RIP: YDB team member Paul DeCarli

I was sad to see a forwarded note last week from the daughter of Paul DeCarli informing folks of his passing. Paul DeCarli joined the YDB team in recent years as an expert in nanodiamond formation and other high energy matters related to our investigation. Readers may remember a post on DeCarli here.

A wag once remarked that science advances one funeral at a time. In cynical moments it seems to the Tusk that this must be true, and that only the passing of the old guard will allow new ideas like ours to be appropriately studied.

But DeCarli’s life and his passing reminds us that many senior researchers remain curious and intellectually limber contributors throughout their life; and that by lending their name to a younger generation’s “radical” papers contribute ever more significantly over their lives.

The note from Paul’s daughter provided a very recent email from her father telling her of a talk of his posted on “U-Tube.”

Posted below, this was no sum-up of a life well lived from an old man, but rather an explanation of breaking science from a young mind. DeCarli is (ironically) introduced by NASA fossil David Morrison, a persistent critic of the YDB theory who — unlike DeCarli — learned everything he needed to know decades ago.

From: XXXXX

To: XXXXXX

Sent: 8/5/2013 11:51:24 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time

Subj: Very sad news

I’m very sorry to tell you that my father passed away last night at the hospital. He had recently been diagnosed with a very aggressive stomach cancer, and there were complications from a surgery on Friday.

He was very happy that he was able to give his lecture at SETI before he became too ill. Please pass along this sad news to others–my mother and I are trying to contact people but I know we will miss some among dad’s wide circle of colleagues and friends.

You can email me if you need any information. It’s all happened very suddenly and I’m sorry to have to tell you by email.

Elizabeth DeCarli

> Subject: I’m on U-tube

> Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 22:33:02 +0000

> My SETI lecture was put on U-tube. http://youtu.be/vWFN8GktVpI

> Paul