Letters to the Editor
-
19606
In the article, cleanup of radioactive particles that have seeped into porous building materials such as brick and marble appears to be difficult and expensive, even given the described breakthroughs. Perhaps a more proactive measure would be to require these materials to be impregnated with a stable polymer or similar compound that precludes the “soaking […]
-
19605
This article describes an inorganic solar cell prototype utilizing two types of cadmium nanocrystals. Do we really need to aim toward mass-producing more items that contain cadmium? This heavy metal is a toxin and carcinogen that is known for fast uptake in plants and buildup in animals’ fat. Risks associated with such a solar cell’s […]
- Humans
Former Science News Interns Garner Writing Awards
The talents of one recent intern and one from many years ago have now been recognized by national awards.
- Humans
Letters from the October 22, 2005, issue of Science News
Smell the birdie I wonder if any of the researchers had a pet bird (“Myth of the Bad-Nose Birds,” SN: 8/20/05, p. 120). My Alexandrine parakeet can smell beer or ice cream from two rooms away—She screams for her share. Bruce DowRidge Manor, Fla. Brainstorm The research into placebos’ pain relief (“Placebo reins in pain […]
-
19604
I very much enjoyed this article. What struck me, however, was a passage that mentioned the “bird’s resistance to the bends” and the researchers’ alleged inability to explain that. As a scuba diver, I know that the bends, or decompression sickness, is caused by breathing compressed air underwater. More nitrogen is absorbed in body tissue […]
-
19603
The discovery of the early raptor Buitreraptor may resolve one puzzle of the dinosaur-bird relationship. The late-Jurassic “first bird,” Archaeopteryx, seems closely related to dromaeosaurids, yet those animals appear to have lived later, in the Cretaceous. The realization that raptors were around much earlier makes the dinosaur-bird link even clearer. John DavisJackson, Miss.
- Humans
Letters from the October 15, 2005, issue of Science News
Sun, sky, or slather? “Sun Struck: Data suggest skin cancer epidemic looms” (SN: 8/13/05, p. 99) gives the impression that the increase in skin cancer among young people is caused by tanning in the sun. Environmental factors such as ozone depletion should have at least been referenced in the article. Cathy Hodge McCoidSacramento, Calif. In […]
-
19602
Ewan Cameron, who in 1971 began to collaborate with Linus Pauling on vitamin C and cancer, typically initiated patients with 10 grams per day of vitamin C given intravenously for about 2 weeks, followed by an oral dosage continued indefinitely. The two Mayo Clinic trials referred to in this article, which failed to show any […]
-
19601
Nothing was said in your article about the situation in Canada, where killing bears for their gallbladders and paws is a serious problem. I suggest that you contact TRAFFIC North America and the World Wildlife Fund–Canada for detailed information on the problem in Canada. Abby SchwarzVancouver, British Columbia The article states, “Traditional medicine has been […]
-
19600
The recent discovery of “mature” galaxies at distances corresponding to the remote cosmic past mentioned in this article threatens more than galaxy-formation theory. It threatens to shatter the increasingly fragile Big Bang paradigm by showing that the composition of the cosmos is uniform in time and space. Michael J. DunnAuburn, Wash. If a Big Bang […]
-
19599
In general, a judge is an independent legal expert. To expect a legal expert to be able to determine the validity of the scientific information is no more reasonable than to expect a scientist to be able to do a good job of making legal judgments. Thomas BradleyPoway, Calif. If I remember correctly, expert witnesses […]
-
19598
This article is unfortunately murky. It’s confusing to state that accelerating charged particles to high speeds “therefore” produces cosmic rays. And what “charged particles”? Is the “energized” gas in fact “ionized”? “Energized” is too general a word. Finally, why are high-speed particles more easily compressed than slower-moving material? Fredric BlumMerion, Pa. “Energized” means that the […]
