Letters to the Editor
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19692
In this article, Alycia Weinberger says, “The discovery of a disk around the planetary-mass companion to 2M1207 should be a bit of a relief to planet-formation theorists” because it casts doubt on the object being a planet. But wouldn’t our early solar system have been composed of at least two planets, Jupiter and Saturn, that […]
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19691
Tiktaalik may not have left the water by choice, to avoid predators, or to get more oxygen. Instead, it might have found itself left behind on a muddy floodplain each time waters receded with the tide. Tiktaalik ‘s “limbs” were probably first developed to survive in an environment that required bracing and stabilizing against currents, […]
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19688
Reading the June 10 issue, I was prepared to catch the Simpsonesque spoof (blunder?) in this article. Perhaps the creature had up to 748 legs, or possibly up to 752 legs, but not “up to 750 legs.” David ClarkLititz, Pa. Researcher Paul Marek of East Carolina University explains that Illacme plenipes has four legs per […]
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19690
The article leads me to ask if this explains the efficacy of that standard home remedy for preventing urinary tract infections: cranberry juice. Does it contain a cathelicidin mimic or some irritant that (benignly) stimulates cathelicidin secretions? Gregory HonchulWest Liberty, Ky. There is evidence that the juice can thwart bladder infections, but the mechanism appears […]
- Humans
Letters from the June 10, 2006, issue of Science News
Know the drill Could it be that the ancient teeth discovered with drill marks but no signs of fillings (“Mystery Drilling: Ancient teeth endured dental procedures,” SN: 4/8/06, p. 213) were drilled to relieve abscesses? On a long holiday weekend years ago, a dentist opened and drained an abscess for me until I could get […]
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19689
Math isn’t the only science that makes it into The Simpsons. In one episode a few years ago, a meteorite landed near Bart. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. Although most people are under the impression that meteorites are extremely hot, they’re not. Bart got it right! K.A. BoriskinBellingham, Mass. ? […]
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19687
Are the dates quoted in this article 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
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19686
It’s big news that poison ivy thrives where there are higher concentrations of carbon dioxide? Did everyone forget elementary school science and plant life’s dependence upon carbon dioxide? Do I advocate buying and driving the most carbon dioxide–emitting vehicle you can find? No. I guess I would just like to see more common sense and […]
- Humans
Letters from the June 3, 2006, issue of Science News
Latitude adjustments “Shafts of snow sculpted by sun” (SN: 4/1/06, p. 206) doesn’t say that penitentes appear only in the Andes, nor does it say in what part of the Andes they appear. Does the formation of penitentes require that the sun be nearly directly overhead for part of the day? Can penitentes form only […]
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19685
When I looked at the photo in this article, I didn’t see a “pentagonal shape” in the swirling water. I saw a sine wave, wrapped around a circle. I was immediately reminded of the Bohr–de Broglie model of electron orbits forming standing waves. Rather than swirling water and glycol forming “unexplained” polygons, isn’t this simply […]
- Humans
Letters from the May 27, 2006, issue of Science News
Dig it or don’t I am rather surprised at all the attention this find is getting (“Out of the Shadows: Not all early mammals were shy and retiring,” SN: 3/18/06, p. 173). Some would think that these mammals caused the downfall of the dinosaurs, but the fossil record suggests a very different scenario. There is […]
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19684
While reading this article, I pondered what would happen if fissionable elements were the core crystals of the nanosqueeze. Would nanoreactors or nanobombs be possible? Victor LawnickiLouisville, Ky. Florian Banhart of the University of Mainz in Germany notes that a nuclear-fission bomb or reactor requires a critical mass of kilograms of fissionable material—way too much […]
