RƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Chandrasoma

Red rains hve been experienced in many parts of the world ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” most notably in Kerala, India where exhausive studies have been done on samples collected at various sites. The conclusion reached by Indian experts is as follows ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”The color was found to be due to the presence of a large amount of spores of a lichen-forming alga belonging to the genus Trentepohlia.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Field verification showed that the region had plenty of such lichens. Samples of lichen taken from Changanacherry area, when cultured in an algal growth medium, also showed the presence of the same species of algae. Both samples (from rainwater and from trees) produced the same kind of algae, indicating that the spores seen in the rainwater most probably came from local sourcesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

There is a well known principle that governs scientific explanation. It is that which is expressed as followsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  – Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitate. (entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity).ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  In common parlance, this means that the simpler explanation is more likely to be true than a complex or farfetched fancy account of things. It is this principle that Prof.WickramasingheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  flouts in thinking of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”cosmic explanationsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ for humdrum events in our sublunar world. He and his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”GuruƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Fred Hoyle are known worldwide for their ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”theoryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that after the original seeding of the Earth (Panspermia) organic evolution was directed by the reception of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”cosmic packagesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ from developed life elsewhere. They rejected the Darwinian thesis that planetary life evolved through forces that had nothing to do with a greater alien life in the Cosmos. In pursuit of this outlandish thesis ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” which is emphatically rejected by the scientificƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  community ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” he and his colleague Hoyle have made choice blunders ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” including his assertion that Archaeopteryx – the fossil find ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” is a fake. He has also sided with the CreationistsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  is denouncing Darwinian Evolution. It is no great surprise that such a scholar will see the cosmos in a pail of red rain.