Letters to the Editor

19205

The nocturnal singing of coquies is beloved in Puerto Rico, especially after several years of unexplained population decline. Is there any chance that the little coquies can be returned from Hawaii? Mario A. LoyolaMayaguez, Puerto Rico The Coqui Hawaiian Integration and Reeducation Project (CHIRP) is applying for an export license for coquies .—J. Raloff Your […]

19204

It’s gratifying to see scientific validation of something people of southern Louisiana have know for years. Legend says that when the Acadians migrated from Canada to Louisiana, their friends the lobsters were so lonely for them they decided to travel down to be with the Cajuns. So the lobsters walked down the eastern shore, around […]

19194

Your article reports that adding single-wall carbon nanotubes to a ceramic can “nearly triple its resistance to fracturing.” The similar technology of adding tubes (straw) to bricks has been around for thousands of years and is of comparable effectiveness. Lee W. CaspersonPortland, Ore.

19158

This article reports that 223 out of 243 aircraft in the study produced contrails and that the researchers produced a model that predicts contrails correctly 92 percent of the time (but doesn’t predict their duration). Based on the article, I propose the simplest possible model: Always predict a contrail. You’ll be right 223/243 (92 percent) […]

19198

This article reports that 223 out of 243 aircraft in the study produced contrails and that the researchers produced a model that predicts contrails correctly 92 percent of the time (but doesn’t predict their duration). Based on the article, I propose the simplest possible model: Always predict a contrail. You’ll be right 223/243 (92 percent) […]

19199

In your article, you describe Einstein’s negative reaction to Newton’s proposition that gravity acts instantaneously on two objects. The notion of simultaneous (if not instantaneous) properties in physics is one of the basic notions of quantum physics. I do not feel that Einstein’s “particle-like” description of light makes him (even “ironically”) “a builder of the […]

19169

In this article you mention that Lyme disease is the most common “insect-borne” disease in the United States. Since Lyme disease is spread by ticks, and ticks have eight legs and are arachnids, Lyme disease is not insect-borne. Anne Van Aller Woodbine, Md.

19168

I found this article quite fascinating. In 1973, my colleagues and I showed that rats would respond with the future in mind. Specifically, rats will make a response that results in one immediate electric shock, as long as that punished response is instrumental in avoiding five identical shocks programmed to occur 10 seconds later. It […]

19167

Just because chemical equipment can measure parts per trillion doesn’t necessarily mean that they have any biological significance. If you took one pill of Tylenol and dissolved in an olympic-size swimming pool, that would roughly be 1 part per billion. One part per trillion would be one pill in 1,000 swimming pools. My point is […]

19166

I read your article about bilirubin protecting cells from free radicals and possibly cancer and heart disease. People with Gilbert’s syndrome, which affects 5 percent of the population, have higher-than-normal amounts of bilirubin in their blood. Has any study been conducted to ascertain whether people with Gilbert’s syndrome have a lower incidence of cancer and […]

19165

“Waves,” or crenulations, occur not only on water icicles, but also in caves on dripstone and flowstone speleothems composed of calcite, epsomite, goethite, and even mud. All of these formations display “wavelengths” of around 1 centimeter. The origin of these crenulations is due not to heat, but to greater evaporation and carbon dioxide loss from […]

19193

I note with some incredulity that happiness (joy, elation) in some form is missing from the list of “basic” universal emotions, and even from the extended list of 9 or 10. Is happiness not considered a basic emotion? Did ancient Hindus not experience joy and hence not express it in dance? Or is happiness considered […]