Letters to the Editor
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19445
The cover type “Farewell to Hubble?” makes me wonder why we haven’t seen the headline “Farewell to the Current NASA Administrator?” The only reason I have heard for the cancellation of the planned servicing mission is “it’s too dangerous.” Almost anything worth accomplishing has some degree of danger associated with it. The administrator is just […]
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19444
Might donating blood reduce blood concentrations of organochlorines, once the body has time to regenerate blood? Bill WallerDallas, Texas Researchers Catherine Pelletier and Angelo Tremblay of Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec, say this question is interesting but that the small quantity of donated blood wouldn’t significantly affect the overall concentration of organochlorines .—C. Lock
- Humans
Letters from the July 17, 2004, issue of Science News
Readers on reading Other librarians and I regularly discuss illiterate, functional, aliterate, and avid readers. I am pleased that research has begun into what happens in readers’ brains (“Words in the Brain: Reading program spurs neural rewrite in kids,” SN: 5/8/04, p. 291: Words in the Brain: Reading program spurs neural rewrite in kids). The […]
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19443
Not to detract from this project’s accomplishments or its potential, but does space really need tourists? It’s not a sideshow. It will still be dangerous and expensive. Assuming that space travel will be like today’s airline travel is mistaken, especially in the near term. Let’s remember that this project’s success so far also rests on […]
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19442
This article didn’t mention that professional journals usually charge exorbitant page charges, require that a paper be sent in a format that can be directly typeset, and price print and electronic subscriptions identically. What I conclude from this is that greed is as prevalent at professional societies as it is in the commercial world. Edmond […]
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19441
This otherwise well-written and fascinating article contains an error. You write, “Because magnesium is more strongly attracted to oxygen than to silicon, magnesium atoms elbow out the silicon . . . .” The correct statement would be, “Because magnesium is more strongly attracted to oxygen than silicon is attracted to oxygen, magnesium atoms elbow out […]
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19440
While heart disease victim Jody Gorran’s lawsuit against the Atkins empire will be decided in court, the deadlier battle is being waged in the research laboratory. Several studies confirm that low-carbohydrate diets cause marked cholesterol elevations for many individuals. In contrast, a vegetarian diet high in soluble fiber and soy protein can lower serum cholesterol […]
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19439
In the close-up from the Cassini spacecraft, some of Saturn’s rings look rather like grooves in a phonograph record. I wonder if anyone has tried mapping those grooves to see if they can be played using the method described in “Groovy Pictures: Extracting sound from images of old audio recordings” (SN: 5/29/04, p. 339: Groovy […]
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19438
The counterintuitive finding that atrazine is more likely to kill tadpoles when it is highly diluted reminds me of a similar phenomenon in the alternative health care practice of homeopathy. Tracy SellersRowlett, Texas
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19437
The teardrop shape of Venus away from the centermost part of the sun simply is caused by the photographic surface being planar, rather than spherical. The image can never be represented without distortion for the same reason that the globe can’t be represented without distortion on a flat map. Robert P. Kelso San Marcos, Texas […]
- Humans
Letters from the July 10, 2004, issue of Science News
Language of music The study by Hyde and Peretz about people inept at all things musical (“Brain roots of music depreciation,” SN: 5/8/04, p. 302: Brain roots of music depreciation) made me think of my spouse of 20 years. In addition to a lifetime of utter tone deafness, he also nearly didn’t receive his graduate […]
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19436
I don’t think anyone should be surprised that squirrels have figured out how to say “nyah, nyah” to rattlesnakes. After all, it’s what they’ve been saying to cats, dogs, and bird-feeder owning humans for years. R. Kelly WagnerAustin, Texas
