Letters to the Editor
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19885
Astronomer Masanori Iye of the National Observatory of Japan blames the blurry appearance of meteor trails at about 100 kilometers altitude on the fact that they were photographed with telescopes focused at infinity. But optics teaches that any object much farther away than the focal length of the telescope is essentially “at infinity.” Wouldn’t a […]
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19884
A researcher cited in this article recommends that people at risk of heart attack should avoid exercising outdoors on highly polluted days. What an odd conclusion, on two counts: First, that avoidance, instead of elimination of the poison from the air we breathe, is the recommended course of action; and second, that only “at risk” […]
- Humans
Letters from the September 29, 2007, issue of Science News
Questioning the surge “The Power of Induction” (SN: 7/21/07, p. 40) was written as if this was a newly discovered technology. I have been using an electric shaver with induction recharging for years. Mike YorkPhoenix, Ariz. The ability to project electrical power some distance suggests a possible method to detonate or disable improvised explosive devices. […]
- Humans
Letters from the September 22, 2007, issue of Science News
Personnel question In “E-Waste Hazards: Chinese gear recyclers absorb toxic chemicals” (SN: 7/14/07, p. 20), researchers found “astronomical concentrations” of deca-BDE in the residents of Guiyu, and the article cites studies showing that related PBDEs harm brain development in mice and rats. So, has any actual increase in brain-development problems been found in people in […]
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19883
Your article notes how groups of people may have different numbers of copies of the amylase gene. Is it correct then that individuals have varying numbers of the gene as well? If so, would this explain why some people don’t like meat and become vegetarians and others just need to eat meat? Robert KraseSpringville, Calif. […]
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19882
This article brought to mind the history of pitch through the centuries. In the 17th century, what is now G sharp was an A. Maybe the “perfect” pitch is somewhere else. Stanton AlgerBainbridge Island, Wash. Before the 20th century, the tone that musicians called A ranged widely but was generally between 415 and 432 hertz […]
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19881
Bjorn Merker says that “the tacit consensus concerning the cerebral cortex as the ‘organ of consciousness’ … may in fact be seriously in error.” But the real tacit consensus is that the cerebral cortex is the organ of conceptual consciousness, of thinking and reasoning, and that is not challenged by studies that identify the brain […]
- Humans
Letters from the September 15, 2007, issue of Science News
Talk talk talk “Hidden Smarts: Abstract thought trumps IQ scores in autism” (SN: 7/7/07, p. 4) didn’t mention that traditional IQ tests are in one sense “language” tests. The Ravens test doesn’t involve language processing in a typical manner. A person with a language disorder, as an autistic person is assumed to be, would do […]
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19880
My cat has been doing for years what scientists at the University of St. Andrews reported of orangutans: motioning for healthy portions of their favorite foods. Except that four tins of cat food later, my cat is still motioning “Not that kind, wrong flavor.” Sally YoungNewport News, Va.
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19879
Although multinational agreements on global warming try to spread the burden among all nations, data from the MILAGRO project in Mexico City suggest that the major responsibility for excess production of greenhouse gases and other pollutants lies with the megacities, which constitute a rather small number of culprits and ones that not all nations possess. […]
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19878
Two recent articles hit on the same theme. This one discussed the recent sharp increase in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. The summary of the new book Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness (SN: 11/17/07, p. 319) hit much closer to the mark. If you want to know why these diagnoses have increased so […]
- Humans
Letters from the September 8, 2007, issue of Science News
Patent pending If Drs. Glass and Venter succeed in assembling a viable synthetic bacterial genome (“Life Swap: Switching genomes converts bacteria,” SN: 6/30/07, p. 403), will the genome or the new life form itself be patentable? Virgil H. SouleFrederick, Md. The team that performed this work stirred controversy when it applied for a patent on […]
