Letters to the Editor
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19535
I usually tend to downplay worries about research in genetics, but I was quite concerned after reading this article. The researchers surely have plans to keep whatever they create contained. But adding a fifth base to the DNA of bacteria with a genetic mutation rate 10,000 times that of normal bacteria seems unnecessarily dangerous. I […]
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19534
This article showed several reasons why stem cell research is a good thing: Stem cells from embryos might cure cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and many other diseases. But the article should have included the fact that stem cells may help with transplanting organs. Stem cells may be used to “grow” organs for patients […]
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19533
I was interested to read about factors influencing the “hunger hormone’s” —ghrelin’s—effectiveness. One factor not considered but seemingly very significant is physical activity. I suggest that it is more useful to understand and encourage the positive effects of physical activity on overall well-being than to develop new drugs that artificially manipulate the release of hormones […]
- Humans
Letters from the April 2, 2005, issue of Science News
Zoom in, drop out On reading the interesting research on droplets (“Dial-a-Splash: Thin air quells liquid splatter,” SN: 2/12/05, p. 99), I noticed that the two droplets shown in the photos at the moment of first contact have different shapes. In air at normal pressure, the droplet has the characteristic hamburger-bun shape. In contrast, the […]
- Humans
Letters from the March 26, 2005, issue of Science News
Sleeper issue “Goodnight moon, hello Mom and Dad” (SN: 1/22/05, p. 61) attributes behaviors of earlier bedtime, longer sleeping, and earlier weaning to “greater personal independence” in children who sleep alone. It is equally possible that these behaviors are due to something else. Research predicting which children and families will benefit from co-sleeping or alone […]
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19532
I am troubled by the conclusion drawn in this article. The report says that college-educated adults do better on memory tests, displaying pronounced frontal brain activity, than do their less-educated peers. Might it not be just as reasonable to hypothesize that those who are able to “recruit the frontal brain into a memory system” do […]
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19531
Regarding this article, might I suggest that, rather than being a tool of thinking, imagination is just another word for thinking? Greg OttingerSunnyside, Calif.
- Humans
Letters from the March 19, 2005, issue of Science News
Chew on this As an occasional betel nut chewer, I note that the report “Palm-Nut Problem” (SN: 1/15/05, p. 43) doesn’t touch on possible positive aspects of the habit. Chewing sapari (coarsely powdered, sweetened, and clove-flavored areca nut) at the end of a meal leads to a sense of satisfaction and well-being, induces salivation, and […]
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19530
This article ends with the remark, “overall, ‘coercion plays a more important role than kinship in favoring cooperation in insect societies.'” But there’s no proof in the article of this being true in the wasps’ activities overall. Only some of their egg handling is mentioned. If the conclusion is true, it overthrows 40 years of […]
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19529
This is the fourth time I’ve seen a report that vitamin E may not be appropriate for elderly people at cardiac risk. Detailed statistics are always given, but one fact is always omitted: what type of vitamin E was used in the study. Failing to explain what form of vitamin E was used makes the […]
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19528
You may be aware that nanoparticles from sources such as diesel engines have clearly been shown to be a major component of the exposures causing thousands of human deaths in the London smog of 1952. So, the news regarding synthetic nanoscale particles in this article is important but not terribly surprising. Jerrold L. AbrahamSUNY Upstate […]
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19527
Regarding the therapeutic effects of sunflower-seed oil on infants, has any research been done as to the health benefits of the oil in any other age group? Yael LevyNew York, N.Y. Research to date has focused on newborns, says researcher Gary L. Darmstadt of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. However, a few studies have suggested […]
