Letters from the December 16, 2006, issue of Science News
By Science News
Familiar pattern
I am a retired high school mathematics teacher who has quilted mathematical ideas for over 20 years. Currently, I am working on a quilt called Pascal’s Pumpkin. I was totally excited by “Swirling Seas, Crystal Balls: Spirals of triangles crinkle into intricate structures” (SN: 10/21/06, p. 266) and began to think about quilting some spidrons!
Elaine Ellison
West Lafayette, Ind.
Check the record
The research showing that experimental animals receiving both antibiotics and stomach-acid suppressants colonized large numbers of drug-resistant intestinal bacteria (“Do acid blockers let microbes reach the colon?” SN: 10/21/06, p. 269) might be important to preventing drug-resistant Clostridium difficile. Reviewing patients’ records to see whether those who developed the disease were more frequently prescribed antibiotics and stomach-acid blockers at the same time might be helpful in preventing this serious problem for patients in hospitals and nursing homes.