Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)

by Guest Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:28 pm

An inquiry from a hopeful 7-year-old has prompted the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, to issue an apology -- about the failure to research dragons.
Sophie Lester, who lives in Queensland, had a very special Christmas request, according to the Canberra Times. She asked her parents for a pet dragon.
"Her dad sat her down and said we couldn't get her one," her mother, Melissah Lester, told Fairfax Media. "But he suggested why don't we write and see if someone can get you one? And she said, 'What about a scientist?'"
So Sophie reached out to the CSIRO's experts.
Story continues below.
Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS) O-DRAGON-LETTER-570

Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS) O-DRAGON-LETTER-570

Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS) O-DRAGON-570

She wrote:

Hello Lovely Scientist
My name is Sophie and I am 7 years old. My dad told me about the scientists at the CSIRO. Would it be possible if you can make a dragon for me. I would like it if you could, but if you can’t thats (sic) fine.
I would call it Toothless if it was a girl, and if it is a boy I would name it Stuart.
I would keep it in my special green grass area where there are (sic) lots of space. I would feed it raw fish and I would put a collar on it. If it got hurt I would bandage it if it hurt himself. I would play with it every weekend when there is no school.
Love from Sophie

On Monday, the scientists wrote a response on CSIRO's website:

We’ve been doing science since 1926 and we’re quite proud of what we have achieved. We’ve put polymer banknotes in your wallet, insect repellent on your limbs and Wi-Fi in your devices. But we’ve missed something. There are no dragons.
Over the past 87 odd years we have not been able to create a dragon or dragon eggs. We have sighted an eastern bearded dragon at one of our telescopes, observed dragonflies and even measured body temperatures of the mallee dragon. But our work has never ventured into dragons of the mythical, fire breathing variety.
And for this Australia, we are sorry.

But instead of being disappointed, Sophie was inspired.
''All her friends are now saying they want to be a scientist and Sophie says she now wants to work in the CSIRO. She's saying Australian scientists can do anything,'' her mother told the Canberra Times.
Read CSIRO's full letter here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/09/sophie-lester_n_4562374.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news

That really made me smile, bless her

by veya_victaous Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:24 pm

It is awesome, Secularism is truely winning in Australia. Faith in God is Being Replaced with Faith in Science.

by Ben Reilly Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:33 pm

Faith in science is ultimately faith in yourself, that if you go out searching for why or how something happens, you -- and these days, a team of your fellow knowledge-seekers -- can eventually ferret out a reasonable answer supported by evidence and logic rather than by the feel-good pronouncements of a "prophet" who stood too close to a burning "bush" and inhaled a lot of smoke.

I thought about that when I took my thyroid medication this morning. It works exactly as it should without side-effects, it allows me to live a normal life with the energy levels most other people have and without a big ugly goiter on my neck. How many people have worked hard to make these pills work so well for me? Yet so many people would say that an invisible daddy in the sky was really the one responsible, and that all those people's work and talent doesn't deserve the credit.

by Guest Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:40 pm

veya_victaous wrote:It is awesome, Secularism is truely winning in Australia. Faith in God is Being Replaced with Faith in Science.

Why does everything have to be religion vs science with you?
This is a story about some cute letter a child wrote, I don't see why you need to use it as an excuse to bash religion.

by Beekeeper Fri Jan 10, 2014 6:28 pm

THERE ARE dragons here that lay their eggs in our backyards...

THE CAT tries to eat the youngsters..

FACT.

Cool

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Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)

Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)

Re: Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)

Re: Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)

Re: Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)

Re: Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)

Re: Seven-Year-Old Sophie Lester's Letter To Australian Science Agency Prompts Apology About Lack Of Dragon Research (PHOTOS)