Letters to the Editor
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19796
In regards to the findings noted in this article, I find it hard to rule out an interpretation that would not require anything similar to planning. This could simply be pattern completion, similar to building a nest or bower. The animal is not necessarily planning, but simply filling in missing pieces. Robert FizzellBeloit, Wis.
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19795
Fractal characteristics associated with Jackson Pollack’s paintings are interesting, but to determine authenticity, it would seem that two propositions would have to be proved: first, that Pollack’s paintings always had fractal character; and second, that only Pollack’s paintings had fractal character. Both seem highly dubious. Steve JohnsonPrairie Village, Kan. In doing drip or splash painting, […]
- Humans
Letters from the February 24, 2007, issue of Science News
No piece of cake The new mathematical method for equitable cake sharing (“A Fair Slice: New method makes for equitable eating,” SN: 12/16/06, p. 390) actually leads to a version of Zeno’s paradox. The problem is that the cake remnant left after the referee gives the two eaters their respective, equally valued pieces is no […]
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19794
Finding CO2 levels that are 2,500 times higher in 5,000-year-old fulgurites than in modern samples, scientists have speculated that the extra CO2 resulted from vaporization of organic material by lightning. Could some of this gas reflect elevated atmospheric CO2? And if so, could current laments regarding “unprecedented levels” of CO2 be insupportable? John M. CorboyMililani, […]
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19793
I enjoyed reading this article about the marine census that’s been taking place, but I was waiting for some mention of the organisms’ parasites. Granted, worms are not glamour-pusses, but they are fascinating creatures. If we want a complete survey, they must be included. Ann GardnerLincoln, Neb.
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19792
This article points out that vital intrinsic neural activities may in part stem from a person’s random thoughts and daydreams, or from neural efforts to balance the opposing signals of cells simultaneously trying to jack up and cool down brain activity, or could occur during an internal process of generating predictions about upcoming environmental demands […]
- Humans
Letters from the February 17, 2007, issue of Science News
Fear factor In response to “The Predator’s Gaze” (SN: 12/9/06, p. 379), I write as a psychiatrist and a mother. My ex-husband is now in prison, and my son likely carries the genes of sociopathy. The quality of fearlessness mentioned in the article seems to be one of the temperamental traits most associated with the […]
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19791
The author of this article seems to feel, like most other writers do, that “the western United States” properly covers all geographical bases. Believe me, the Pacific Northwest is anything but dry. One other point about geography: Weather phenomena, and other stuff, occurring in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, or Kansas are not happening in […]
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19790
I am disappointed in this article on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) summary. It was a political summary, not the 1,500 page report that’s due in May 2007. How often have you seen a scientific summary published 3 months before the final report? I am concerned that you do not appear to […]
- Humans
Letters from the February 10, 2007, issue of Science News
Grape gripe “A Toast to Healthy Hearts: Wine compounds benefit blood vessels” (SN: 12/2/06, p. 356) leaves us up in the air with this statement: “. . . since the traditional wine-making techniques still in use in southwestern France and Sardinia increase concentrations of polymeric procyanidins, he says, other vintners may soon adopt such methods.” […]
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19789
This article states that as a result of an internal representation of their bodies and parts, macaques “gradually come to mentally regard their hands and arms, and then their entire bodies, from a third-person perspective.” Isn’t that a good definition of self-awareness, one of the supposed differences between humans and other animals and between humans […]
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19788
No mention is made in this article of the huge amount of petrochemical inputs required both for large-scale farming of corn and for the distilling process required to produce ethanol. When these and other environmental costs are factored in, the promotion of corn-based ethanol as fuel will ultimately be exposed as an environmentally disastrous policy. […]
