the.lost.world-第34章

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　　　　〃Dinosaur　embryos；〃　Baselton　said。
　　　　〃Embryos？〃　King　asked；　surprised。
　　　　〃Oh；　I'm　not　interested　in　embryos　any　more；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃Years　ago；　I　tried　to　get　frozen　embryos；　but　there's　no　reason　to　bother　with　embryos　now。　I　want　fertilized　eggs。　And　in　four　hours；　I'll　have　them　from　every　species　on　this　island。〃
　　　　〃How　can　you　do　that　in　four　hours？〃
　　　　〃Because　I　already　know　the　precise　location　of　every　dinosaur　breeding　site　on　the　island。　The　map；　Howard。〃
　　　　King　opened　the　map。　It　was　a　large　topographical　chart　of　the　island；　two　feet　by　three　feet；　showing　terrain　elevations　in　blue　contours。　At　several　places　in　lowland　valleys；　there　were　dense　red　concentric　circles。　In　some　places；　clusters　of　circles。　〃What's　this？〃　King　said。
　　　　〃Why　don't　you　read　what　it　says；〃　Dodgson　said。
　　　　King　turned　the　map；　and　looked　at　the　legend。　〃'Sigma　data　Landsat/Nordstat　mixed　spectra　VSFR/FASLR/IFFVR。'　And　then　a　bunch　of　numbers。　No；　wait。　Dates。〃
　　　　〃Correct；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃Dates。〃
　　　　〃Pass　dates？　This　is　a　summary　chart；　bining　data　from　several　satellite　passes？〃
　　　　〃Correct。〃
　　　　King　frowned。　〃And　it　looks　like。。。visible　spectrum；　and　false　aparture　radar；　and。。。what？〃
　　　　〃Infrared。　Broadband　thermal　VR。〃　Dodgson　smiled。　〃I　did　all　this　in　about　two　hours。　Downloaded　all　the　satellite　data　summarized　it；　and　had　the　answers　I　wanted。〃
　　　　〃I　get　it；〃　King　said。　〃These　red　circles　are　infrared　signatures！〃
　　　　〃Yes；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃Big　animals　leave　big　signatures。　I　got　all　the　satellite　flybys　over　this　island　for　the　last　few　years；　and　mapped　the　location　of　heat　sources。　And　the　locations　overlapped　from　pass　to　pass；　which　is　what　makes　these　red　concentric　marks。　Meaning　that　the　animals　tend　to　be　located　in　these　particular　places。　Why？〃　He　turned　to　King。　〃Because　these　are　the　nesting　sites。〃
　　　　〃Yes。　They　must　be；〃　Baselton　said。
　　　　〃Maybe　that's　where　they　eat；〃　King　said。
　　　　Dodgson　shook　his　head　irritably。　〃Obviously；　those　circles　can't　be　feeding　sites。〃
　　　　〃Why　not？〃
　　　　〃Because　these　animals　average　twenty　tons　apiece；　that's　why。　You　get　a　herd　of　twenty…ton　dinos；　and　you're　talking　a　bined　biomass　of　more　than　half　a　million　pounds　moving　through　the　forest。　That　many　big　animals　are　going　to　eat　a　lot　of　plant　matter　in　the　course　of　a　day。　And　the　only　way　they　can　do　that　is　by　moving。　Right？〃
　　　　〃I　guess。。。〃
　　　　〃You　guess？　Look　around　you；　Howard。　Do　you　see　any　denuded　sections　of　forest？　No；　you　don't。　They　eat　a　few　leaves　from　the　trees；　and　move　on。　Trust　me；　these　animals　have　to　move　to　eat。　But　what　they　don't　move　is　their　nesting　sites。　So　these　red　circles　must　be　nesting　sites。〃　He　glanced　at　the　map。　〃And　unless　I'm　wrong；　the　first　of　the　nests　is　just　over　this　rise；　and　down　the　hill　on　the　other　side。〃
　　　　The　Jeep　fishtailed　in　a　patch　of　mud；　and　ground　forward；　lurching　up　the　hill。

