Oklahoma Scientist on Talk of the Nation!

I have just finished listening to a Talk of the Nation Science Friday interview of Dr. Charles Brown, a professor at the University of Tulsa. Scientists in Oklahoma can be proud to be well represented by Brown's creative and valuable work.

The immediate subject of the interview was an example of rapid evolutionary change. It appears likely that populations of cliff swallows have evolved over recent decades as a result of roadkills. Swallows killed by vehicles around the bridges where they live had wings that were, on average, longer than the population average of the survivors. Short wings allow greater maneuverability. The apparent conclusion is that vehicles were a selective force that caused the evolution of shorter wings in cliff swallows. Though not surprising to most of us, it probably came as a surprise to many listeners that evolution happens fast enough that we can measure it.

Charles Brown's study are an excellent illustration of something else. He first began collecting roadkill birds without any clear idea of what he would use them for. Once the hypothesis emerged in his mind, however, he had a couple of hundred specimens on which he could make measurements. Scientific research has a certain amount of serendipity. Also, this hypothesis would never have occurred to Charles Brown had he not studied these animals for decades and come to understand nearly every aspect of the social and ecological lives of these animals. A narrow focus, driven by a single answer to a single question, is a process that many scientists use but would never have led Dr. Brown to make this discovery.

Charles Brown spoke in straightforward, friendly language (with an Oklahoma accent). Immediately after his interview, the host interviewed some scientists regarding Gulf War Syndrome. One of the scientists used the term sequelae. I think we all know what this means but it made me wonder how many non-scientists think that scientists speak a different language and live in a different world. They would not have gotten this impression from Brown and his stories about the curious lives of cliff swallows.

Stanley Rice, President-Elect