Letters to the Editor
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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 […]
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19630
The conclusion drawn by pediatrician Julie C. Lumeng in this article is that parents’ safety concerns lead to kids being cooped up indoors where the opportunity for exercise is limited and food is easily accessible. While the study apparently shows a correlation between parental fears and overweight children, correlation does not equal causation. I would […]
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19629
The picture of the new cochlear implant in this article shows a square piece that is to be implanted deeply into the inner ear. “Square peg in a round hole” was my response. Why doesn’t the probe have a more rounded shape? Yvonne LyerlaSonoma, Calif. Only the slender shaft attached to the square piece goes […]
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19628
In this article about using harmonic reflected signals to track bees, I thought it was interesting to note that the original technology was created by the Russians as a spy device. The technology is still being used for a form of spying. Dwight ElveySanta Cruz, Calif.
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19627
Epidemiologist Scott Davis warns, “Melatonin supplements are not regulated” the way drugs are. . . . “There may be all kinds of impurities and contaminants.” Are you really going to tell me that you aren’t going to take melatonin—if you’re convinced that it might lower your chance of getting cancer by as much as 50 […]
- Humans
Letters from the January 7, 2006, issue of Science News
Death in the Americas I was wondering if researchers have given any thought to the idea that in the same way that disease devastated human populations after the European discovery of the Americas, perhaps disease was a contributing factor in the demise of much of the fauna of the Western Hemisphere (“Caribbean Extinctions: Climate change […]
