Letters to the Editor
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19422
I felt that this article treated the customs and people of Samoa with disrespect and patronized their cultural ways. Robert OliverTucson, Ariz. I must commend you on the article. Its combination of sensitivity and science reminds me of why I studied science in the first place (too long ago). Tom JenkinsSan Francisco, Calif.
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19421
Your article failed to include in the list of oldest dogs the Shiba Inu. This is the most popular dog in Japan today, and many of its qualities make it a much better pet than the other dogs listed in your “oldest breeds” category. Deborah Katz HuntMadison, Wis. The genetic analysis included the Shiba Inu, […]
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19420
It seems to me that the stronger the social pressure against using marijuana in a culture, the more likely it will be that those who use it will be troubled, antisocial, or unusually independent. Hence, any increase in the incidence of mental problems after using marijuana could be attributed to an increased likelihood that those […]
- Humans
Letters from the May 22, 2004, issue of Science News
Further options “Surgical Option: Hysterectomy may top drugs for women with heavy bleeding” (SN: 3/27/04, p. 196: Surgical Option: Hysterectomy may top drugs for women with heavy bleeding) doesn’t mention that 13 to 20 percent of women with heavy menstrual periods have a common but often undiagnosed bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease. Because this […]
- Humans
Letters from the May 15, 2004, issue of Science News
Drug benefits There are added benefits to methotrexate and etanercept for rheumatoid arthritis patients, such as myself (“Two arthritis drugs work best in tandem,” SN: 3/13/04, p. 174: Two arthritis drugs work best in tandem). After a recent major flare-up, my rheumatologist put me on that therapy. Many people don’t realize that along with inflammation […]
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19419
This article on the spread of Bt pollen ended with the question, “Is this a big deal or a small effect?” The fact that this phenomenon has gone missing from bioengineering papers for 20 years makes one wonder what else hasn’t appeared. Bioengineers saying “we know what we’re doing” should now be humbled. The article […]
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19418
I can pretty easily tell what was going through the kiddo’s mind while trying “in vain to scoot down a miniature slide.” 1. “Slides are fun. Why not pretend to slide on a toy slide to get the feeling you get from the real one?” 2. “Wow, I’m big now. I’ll prove it.” So, perhaps […]
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19417
While reading about the amazing properties of Archimedes’ Stomachion, I wondered whether a mere child’s toy would exhibit such mathematical precision, with each vertex falling on a lattice point of a 12-by-12 grid. Perhaps Archimedes took the basic plan of the toy and tweaked it to see what properties he could induce. Jeffry D. MuellerEldersburg, […]
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19416
The phenomenon described in your article, an animal manufacturing natural poisons using chemical precursors in the environment, has been described before—in a work of science fiction! In Arthur Herzog’s 1974 novel The Swarm, later made into a movie, killer bees learned to metabolize organophosphate insecticides and incorporate those molecules into their venom. Dave LeisingLowell, Mich.
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19415
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. The study as presented, however, doesn’t seem to control for the individual attention given by the tutors, a factor that may have influenced the results. I hope this research continues. […]
- Humans
Letters from the May 8, 2004, issue of Science News
Listen carefully Perhaps Stefan Koelsch’s study should have been limited to trained musicians, rather than exclude them (“Song Sung Blue: In brain, music and language overlap,” SN: 2/28/04, p. 133: Song Sung Blue: In brain, music and language overlap). Word and visual associations in music are vigorously reinforced in movie soundtracks, cartoons, and elsewhere. But […]
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19414
The study by Hyde and Peretz about people inept at all things musical 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 degree because he couldn’t pass a required language course. He was examined by a university psychologist, who […]
