Deep Sea Vents

The current issue of Newsweek (9/27/10) carries the story on page 50, about China's plans for mining deep sea vent for deposits of valuable metals. You'd think they were planning to yank lollipop's out of babies' mouths, with all the eco-style warnings in the article. But it's not about the environment. It's about evolution. "The vents may also be where chemistry first became biology - that is, where life on earth began - and thus be scientifically priceless." Once again, Darwin-thinking is inhibiting progress in both commerce and science. When will they ever learn? You keep thinking. DrJ