Letters to the Editor
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19639
Trying to explain why “Diabetes most often begins in March,” researchers speculate about “cold weather, inactivity, and overeating.” Did they consider the possible role of a seasonal deficiency of vitamin D? Joseph DewhirstSharon, Mass. Vitamin D would logically be at its most depleted level in the body in March and at its most concentrated level […]
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19638
I refer to the article on pyrethroid insecticides. I suggest that all pesticides, regardless of their chemical structure, should be applied by trained operators who are equipped to degrade the run off before it enters public water and soil. This group of products is unsuitable for casual use by people at large. S. BanerjiMumbai, India
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19637
I must quibble about the headline of this piece about chronic wasting disease in deer. “Hunter Beware” sounds ominous, but in order to get the mice to exhibit symptoms after getting muscle tissue from infected deer, it was necessary to use genetically engineered mice carrying deer protein. While hunters would be unlikely to take and […]
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19636
This article details logging and poaching practices that have decimated the orangutan population on Borneo. These practices are not only sad, they’re criminal. It’s time for scientists to become as politically active as the religious right and start fighting for actions known to be needed. In this case, it’s protecting orangutans from extinction. Scientists must […]
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19635
I was surprised to read nothing about the timing of the songs when the birds are separated by distance. The ABCD duet would become A—BC—D (where the dashes represent the time delay due to distance) to the male and AB—CD to the female. The duet could be a distance-measurement tool for pairs wanting to keep […]
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19634
This article made no mention of the Clarno fossil beds and others nearby in north-central Oregon. Everything from pollen to midsize extinct mammals has been perfectly preserved and looks exactly like freshly exposed matter, not fossil rock. The living matter was entrapped by an enormous mudslide. Herman GelbachNormandy Park, Wash.
- Humans
Letters from the January 28, 2006, issue of Science News
Oil-for-food exchange Several decades ago, I heard of the anecdotal correlation between the rise of hydrogenated oils in our foods and the rise of colon cancer. The Swedish study that correlated high dairy-fat intake with lower risk of colon cancer (“Dairy fats cut colon cancer risk,” SN: 11/19/05, p. 333) might be reexamined to see […]
- Humans
Letters from the January 21, 2006, issue of Science News
D. Durda, FIAAA/B612 Foundation Push, pull, zap, drench I’m surprised that NASA envisions an absurdly massive, nuclear-powered “gravitational tug” to avoid “the biggest problem” of a contact-tug’s need to “fir[e] its rocket engine only at specific times” to compensate for an asteroid’s rotation (“Protecting Earth: Gravitational tractor could lure asteroids off course,” SN: 11/12/05, p. […]
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19633
Just because living organisms were found in extreme conditions does not necessarily mean they were created in these localities. Another possibility is that the creation of life took place under more amenable conditions and that these organisms, through evolution, gradually adapted as the conditions changed. We shouldn’t assume that just because bacteria were found on […]
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19632
This article illustrates one of the fascinating ways in which cellular automata have evolved into a truly useful analytical tool. However, would it not be more linguistically consistent, not to mention more accurate, to refer to the methodology as “in virtuo” rather than “in silico”? In another 50 years, the use of silicon as a […]
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19631
I experienced something very interesting after Sept. 11, 2001. Rather than post-traumatic stress disorder, there seemed to be a togetherness exhibited. I found people to be more courteous, thoughtful, compassionate, and polite in general. I’m sure that people can say they experienced this same type of oneness in past experiences. J. DawsonFolsom, Calif.
- Humans
Letters from the January 14, 2006, issue of Science News
Alcohol calculus “A toast to thin blood” (SN: 11/12/05, p. 317) says, “the blood of people who consume 3 to 6 drinks weekly was less likely to clot in a test tube than was the blood from nondrinkers.” I wonder if there is a rebound effect that could make the blood of new abstainers even […]
