[meteorite-list] The US World Record Mars Meteorite Discovery

Fri Jan 15 23:52:07 EST 2016

====Why when making the discovery of meteorites in the field, why then give away the scientific analysis and identification process to another? Why not learn how to do it for yourself so that your knowledge of the science of meteoritics increases? Why give away that joy of this discovery process? Sure I understand that many can't do it or perhaps they aren't interested in the whole scientific process, but I am.====

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Interesting questions if you are so inclined to do the mineralogy/classification and have or can develop the skills and resources to do it which are capable of withstanding peer review.  The angle I have to answer your questions...you are welcomed to claim anything you want if it is your rock, or for that matter someone else's rock.  The reason an independent party is brought in is to prevent a conflict of interests in "layperson's terms".

If it is a learning process for you, congratulations on your enthusiasm to learn more on the subject using your unknown specimen as a self-teaching aid and more.  Like learning to dance with what may turn out to be a broom instead of an authentic partner ;)

I have a concern with your self-promotion of your rock before it has met any formal scientific peer review, or at least publication in an accredited scientific journal with a responsible policy of editorial review covering whatever appears in their publications and bulletins.  Until this happens, your conclusions or interpretations are not validated and subject to a wide variety if biases, including but not limited to self-serving bias, confirmation bias, and optimism bias.

I wish you the greatest luck with your specimen and your studies, and like all other criticism you are likely to receive, that is a healthy part of the scientific process to be appreciated, which eventually will invalidate or support your budding studies.  Meteorite and meteor-wrong classification is based on the ability of a sample to be distributed to independent researchers with a stellar reputation in the meteoritical community for this reason.

Best of luck!

-----Original Message-----
From: Ann Cain via Meteorite-list <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
To: meteorite-list <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Fri, Jan 15, 2016 2:59 am
Subject: [meteorite-list] The US World Record Mars Meteorite Discovery

Meteorite List,

Recall: 
Both my sister Ann Cain (who opened the email account) and I, Glyn Howard, use the same email account:

Ann Cain, Glyn Howard
gfndit(at)hotmail.com

This has been a long time coming ... for many years now I have been a reader of the Meteorite List.

I know this discovery sounds Wow! Unbelievable. Surreal. Pick your adjective. But it is what is is. All the physical empirical evidences prove it. I'm not in fear of re-confirmation. I welcome it. I know what it is. It's all repeatable (empirical). 

I appreciate well-known PhD members from the Meteorite List who have contacted me off-line. I will respond. Please give me time.

The evidence for the typical Mars meteorite key type specimens for this discovery:

GSA and GSB

http://gfoundit-mars.com/TheEvidence.html

http://gfoundit-mars.com/TheEvidenceGSA.html

http://gfoundit-mars.com/TheEvidenceGSB.html

The Gallery of US World Record Mars Meteorite specimens:

http://gfoundit-mars.com/GalleryOfImages.html

I will be putting-up/finishing the gallery of World Record Mars meteorite specimens by this Passover.

I do not want to hurt anyone's professional reputation. I'm not a mean or vengeful person. The full complete back story and certain people's identities will remain private. Just know there is a private history in the background of this incredible discovery and full story. Several very well known PhDs at Universities in the meteoritics community, who are meteorite analysts, members of the Meteoritcal Society, and perhaps at times over the years have even posted here on the Meteorite List, have held some of these specimens in their hands, have done tests. They know. I knew they were meteorites before I came to them. I knew that they were achondrites. However, at the time I couldn't prove the parent body. I didn't know how.

The moment I wasn't willing to share or reveal the discovery site is the moment the road-blocks, the walls, the disinformation began toward me. (Extrusive igneous Dacite, an evolved lava, is not a sedimentary rock! Lol.) We've seen this kind of behavior in the meteoritcs community before. It's nothing new, sadly. This is a dark history of the meteoritics world unfortunately. How many very rare important discoveries have been lost to the world of science and to mankind because those in research and academia  have played unethical games of gate-keeping and have refused to just do their job and just do pure science and do the analysis honestly and ethically without games, without gate-keeping, without attempting to wrestle from the discoverer the original discovery site? The discoverer has a right to withhold the discovery site to guard their discovery and its full value, and to protect it. How many people over the many years couldn't persevere against this wall, this unethical gate-keeping because they didn't have the prerequisite  skills or knowledge and they weren't able to realize that they were lied to or purposefully fed disinformation, and as a result had to walk away and give up, with an incredible treasure of scientific knowledge and wealth in their hand? It could of been very different. It could have been a very cooperative process of discovery for everyone.

The original discoverer has rights. I've said it before , and I'll keep saying it ... 

It takes discoverers to make scientific discoveries. Doing science and making scientific discoveries is not a crime. There is a right to protect discoveries and intellectual property. 

"Contrary to their public image, scientists are normal, flawed human beings. They are as capable of prejudice, covetousness, pride, deceitfulness, etc., as anyone."
-- David Weatherall, "Conduct Unbecoming," American Scientist (Vol.93, January-February 2005), p.73
http://www.americanscientist.org/bookshelf/pub/conduct-unbecoming

 As it turns out I'm rather glad it happened the way it did. Nothing like purposeful road-blocks, gate-keeping, and disinformation thrown at me to motivate me to learn to how to do it myself. As the old adage goes, if you want something done right you have to  do it yourself. The Earth Sciences are my background. I have the prerequisite skills. It took time but I did it. I'm still learning. I never stop learning. I didn't do it in a vacuum. I had much help and assistance along the way, from very good, professional scientists and technicians who were very ethical and very knowledgeable and very helpful, and then they did their assigned jobs very professionally and willingly. One day when the story can be told completely in detail I will certainly call out personally all those who helped me. The others who didn't, I will anonymously thank for motivating me to learn meteoritics  and to learn to do it on my own. I have enjoyed the scientific process immensely. Much more to come. And I can prove what I know.

Why when making the discovery of meteorites in the field, why then give away the scientific analysis and identification process to another? Why not learn how to do it for yourself so that your knowledge of the science of meteoritics increases? Why give away that joy of this discovery process? Sure I understand that many can't do it or perhaps they aren't interested in the whole scientific process, but I am. Why not go after the full credit for the full discovery -- from the field, to the lab, all the way to the publication? Sure there are tests I cannot do, others will do these tests afterwards. However, it doesn't change the fact that I made this WR meteorite field discovery, and in the lab I proved they are meteorites, proved the petrology, and then proved the Parent Body of origin for this achondrite meteorite find. The PB is Mars. I was able to prove all of this first. Others will re-confirm second. And others will go much further thereafter. There is an incredible amount of pure science about Mars to learn from this full discovery. I would like to be intimately involved in that with my full discovery. I'm sure this US World Record Mars Meteorite Discovery will make many careers for many scientists for a long time to come.  NASA Houston Space Command will have to add another adjacent building to Building 31, or at least expand, just to store the new Mars material. I have no doubt about that. 

If a tree falls in the forest and no-one is there to hear it or witness the event ... guess what it still fell! The event still happened and made a sound. Likewise the discovery of and the science of meteorites (meteoritics) still takes place outside of the formal controlling walls of The Meteoritical Society and official publication in The Bulletin. There will be time for that down the road.

When a World Record discovery occurs on this level, you do not give the keys away to the discovery. I have a right to guard my discovery and its full value to help the greatest number of people. It is possible to make incredible discoveries, do incredible and exciting science, and achieve social justice for many many people all at the same time. It's the right thing to do. I intend to do just that. There is a reason this discovery was given to me to make. Tikkun olam. Baruch HaShem. 

Glyn Howard 

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