▶ Your Answer :
The reading
and lecture are both about fossils on commercial market. The author of the
reading argues that the sales of fossils are not beneficial for both scientists
and public. However, the lecturer casts doubt on each of the claims made in the
reading. She thinks the negative impacts given in the reading are exaggerated
and there are indeed more benefits than disadvantages.
First of
all, the passage claims that the public will have less access to the fossils as
private fossil collectors possess them. It is mentioned that this can
discourage people's interest in fossils. The professor challenges this point by
saying that there will be greater exposure to the public due to the fossil
trade. She believes that because there will be more fossils available on the
market, public institutions can easily buy fossils and show them to the public.
Secondly,
the author contends that scientists will not get a chance to uncover important
historical facts behind the fossils. He notes that this is because only wealthy
people can afford to buy the precious fossils. In contrast, this argument is
rebutted by the lecturer. She suggests that this point is unrealistic because
it is usually the scientists who get to examine and identify the fossils and
put values on them. She elaborates on this by explaining that all the fossils
that are newly discovered must anyways pass through scientific communities so
scientists will not miss out on anything important.
Another
claim the article puts an emphasis on is that scientifically important fossils
can be damaged by the private owners. The author is of the opinion that many
commercial collectors do not even enough experience and knowledge about the
value of fossils. The professor, on the other hand, posits that it is better
for fossils to be destroyed than to be undiscovered. She puts forth the idea
that if it isn't the commercial market, lots of valuable fossils will remain
under the ground because the fossil discovery job cannot be usually afforded by
universities or scientific centers. Therefore, it is better for scientists to
have a wide range of fossils.
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