Do Turkey Vultures Smell?

Turkey Vulture in flight.
Photo by Lebite, Wikipedia.org

A short article in BayNature Magazine caught my attention. It talks about the controversy that existed surrounding the question: Do turkey vultures locate carrion by sight or by smell?

After several false starts and an exploding turkey, a natural gas company accidentally gives scientists the key to find out. Here is a link to the article:

When It Comes to Smell, the Turkey Vulture Stands (Nearly) Alone

I like historical retrospectives on scientific progress. They often show how hypothesis evolve over time. And how a mistake by a scientist can lead to a wrong but commonly held belief. Other scientists come later and replace the misinformation with new scientific knowledge.

Remember that science advances in fits and spurts, just like the rest of society. And even in this day and age our knowledge of the natural world is pitifully sparse.

Can you recall some “bad science” about the natural world from years past? Share it with us in the comments below.