Mating　Calls
　　　　
Richard　Levine　stood　in　the　high　hide；　staring　at　the　herds　through　binoculars。　Malcolm　had　gone　back　to　the　trailer　with　the　others；　leaving　Levine　alone。　In　fact；　Levine　was　relieved　to　have　him　gone。　Levine　was　quite　content　to　make　observations　on　these　extraordinary　animals；　and　he　was　aware　that　Malcolm　did　not　share　his　boundless　enthusiasm。　Indeed；　Malcolm　always　seemed　to　have　other　considerations　on　his　mind。　And　Malcolm　was　notably　impatient　with　the　act　of　observation　…　he　wanted　to　analyze　the　data；　but　he　did　not　want　to　collect　it。
　　　　Of　course；　among　scientists；　that　represented　a　well…known　difference　in　personality。　Physics　was　a　perfect　example。　The　experimentalists　and　the　theorists　lived　in　utterly　different　worlds；　passing　papers　back　and　forth　but　sharing　little　else　in　mon。　It　was　almost　as　if　they　were　in　different　disciplines。
　　　　And　for　Levine　and　Malcolm；　the　difference　in　their　approach　had　surfaced　early；　back　in　the　Santa　Fe　days。　Both　men　were　interested　in　extinction；　but　Malcolm　approached　the　subject　broadly；　from　a　purely　mathematical　standpoint。　His　detachment；　his　inexorable　formulas；　had　fascinated　Levine；　and　the　two　men　began　an　informal　exchange　over　frequent　lunches：　Levine　taught　Malcolm　paleontology；　Malcolm　taught　Levine　nonlinear　mathematics。　They　began　to　draw　some　tentative　conclusions　which　both　found　exciting。　But　they　also　began　to　disagree。　More　than　once　they　were　asked　to　leave　the　restaurant；　then　they　would　go　out　into　the　heat　of　Guadelupe　Street；　and　walk　back　toward　the　river；　still　shouting　at　each　other；　while　approaching　tourists　hurried　to　the　other　side　of　the　street。
　　　　In　the　end；　their　differences　came　down　to　personalities。　Malcolm　considered　Levine　pedantic　and　fussy；　preoccupied　with　petty　details。　Levine　never　saw　the　big　picture。　He　never　looked　at　the　consequences　of　his　actions。　For　his　own　part；　Levine　did　not　hesitate　to　call　Malcolm　imperious　and　detached；　indifferent　to　details。
　　　　〃God　is　in　the　details；〃　Levine　once　reminded　him。
　　　　〃Maybe　your　God；〃　Malcolm　shot　back。　〃Not　mine。　Mine　is　in　the　process。〃
　　　　Standing　in　the　high　hide；　Levine　thought　that　answer　was　exactly　what　you　would　expect　from　a　mathematician。　Levine　was　quite　satisfied　that　details　were　everything；　at　least　in　biology；　and　that　the　most　mon　failing　of　his　biological　colleagues　was　insufficient　attention　to　detail。
　　　　For　himself；　Levine　lived　for　the　details；　and　he　could　not　ever　let　them　go。　Like　the　animal　that　had　attacked　him　with　Diego。　Levine　thought　of　it　often；　turning　it　over　and　over　again；　reliving　the　events。　Because　there　was　something　troubling；　some　impression　that　he　could　not　get　right。
　　　　The　animal　had　attacked　quickly；　and　he　had　sensed　it　was　a　basic　theropod　form…hind　legs；　stiff　tail；　large　skull；　the　usual…but　in　the　brief　flash　in　which　he　had　seen　the　creature；　there　seemed　to　be　a　peculiarity　around　the　orbits；　which　made　him　think　of　Carnotaurus　sastrei。　From　the　Gorro　Frigo　formation　in　Argentina。　And　in　addition；　the　skin　was　extremely　unusual；　it　seemed　to　be　a　sort　of　bright　mottled　green；　but　there　was　something　about　it。。。
　　　　He　shrugged。　The　troubling　idea　hung　in　the　back　of　his　mind；　but　he　couldn't　get　to　it。　He　'ust　couldn't　get　it。

Reluctantly；　Levine　turned　his　attention　to　the　parasaur　herd；　browsing　by　the　river；　alongside　the　apatosaurs。　He　listened　as　the　parasaurs　made　their　distinctive；　low　trumpeting　sounds。　Levine　noticed　that　most　often　the　parasaurs　made　a　sound　of　short　duration；　a　kind　of　rumbling　honk。　Sometimes；　several　animals　made　this　sound　at　once；　or　very　nearly　overlapping；　so　it　seemed　to　be　an　audible　way　of　indicating　to　the　herd　where　all　the　members　were。　Then　there　was　a　much　longer；　more　dramatic　trumpeting　call。　This　sound　was　made　infrequently；　and　only　by　the　two　largest　animals　in　the　herd；　which　raised　their　heads　and　trumpeted　loud　and　long。　But　what　did　the　sound　mean？
　　　　Standing　there　in　the　hot　sun；　Levine　decided　to　perform　a　little　experiment。　He　cupped　his　hands　around　his　mouth；　and　imitated　the　parasaur's　trumpeting　cry。　It　wasn't　a　very　good　imitation；　but　immediately　the　lead　parasaur　looked　up；　turning　its　head　this　way　and　that。　And　it　gave　a　low　cry；　answering　Levine。
　　　　Levine　gave　a　second　call。
　　　　Again；　the　parasaur　answered。　　　　
　　　　Levine　was　pleased　by　this　response；　and　made　an　entry　in　his　notebook。　But　when　he　looked　up　again；　he　was　surprised　to　see　that　the　parasaur　herd　was　drifting　away　from　the　apatosaurs。　They　collected　together；　formed　a　single　line；　and　began　to　walk　directly　toward　the　high　hide。
　　　　Levine　started　to　sweat。
　　　　What　had　he　done？　In　some　bizarre　corner　of　his　mind；　he　wondered　if　he　had　imitated　a　mating　cry。　That　was　all　he　needed；　to　attract　a　randy　dinosaur。　Who　knew　how　these　animals　behaved　in　mating？　With　growing　anxiety；　he　watched　them　march　forward。　Probably；　he　should　call　Malcolm；　and　ask　his　advice。　But　as　he　thought　about　it；　he　realized　that　by　imitating　that　cry　he　had　interfered　with　the　environment；　introduced　a　new　variable。　He　had　done　exactly　what　he　had　told　Thorne　he　did　not　intend　to　do。　It　was　thoughtless；　of　course。　And　surely　not　very　important　in　the　scheme　of　things。　But　Malcolm　was　certain　to　give　him　hell　about　it。
　　　　Levine　lowered　his　binoculars　and　stared。　A　deep　trumpeting　sound　reverberated　through　the　air；　so　loud　it　hurt　his　ears。　The　ground　began　to　shake；　making　the　high　hide　sway　back　and　forth　precariously。
　　　　My　God；　he　thought。　They're　ing　right　for　me。　He　bent　over；　and　with　fumbling　fingers；　searched　his　backpack　for　the　radio。

