After sending off information about homing pigeon and honey bee
orientation studies earlier this morning, I came across an article sent to
me by Stan Sandler, a frequent contributor to BEE-L.  He had asked for my
opinion of an research article, as follows:
 
Kenneth P. Able.  1996.  The debate over olfactory navigation by homing
pigeons.  The Journal of Experimental Biology.  199:121-124.
 
   The last paragraph of that paper placed into perspective some of the
problems with research on this topic:
 
"The overall situation with regard to olfactory navigation by pigeons is
reminiscent of that with magnetic orientation some years ago.  The weight
of a large amount of evidence supported magnetic orientation, but there
were some conspicuous inconsistencies and failures of replication.  If we
required unanimity of results in studies of bird navigation, we would be
confident of almost nothing.  Today, virtually everyone in the field
accepts magnetic orientation as a matter of course.  In the case of
olfactory navigation, I think that the burden of proof clearly rests with
those who stll believe that odors play no role in homing."
 
   Supportive evidence, no matter how massive, does not count in science
until hypotheses have been REALLY tested.
 
   Did Able include mention or cite the 1988 Moore study, of which I
provided the citation in my last posting?  No, Able did not.  That is not
surprising; those engaged in behavior studies commonly ignore experimental
results that do not conform to existing dogma.
 
   The last sentence (above), though, really gives it all away.  Able has
it wrong --- the burden of proof in science clearly rests on those who wish
to believe in a hypothesis.  Remember, in my earlier posting, the vast
majority of homing pigeons became lost during a competition --- despite
favorable weather conditions at the time.
 
   Did this (effective) test deter those who would believe in magnetic or
olfactory navigation?  No, some immediately began to offer excuses (e.g.,
there must have been an electrical disturbance).
 
                                                        Adrian
 
Adrian M. Wenner                    (805) 963-8508 (home phone)
967 Garcia Road                     (805) 893-8062  (UCSB FAX)
Santa Barbara, CA  93106
 
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* "...in the drift of the years I by and by found out that a Consensus *
* examines a new [idea] with its feelings rather oftener than with its *
* mind.  You know, yourself, that is so.  Do those people examine with *
* feelings that are friendly to evidence?  You know they don't."       *
*                                                                      *
*                                                Mark Twain            *
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