NATHAN AUGUSTUS COBB
1859-1932
"In short, if all the matter in the universe except the
nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly
recognizable, and if, as disembodied spirits, we could then
investigate it, we should find its mountains, hills, vales,
rivers, lakes, and oceans represented by a film of
nematodes. The location of towns would be decipherable,
since for every massing of human beings there would be a
corresponding massing of certain nematodes. Trees would
still stand in ghostly rows representing our streets and
highways. The location of the various plants and animals
would still be decipherable, and, had we sufficient
knowledge, in many cases even their species could be
determined by an examination of their erstwhile nematode
parasites."
from "Nematodes and Their Relationships", 1915
2 Kommentare:
Super, endlich hab ich nen Namen zu der Geschichte! Das wird ja oft in der einen oder anderen Form als Anekdote erzählt, aber dass das so alt ist war mir nicht bewusst!
Der genaue Wortlaut ist auch der Hammer...
"...had we sufficient knowledge, in many cases even their species could be determined by an examination of their erstwhile nematode parasites."
na klar, haben wir, "jetzt muessen wir nur noch alle stoerende Materie im Universum ausser den Nematoden hinwegfegen"... :-)
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