Problems　of　Evolution

In　the　trailer；　Thorne　took　the　rehydrated　meals　out　of　the　microwave；　and　passed　the　plates　around　the　little　table。　Everyone　unwrapped　them；　and　began　to　cat。　Malcolm　poked　his　fork　into　the　food。　〃What　is　this　stuff？〃
　　　　〃Herb…baked　chicken　breast；〃　Thorne　said。
　　　　Malcolm　took　a　bite；　and　shook　his　head。　〃Isn't　technology　wonderful？〃　he　said。　〃They　manage　to　make　it　taste　just　like　cardboard。〃
　　　　Malcolm　looked　at　the　two　kids　seated　opposite　him；　who　were　eating　energetically。　Kelly　glanced　up　at　him；　and　gestured　with　her　fork　at　the　books　strapped　into　a　shelf　beside　the　table。　〃One　thing　I　don't　understand。〃
　　　　〃Only　one？〃　Malcolm　said。
　　　　〃All　this　business　about　evolution；〃　she　said。　〃Darwin　wrote　his　book　a　long　time　ago；　right？〃
　　　　〃Darwin　published　the　Origin　of　Species　in　1859；〃　Malcolm　said。
　　　　〃And　by　now；　everybody　believes　it；　isn't　that　right？〃
　　　　〃I　think　it's　fair　to　say　that　every　scientist　in　the　world　agrees　that　evolution　is　a　feature　of　life　on　earth；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃And　that　we　are　descended　from　animal　ancestors。　Yes。〃
　　　　〃Okay；〃　Kelly　said。　〃So；　what's　the　big　deal　now？〃
　　　　Malcolm　smiled。　〃The　big　deal；〃　he　said；　〃is　that　everybody　agrees　evolution　occurs；　but　nobody　understands　how　it　works。　There　are　big　problems　with　the　theory。　And　more　and　more　scientists　are　admitting　it。〃

Malcolm　pushed　his　plate　away。　〃You　have　to　track　the　theory；〃　he　said；　〃over　a　couple　of　hundred　years。　Start　with　Baron　Georges　Cuvier：　the　most　famous　anatomist　in　the　world　in　his　day；　living　in　the　intellectual　center　of　the　world；　Paris。　Around　1800；　people　began　digging　up　old　bones；　and　Cuvier　realized　that　they　belonged　to　animals　no　longer　found　on　earth。　That　was　a　problem；　because　back　in　1800；　everybody　believed　that　all　the　animal　species　ever　created　were　still　alive。　The　idea　seemed　reasonable　because　the　earth　was　thought　to　be　only　a　few　thousand　years　old。　And　because　God；　who　had　created　all　the　animals；　would　never　let　any　of　his　creations　bee　extinct。　So　extinction　was　agreed　to　be　impossible。　Cuvier　agonized　over　these　dug…up　bones；　but　he　finally　concluded　that　God　or　no　God；　many　animals　had　bee　extinct　…　as　a　result；　he　thought；　of　worldwide　catastrophes；　like　Noah's　flood。〃
　　　　〃Okay。。。〃
　　　　〃So　Cuvier　reluctantly　came　to　believe　in　extinction；〃　Malcolm　said；　〃but　he　never　accepted　evolution。　In　Cuvier's　mind；　evolution　didn't　occur。　Some　animals　died　and　some　survived；　but　none　evolved。　In　his　view；　animals　didn't　change。　Then　along　came　Darwin；　who　said　that　animals　did　evolve；　and　that　the　dug…up　bones　were　actually　the　extinct　predecessors　of　living　animals。　The　implications　of　D