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‘E|SCIENCE| 2. IN MEMORY OF ANOMALIST endeavour he christened The WILLIAM CORLISS Sourcebook Project. In the decades by Patrick Huyghe © 2011 that followed, he conducted a massive amount of library research, illiam R. Corliss, regarded by poring through many thousands of \ \ } many as the world's greatest scientific journals and gleaning from contemporary anomalist, them a wide assortment of neglected passed away at his home in Glen Arm, data in the fields of geology, biology, Maryland, on 8 July 2011 at the age of archaeology, astronomy, psychology eighty-four. During a span of some 40 and geophysics. He first reprinted years, the physicist turned stalker of the accounts he found in a series of paradoxical data brought to light a six ring-bound volumes, followed by mind-boggling collection of _ six massive hardback volumes that he unexplained observations, called "handbooks". embarrassing deviations and By 1982, he had switched to a paradigm-shattering discoveries that hardback catalogue format that not orthodox science had largely swept only presented examples of various under the carpet of consensus. In anomalies and their sources, but also recognition of these contributions, he gave an evaluation of the quality of received in 1994 the Tim Dinsdale data—and an evaluation of an Award presented by the Society for anomaly's possible impact on Scientific Exploration. science, from being a mere curiosity Corliss was born on 28 August 1926 to being "revolutionary", by which he in Stamford, Connecticut, and served meant that the anomaly could not in the US Navy during World War II. even be explained by a modification After receiving degrees in physics of present scientific laws. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | The evaluations were necessarily (BS) and the University of Colorado subjective. He admitted that it was (MS), he worked for more than a_ difficult to categorise and organise decade as a physicist in industry, first with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, then with General Electric Company, and finally with The Martin Company where he was Director of Advanced Programs in its Nuclear Division. In 1963 he began another career, in technical writing, and produced works for NASA and the National Science Foundation on such topics as electric power generation, computers, space radiation, robotics and telecommunications. With an interest in "outlaw science" that had been sparked by the reading of a controversial book on geology in 1951, Corliss turned in 1974 to writing about scientific anomalies, an the unknown, and always pointed out that the material he chose to include in his anomaly catalogues reflected what—in his opinion—was not well explained, as "anomalousness is often in the eyes of the beholder". Not all the anomalies he highlighted presented a threat to mainstream science. Some are mere blemishes. Others are leaks, cracks and fissures in the foundations and facades of the various sciences. But there are potholes as well, the potential game-changers. "Instead of simply accepting nice, slick theories like evolution, relativity and continental drift," Corliss said in 1980, "I think we should occasionally re-examine them to be sure they are not accepted just because they are so slick. And based upon the material I've collected, what I'm saying is: I'm not so sure.” Among the major paradigms widely considered to be fact that his catalogues of anomalies put at risk are: the expanding universe; the Big Bang origin of the universe; Neo- Darwinism, specifically evolution via IN MEMORY OF ANOMALIST WILLIAM CORLISS by Patrick Huyghe © 20II le NEXUS ¢ 49 DECEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012 www.nexusmagazine.com