication. The photo is on p. 99/117.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/blogger-discredits-claim-amelia-earhart-was-taken-prisoner-by-japan
Blogger discredits claim Amelia Earhart was taken prisoner by Japan<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/blogger-discredits-claim-amelia-earhart-was-taken-prisoner-by-japan>
www.theguardian.com
Documentary claimed photo showed aviator on Japanese-held Marshall Islands in 1937, but image was found in book published two years earlier
Lest we not forget, the 'History Channel' is the one that plays marathon sessions of 'Ancient Aliens' ...
________________________________________
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Christopher Fennell [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2017 9:52 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: news feed: new photo may show Emilia Earhart after crash
Another twist on the 1930s photo of Jabor harbor in the Jaluit atoll --
Blogger discredits claim Amelia Earhart was taken prisoner by Japan
Documentary claimed photo showed aviator on Japanese-held Marshall Islands in 1937, but image was found in book published two years earlier
The Guardian, July 11, 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/blogger-discredits-claim-amelia-earhart-was-taken-prisoner-by-japan
Blogger discredits claim Amelia Earhart was taken prisoner by Japan<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/blogger-discredits-claim-amelia-earhart-was-taken-prisoner-by-japan>
www.theguardian.com
Documentary claimed photo showed aviator on Japanese-held Marshall Islands in 1937, but image was found in book published two years earlier
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