Letters to the Editor
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19486
In this article, it strikes me as strange to project the cost of collecting DNA samples from the “estimated 10 million animal species” on Earth when at least 90 percent of that probable fauna has yet to be discovered and, at current extinction rates, probably never will be. Kevin LumneyPorter Township, Ohio
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19485
The resonance discovered in the star HD 202206 system is not unique, and it isn’t true that “[t]his particular synchrony has never been seen before in a planetary system.” Resonances abound in the solar system. The orbital periods of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, many asteroids’ orbits, Jupiter’s orbit, and Pluto’s orbit with Neptune are […]
- Physics
Letters from the November 27, 2004, issue of Science News
Dark Secrets Astronomers and physicists seem to speak of black holes as though they took matter completely out of the universe (“Information, Please,” SN: 9/25/04, p. 202: Information, Please). An evaporating black hole would not fizz away into nothingness. It would lose energy and reappear in normal space as a very dense object (complete with […]
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19484
The study in this article is missing the boat. They should use families that have eliminated asthma triggers without medications. In our safe, chemical-free home, we have been able to protect our health. Avoiding asthma triggers has resulted in one son being cured of asthma and my other son and I being under control with […]
- Humans
Letters from the November 20, 2004, issue of Science News
When Earth got gas Considering the controversy that Thomas Gold engendered when he first postulated abiogenic origins of earthly hydrocarbons, it’s odd you didn’t mention his name, in “Deep Squeeze: Experiments point to methane in Earth’s mantle” (SN: 9/25/04, p. 198: Deep Squeeze: Experiments point to methane in Earth’s mantle). Edgar T. LynkNiskayuna, N.Y. Although […]
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19483
In this article, you report on a study in which it was found that female monkeys raised in a stressful situation drink alcohol to excess only if they possess just the short serotonin-transporter gene. If a positive correlation were to be found in abusers of drugs and alcohol and the presence of two copies of […]
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19482
What will happen to the Huygens probe when it plunges through Titan’s atmosphere? Will we have a PHHT or a BOOM? My late father, a chemist, always admonished me to beware of acetylene, propane, and ethane, as they were highly volatile. Caroline L.C. GoldsmithHackettstown, N.J. ” There is no molecular oxygen on Titan,” responds Jonathan […]
- Humans
Letters from the November 13, 2004, issue of Science News
The direct approach “An Exploitable Mutation: Defect might make some lung cancers treatable” (SN: 9/11/04, p. 164: An Exploitable Mutation: Defect might make some lung cancers treatable) may have missed a “magic bullet” that would be effective against many forms of cancer. The researchers concentrate on a drug that blocks a mutated form of the […]
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19481
This article seems to confuse triggers with long-term contributing factors. Traffic might just cause small peaks in stress that trigger only heart attacks that would have otherwise happened days later. To recommend staying out of traffic, research would need to show that people regularly in traffic are more likely to have heart attacks or have […]
- Humans
Letters from the November 6, 2004, issue of Science News
Another view I suggest that world maps with countries colored by some statistical feature often would be more useful if done on a cartogram that is a compromise between population and size of countries, rather than on a map with a simple Mercator projection (“A Better Distorted View,” SN: 8/28/04, p. 136: A Better Distorted […]
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19480
I’m no fan of cell phones, but this seems to be an article about a solution looking for a problem. Presumably, cell phones would be disposed of in landfills and, therefore, not exactly “released” into the environment, as the article states. In any case, the 312,000 pounds of lead in all cell phones owned in […]
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19479
There is another answer to how the toxin gets on the bird’s feathers besides the birds eating the beetles. Many birds use insects to preen their feathers. Ralph GundersenSt. Cloud, Minn. “Because we do find significant toxin levels in internal organs . . . we believe that [the birds] are ingesting at least some of […]
