Hello Keiron, All, Right, but those meteorites have already done their part for science by being analyzed, etc. You're getting two ideas mixed up: that meteorites are important sources of information for understanding our early solar system -- and that public interest in meteorites should be fostered by having specimens on public display. The article isn't lamenting the existence of private collections versus public ones; it is criticizing the idea that, were scientists not willing to analyze illicitly obtained meteorites for dealers, there is a chance that important meteorites might go unstudied. Well, that's one of the issues being addressed. Given the Meteoritical Society's apparent stance on such things, I doubt that many, if any, meteorites are suffering this fate, but...it's something to keep in mind when buying a meteorite that was exported illegally. Regards, Jason
On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Kieron Heard <[email protected]> wrote: > Much food for thought there, Matt. I was particularly struck by the > following statement attributed to Philip Bland: > > "If they don't do it [analyse meteorites for dealers] then the meteorites > will remain solely in private hands, sitting in a collection. The meteorites > would be never seen again." > > It has been said before, but how many of the meteorites languishing in > museum stores will ever be seen by the public? I'll bet my modest collection > has the potential to reach a wider audience and generate more interest than > some of those held by public bodies. > > > Regards, Kieron > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of Matt > Smith > Sent: 05 August 2010 19:40 > To: [email protected] > Subject: [meteorite-list] Gebel Kemil article in New Scientist > > > An article on the controversy regarding the recent Gebel Kemil find: > > http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727724.000-deep-impact-market-the-ra > ce-to-acquire-meteorites.html > > or > > http://bit.ly/ct9U42 > > Regarding the legal situation it states: > > "In Egypt, permission is supposed to be required to export meteorites. Di > Martino and colleagues were authorised to take just 20 kilograms of Gebel > Kamil > out of the country. "Everything which is found in the Egyptian soil is > property > of the government," explains Tarek Hussein, who as former president of > Egypt's > Academy of Scientific Research and Technology was responsible for handling > export applications until last April. He is concerned that many Gebel Kamil > fragments that have appeared on the market in the west were not approved for > export." > > > Matt. > > > ______________________________________________ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > > ______________________________________________ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
