Letters to the Editor
- Humans
Letters from the February 25, 2006, issue of Science News
A squirt could hurt The fine piece about invasive sea squirts (“Squirt Alert,” SN: 12/24&31/05, p. 411) states that the critters maintain an unappetizing surface pH of 2. Does this make these mats harmful to touch? Andrew J. DolsonRichmond, Va. Robert Whitlatch of the University of Connecticut, who grows Didemnum in the lab, says it’s […]
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19647
The real irony of ironies is that evolution has not evolved. 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, including Darwin, evolution is really a religion. As a result, no one should be surprised to find […]
- Humans
Letters from the February 18, 2006, issue of Science News
Pain, pain, go away I’m pleased that images are now available to prove that self-control over pain works (“Brain Training Puts Big Hurt on Intense Pain: Volunteers learn to translate imaging data into neural-control tool,” SN: 12/17/05, p. 390). Actually, I and many other moms could have helped the researchers. During childbirth, we simply focused […]
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19646
Perhaps in addition to using a friendly strain of Clostridium difficile to crowd out the disease-causing variety in the gut, other species of benign bacteria could be reintroduced at the same time. This might be done inexpensively using “probiotic” bacterial cultures already being sold by some health food companies. Michael DunphyNaperville, Ill. Researchers have tested […]
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19645
There are several problems with the popular-press interpretation of the study described in this article. The study saw a reduction to only 29 percent of calories from fat, which is still far above the 20 percent-or-less advocated by dietary and cardiovascular experts. Also, no one in the field of heart disease prevention would advocate solely […]
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19644
With reference to this article, some scientists say that bonobos are genetically closer to humans than to chimps. How did they compare in the referenced study? Dick MedvickCleveland Heights, Ohio Bonobos are indeed as genetically close to humans as are chimps, but there wasn’t enough genomic data available for bonobos to include them in the […]
- Humans
Letters from the February 11, 2006, issue of Science News
Preventive measure? Regarding “Rare but Fatal Outcome: Four deaths may trace to abortion pill” (SN: 12/3/05, p. 358), would it be possible for an antibiotic to be included with the RU-486 package to prevent a Clostridium sordellii infection? Like millions of other people, I have to take an antibiotic prior to dental procedures to prevent […]
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19643
Some of the descriptions about confusion of self contained in your article were very reminiscent of the confusion I often sense in dreams. I even recognize in some dreams the sensation described in the article about various body parts not being part of “me.” I wonder if this aspect of normal (I assume) dreaming has […]
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19642
Why is it that visible light is shifted to lower frequencies but gamma rays aren’t? Shouldn’t they have become X rays after all that distance? Stephen WoodOrlando, Fla. All wavelengths are redshifted. That means that high-energy gamma rays beyond a detector’s energy range would get shifted into the detectable range by cosmic expansion, while slower-energy […]
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19641
After reading about the use of electrons in a particle accelerator to “cool” the antiprotons in a secondary ring, I have a question. Is it possible to make a long straight stretch of the main ring feed high-energy electrons in at an oblique angle to a deflection magnet and thereby bend the electrons into the […]
- Humans
Letters from the February 4, 2006, issue of Science News
Double trouble? “Sleep apnea could signal greater danger” (SN: 11/26/05, p. 349) says that “twice as many … with sleep apnea had a stroke or died of that or another cause. …” This sounds serious, but your readers can’t correctly assign importance to “twice as many” because you omit numbers of deaths. David KollasTolland, Conn. […]
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19640
This article makes me wonder, Does continental drift cause occasional changes to the ocean’s currents? Would major reorganizations of ocean currents tend to cause ice ages by temporarily disrupting the flow of warm water that normally keeps the ice at bay? Would simulations of past continental positions indicate when reorganizations would have occurred? Matt HenryWhittier, […]
