Yes, a rare political post from me, but on a topic which really bears examination. As we all know, Iran's nuclear programme has been a cause of international concern for a number of years now. There are fears among Western powers that Iran's nuclear programme may bring to fruition several serious concerns
- Attainment of nuclear weaponry, thus tipping the balance of military power in the region
- Possiblity of nuclear acccidents due an unstable government's inability to properly maintain facilities
- Possiblity of sabotage due to the volatile political situation in the area
- Accidental (or deliberate) loss of nuclear material, which may subsequently find its way into the hands of terrorists
The IAEA has laid out these concerns in great detail, but I feel that there is an aspect that has been missed in the drive towards a a controlled policy for Iranian nuclear development.
To outline this serious concern in detail, one must digress momentarily into the field of entomology.
Iran has around 160 species of the family Formicidae, consisting of six subfamilies and thirty-four genera. The arid and semi-arid environments in the region have formed a habitat to which these species are extremely well-suited, and they are successful and widespread. The colony lifestyle and efficient resource-gathering nature of these hardy creatures are a testament to the success of evolution under stressful conditions, and the family has shown its dominance of the niche. It's not unfair to say that, in Iran, you can't heave a brick without it coming down somewhere near a colony of Cataglyphis, Messor, Camponotus or Monomorium.
In short, Iran is crawling with ants.
"What has this to do with Iran's nuclear ambitions, though?" I hear you say.
Well, let me tell you.
During the 1940s and 50s, Nuclear testing wrought destruction over large tracts of arid and semi-arid land in the Western United States. We are all aware of the Trinity test which started it all, but above-ground and underground testing continued for many years afterwards, and a little-publicised, in fact supressed, fact about these tests is that aside from creating new materials such as trinitite, they created mutations in local animal populations. Mutations of a strange and terrible nature.
Mutations such as those described in the 1954 documentary "Them!"
So, I appeal to President Ahmadinejad, please... Stop this senseless march toward destruction. For the sake of Iran, and the world. Do not unleash formic destruction upon us all. I for one do not welcome these new insect overlords, and neither should you.
posted @ Friday, May 4, 2012 1:35 PM