Letters to the Editor
- Humans
Letters from the December 16, 2006, issue of 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 […]
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19769
This article shares a common deficit with many other reports addressing cost-effectiveness of the medications used to treat schizophrenia. It is clearly true that the newer medications are much more expensive than the older ones, but tardive dyskinesia (TD) rates have plummeted by about 99 percent with the advent of the modern antipsychotic medications. To […]
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19768
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 development of sociopathy. Fear would seem necessary for the development of guilt […]
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19767
This article states that “human-breast milk is not available for sale.” When I was breast-feeding my children, had I known that my breast milk could help people suffering from disease or that it could have helped scientific research, I certainly would have been willing to donate extra milk. While the concept may raise ethical questions, […]
- Humans
Letters from the December 9, 2006, issue of Science News
War is not the answer “U.S. Population to surpass 300 million” (SN: 10/7/06, p. 238) concludes with the interesting fact that the only annual drop in U.S. population during the past century “occurred between July 1917 and July 1918, when the country was at war,” implying a military cause for the decline. Indeed, the honored […]
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19766
Regarding this article, economists would suggest that population growth allowed the division of labor. Notice that the most advanced economies are those with the largest populations, allowing for specialization in production. As Adam Smith wrote in 1776, “The division of labor is determined by the extent of the market.” Jim KleinSan Francisco, Calif.
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19765
This article 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.” As a home winemaker, I have to ask, Which techniques contribute to increasing procyanidins? […]
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19764
This article says that a planet so close to a red dwarf would be forced to “rotate in sync” with the star. Is this the same situation that causes the moon to rotate in sync with Earth? Ken BollersHudson, Colo. Yes. First, the larger body (the red dwarf) pulls the smaller body (the planet) slightly […]
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19763
If membership in a species is characterized by the inability to breed with members of another species, how can there be “animal species known to have arisen from crossbreeding with other species? Jeffry D. MuellerEldersburg, Md. Exceptions happen. Also, biologists argue about what defines a species. —S. Milius I suggest that the new species be […]
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19762
Your article made a common mistake in characterizing the mechanism of steroid-hormone receptors. These receptors are not “proteins on the cell surface” but rather, and uniquely, positioned intracellularly. Steroid hormones pass directly from the bloodstream to the cytoplasm, where they induce changes in the receptor proteins, enable movement into the nucleus, and activate specific genes. […]
- Humans
Letters from the December 2, 2006, issue of Science News
Concerns vented “Venting Concerns: Exploring and protecting deep-sea communities” (SN: 10/7/06, p. 232) barely scratches the surface of the problem. What is stopping someone from gene splicing the disease of choice onto heat-loving bacterium? Something that can live near the 600°F of melting lead will certainly survive the standard hospital-sterilization process. D.J. KavaBeaumont, Texas The […]
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19761
Since when are “nanoscale” and “nanotech” interchangeable? Just because somebody uses something that is small doesn’t make it “nanotech.” Talcum powder is ultra fine too. Should we call it nanotech? I don’t think so. Adam HuntHuntington, W. Va.
