Pianka Strikes Back

KXAN from Austin has gotten in touch with Dr. Eric Pianka, and evidence continues to suggest he is a sane human being who says reasonable things. For those of you just turning in:

Some are accusing a UT scientist of advocating genocide to control the world's population.

Does it sound crazy?

The professor whose ideas are under scrutiny says it's not just crazy, it's not true.

UT Ecology Professor Dr. Eric Pianka does not want everyone on Earth dead.

"I don't bear any ill will towards anybody," Pianka said...

..."If we don't control our population, microbes will. Why do we have these lethal microbes that kill us in the first place? The answer is, there's too many of us," Pianka said.

Pianka says he would never advocate genocide or extermination like some suggest he does.

"I've got two granddaughters, man. I'm putting money in a college fund for my granddaughters. I'm worried about them," Pianka said.

KXAN, it's worth noting, has their full interview with Pianka at the sidebar at present. It's ~20 minutes or so, worth checking out if population control is a big topic with you, or if you still need persuasion that the entire Texas Academy of Sciences aren't intent on destroying the species.

So the question at hand: is this an isolated event, or part of a trend? Now that we have a Republican War on Science, with science being distorted by the administration and prominent Republicans in Congress; do we have to worry about concerned citizens taking the distortion into their own hand?

We can hope that people might learn to chill out and tune back in with the real world now that Pianka's stepped forward... signs aren't promising. Oh well, keep looking to the sky and never forget: