Letters to the Editor
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19679
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. Grapefruit juice costs less than any drug and has far fewer possible side effects. This could only benefit the patient by […]
- Humans
Letters from the May 13, 2006, issue of Science News
Now hear this Unless the writer is deliberately implying an archaic theory of evolution in “Can you hear me now? Frogs in roaring streams use ultrasonic calls” (SN: 3/18/06 p. 165), the statement “Ultrasonic perception may have developed as the frogs (Amolops tormotus) struggled to hear each other . . .” cannot be true. That’s […]
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19678
This article reported that years ago it was discovered that certain male mice eradicate cancer cells and that white blood cells from these mice make normal mice cancer resistant. It also reported that it is superpremature to look forward to clinical applications. It would seem that aggressive searches for remission of cancer in humans with […]
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19677
The study in this article fails to address the more disturbing issue: Most of the insurance money (apparently) goes to lawyers (both sides), and very little to those injured. Peter WilsonSimi Valley, Calif. The numbers in the story pose a question. First, one reads that “about 85 percent of [1,452] cases were settled out of […]
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19676
Unless Vincenzo Formicola can demonstrate a human-caused fatal injury to the youngsters buried at these grave sites, his suggestion of human sacrifice is just sensationalistic speculation. The likeliest reason for a group burial is death in an outbreak of disease. There are many modern instances, such as the era of the bubonic plague. The rich […]
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19675
I’ve always found difficult the argument that Homo erectus couldn’t speak because of the size of its spinal cord. Consider that parrots manage to reproduce a wide range of human sounds. David PetcheyMill Valley, Calif.
- Humans
Letters from the May 6, 2006, issue of Science News
Same old grind “Ancient Andean Maize Makers: Finds push back farming, trade in highland Peru” (SN: 3/4/06, p. 132) remarks on maize starch granules being “consistent with” stone grinding. The presence of lowland arrowroot on one tool is consistent with trade, but it is equally consistent with a wandering hunter grabbing a root in the […]
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19674
While reading in this article that starlings may be capable of discerning grammatical patterns, I recalled the FOXP2 gene. The gene seems to be involved in the development of areas of the brain involved in speech in humans. Variants of FOXP2 were found in a family whose members shared a rare speech disorder. In gene […]
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19673
This article refers repeatedly to black holes “swallowing matter and spitting out [or sending out] energy.” What really “spits out” or “sends out” anything is not the black hole itself, but the disk of gas that’s in the process of being mostly sucked irreversibly into the black hole. Bruce MoomawCameron Park, Calif.
- Humans
Letters from the April 29, 2006, issue of Science News
Creating a controversy The real irony of ironies is that evolution has not evolved (“Evolution in Action: The trials and tribulations of intelligent design,” SN: 2/25/06, p. 120). When even mainstream evolutionary scientists propose any change to “the fact of evolution,” they are immediately silenced. That’s not science. As it has been practiced by many, […]
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19672
Something mystified me about this article. Apparently, preservation experts are concerned that microorganisms could wipe out Stone Age cave paintings, as if this were an urgent threat. Has something altered the caves in which these paintings appear that has invited intensified bacterial growth? Don McMillanModesto, Calif. What threatens the paintings is a modern scourge: tourists. […]
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19671
Your article states that farsightedness will be treated with these new electric lenses. With some tweaking, could nearsightedness and astigmatism be treated as well? Could binoculars, telescopes, and microscopes use this technology? Roger CurnowGrand Rapids, Mich. Yes and yes, says Dwight P. Duston of PixelOptics in Roanoke, Va. However, he notes that it’s instant switching […]
