Letters to the Editor
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19719
To argue that the concentrations reported in this study are environmentally relevant is misleading. Those concentrations are usually in groundwater, not surface waters. I’ve been involved in the environmental field for almost 20 years and have yet to hear of any fish being caught in groundwater. John HarrisSacramento, Calif. Study coauthor Frank von Hippel notes […]
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19718
Did the researchers take into account that most arrow points and spearheads would have been in contact with the inside of game, a considerably warmer and more humid environment than the ground where the points were found? Daniel WoitulewiczDetroit, Mich. The material would be inside game—and at a higher temperature than the environment—for only a […]
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19717
This article says that a magnetic linkage between spinning stars and the charged particles in the dusty disks that surround them slowed the spin of the stars, but says nothing about its effect on the disk. The law of conservation of angular momentum dictates that the angular momentum lost by the star would be transferred […]
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19716
Your article states, “Yet individuals with Asperger syndrome can still look at a face and assess characteristics such as trustworthiness.” Statements like that are mystifying to me. I think I am about average in social intelligence, but I can’t imagine even thinking of looking at a stranger’s face and deciding whether or not the person […]
- Humans
Letters from the August 12, 2006, issue of Science News
Dates of contention Are the dates quoted in “Stones of Contention: Tiny Homo species tied to ancient tool tradition” (SN: 6/3/06, p. 341) correct? I didn’t think Homo existed as a genus 840,000 years ago. David AdamsBoothwyn, Pa. Fossil finds indicate that the Homo genus originated roughly 2.4 million years ago.—B. Bower No juicy story […]
- Humans
Letters from the August 5, 2006, issue of Science News
Rod is the spoiler While I applaud the work that is looking at the biochemical correlates of aggressive and delinquent behavior, it is important to emphasize that environmental factors still predominate when we are searching for the roots of violence (“Violent Developments: Disruptive kids grow into their behavior,” SN: 5/27/06, p. 328). Although there is […]
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19715
I suspect the findings in this article might be correlated with the reduction in lead exposure over the same timeframe. I wonder if the greater reduction in early-childhood blood lead for blacks might be sufficient to explain the effect described in the study. Richard B. MottRingoes, N.J. What can we conclude from these facts? Not […]
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19714
This article, I think, has it backwards. It’s not that labeled trials are more likely to be funded. Rather, well-funded, large trials are more likely to be named. We research chemists label only the important projects. The name makes the project easier to track and reference. Charles D. ShusterColumbus, Ohio
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19713
What about circumcision in the United States and Europe, not just sub-Saharan Africa, as a means of reducing AIDS? As I recall, the most recent trend among U.S. doctors is to discourage this practice as painful and unnecessary. James SeeserSt. Louis, Mo.
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19712
I applaud your coverage of the BioBlitz in the National Capital Area in this article. You only touched the surface, however. BioBlitzes are just a part of All Taxa Biodiversity Inventories that are being conducted from Great Smoky Mountains National Park to some protected areas in Europe. Specifically related to slime molds, the National Science […]
- Humans
Letters from the July 29, 2006, issue of Science News
Squeeze, please It would seem to me that instead of looking to minimize the effect of grapefruit juice in slowing the metabolism and elimination of drugs, one could cut drug dosages by taking advantage of it (“Nabbed: Culprit of grapefruit juice–drug interaction,” SN: 5/20/06, p. 317). Grapefruit juice costs less than any drug and has […]
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19711
This article raises some questions. What about people who are physically unattractive—those whom a majority of the society considers ugly? I suspect that many people treated for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are unattractive by that definition. The psychiatric profession tends to deny that many of the “illnesses” it treats are the result of realities that […]
