23rd April, 2010
Dear WM, There have been numerous ad hoc attempts to explain why bathymetry violates the square-root-age relation after 70 Ma but none of them are consistent with the continued growth of the seismic lid across the whole Pacific. The latest attempt to unflatten the seafloor is in the issue of Science that hit the stands on April Fools Day 2010 but has a publication date one day later. I discuss the flattening problem in the attached document.–Don Anderson

22nd April, 2010
The process by which science advances is a conservative one. That is, each step of the way involves documentation that the new information is reproducible and consistent with the existing body of knowledge. For most day-to-day operations of science, this approach is reasonable and successful; inaccurate observations and incorrect deductions are weeded out, and accurate observations and deductions are added to the fabric of knowledge. However, when new observations or arguments do not fit into the existing paradigm, there is a strong tendency for them to be rejected by the scientific community. The larger the shift of paradigm required to accommodate the new information, the more harsh and emotional is likely to be the rejection.–Harry W. Green, from "Psychology of a Changing Paradigm"