Letters to the Editor
- Humans
Letters from the September 1, 2007, issue of Science News
Risk reversal? “Diabetes drug might hike heart risk” (SN: 6/23/07, p. 397) reports 86 heart attacks among 15,560 rosiglitazone (Avandia) users, versus 72 others in a control group of 12,283. A study coauthor then says that “after statistical adjustment, that yields a 43 percent higher risk of heart attacks among rosiglitazone users.” Simple arithmetic would […]
-
19877
This article describes the difficulty of moving from exporting one product to exporting another in terms of a “distance” between various products. I would imagine, however, that a nation that already manufactures computers, for example, could easily move into calculators, but that the reverse might not be true. Did the researchers consider the directionality of […]
-
19876
Researchers may only recently have discovered that female zebra finches are more likely to flirt with strangers when background noise goes up, but young male humans seem to have known that about females of their species for eons. Jim SchneringerDallas, Texas
-
19875
This article states that “those who get the [bariatric] surgery live longer than those who don’t.” That raises the question whether liposuction to reduce a disproportionately large waistline in a nonobese person would yield medical benefits such as a reduced risk for coronary heart disease. Angela LamberthIndian Island, Maine
- Humans
Letters from the August 25, 2007, issue of Science News
Where did the chicken cross? “Chicken of the Sea: Poultry may have reached Americas via Polynesia,” (SN: 6/9/07, p. 356) states, “The most likely sea route ran north of Hawaii and down America’s Pacific coast.” The Polynesians were master mariners, so anything is possible, but continuing east from Tonga to South America is an extension […]
-
19874
You state in this article that “an increase in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide, not an increase in solar radiation” is responsible for current global warming. What is the scientific—not political—basis for that remark? Warren FinleyLaguna Beach, Calif. Increasing solar radiation doesn’t affect climate change? Doesn’t changing the thermostat change the temperature in a […]
-
19873
This article ignored important research by David Tilman and Jason Hill of the University of Minnesota. They found that planting a crop of 18 different native prairie plants grown in highly degraded and infertile soil with little fertilizer or chemicals yielded substantially more bioenergy than a single species in fertile soil. In fact, their crops […]
-
19872
The research described in this article draws sound conclusions. However, the context suggests the tests were done at constant speeds. I submit there is yet another cause. It has been my observation that washboarding occurs initially and primarily at areas where there is acceleration, such as coming out of curves and starting up inclines. Don […]
-
19871
Margit L. Bleecker appears to have discovered that those who score highly on reading tests also score highly on tests of memory, attention, and concentration. I don’t find that highly surprising. Ivan MannHoover, Ala.
-
19870
This article reviews efforts to explain why certain biological molecules tend to be all right-handed (e.g., sugars) or left-handed (e.g., amino acids). An explanation might lie in the evolution of enzymes involved in their synthesis. For example, the fact that some organisms produce predominantly d-alanine could be explained by random mutations for the opposite enzyme […]
- Humans
Letters from the August 18, 2007, issue of Science News
Exhaustive analysis I would debate the “1,000 watts or more” value attributed to typical adults during strenuous exercise (“Powering the Revolution: Tiny gadgets pick up energy for free,” SN: 6/2/07, p. 344). Hiking up steep slopes, I rarely exceed 250 W myself, and typical hikers are going much slower. The 1,000-watt figure can only apply […]
-
19869
Recent reports of plastics such as dioxin and now bisphenol A make me wonder if there are any Alzheimer’s-linked aluminum ions or atoms or whatever floating around in our soda cans. Those glass bottles from yesteryear are starting to look very wholesome. Linda ZimmermanTorrance, Calif.
