Letters to the Editor
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19386
I know some people who carefully shield their bodies from the sun with sunscreen and clothing, and their skin is extremely pale. But if tanning acts as a protector, is it actually safer to maintain a “healthy” tan? Chris EsseBeverly Hills, Calif. Scientists continue to debate this question vigorously. Some say any tanning indicates skin-cell […]
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19385
I would guess that a rock measuring 1 kilometer across, landing near New Zealand 500 years ago, would have done much more than create a tsunami 300 to 500 feet high. Was the object 1 km across before encountering Earth’s atmosphere? Don ArthurNorth Coventry, Pa. Yes. The object’s estimated size is before it hit the […]
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19384
Perhaps Stefan Koelsch’s study should have been limited to trained musicians, rather than exclude them. Word and visual associations in music are vigorously reinforced in movie soundtracks, cartoons, and elsewhere. But classical composers and musicians typically take pains to isolate their musicianship from any and all nonmusical elements. This inquiry may shine light on the […]
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19383
The observations in this article are of stars and galaxies billions of light-years away and billions of years old. Has anyone ever thought about what the universe out there looks like today? Earl RosenwinkelDuluth, Minn. People have thought about what the universe looks like now and what it will look like in the distant future, […]
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19382
Your article describes a great theory in a theoretical world. The purpose of a coin toss is to determine an outcome in the real world, however. Did the guys doing the various analyses factor in the effect of the coin bouncing on the ground or being fumbled in an attempted catch? Ed EiermanRomney, W.Va. The […]
- Humans
Letters from the Feb. 28, 2004, issue of Science News
It’s tough in there In the arts, we say that material, such as paper, that deteriorates readily because of its composition (“News That’s Fit to Print—and Preserve,” SN: 1/10/04, p. 24: News That’s Fit to Print—and Preserve) has “internal vice.” I suppose that could be said of newspapers on several grounds. Lawrence Wallin Santa Barbara, […]
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19381
The genetic link from obesity to macrophage production to inflammation to diseases in this article seems convincing. On an ecological scale, inflammation is an acute response to environmental insult, while fat is a chronic response, through its role in sequestering toxins. Perhaps the new research reveals a genetic program to arm the body’s defenses both […]
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19380
In answer to this article, infections elevate activity of the immune system, so they might indirectly suppress tumors of all kinds. If so, antibiotics could increase the incidence of cancer by reducing the duration and degree of infection. The widespread practice of sterilizing our home and work environments could have a similar effect. Edward P. […]
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19379
Your article says that tsunamis “disrupt winds,” leading to the appearance of dark bands. I propose that upwelling above the crests creates a new surface initially unaffected by the wind and therefore slick. Such bands of slick water formed by tides are a common sight in Puget Sound. Harry HigginsSeattle, Wash.
- Humans
Letters from the Feb. 21, 2004, issue of Science News
Thin skin I find the language of “Thin Skin” (SN: 1/3/04, p.11: Thin Skin) to be judgmental and unscientific. For example, “desert pavement and their biota are wounded by human activity” is neither artistic nor scientific. Such narrow, biased views of ecology have no place in a scientific journal. Boone MoraGarden Valley, Calif. Out with […]
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19247
In this article, I read that an orb of a given size, when slightly flattened, will pack more densely than when perfectly round. No kidding? Do you suppose if we were to crush cars into little cubes we could hurl more into a landfill than we could just by driving them over a cliff? What […]
- Humans
Letters from the Feb. 14, 2004, issue of Science News
Revealing words “Bookish Math: Statistical tests are unraveling knotty literary mysteries” (SN: 12/20&27/03, p. 392: Bookish Math) skipped one of the most significant methods for analyzing text for authorship. On March 11, 1887, Thomas Corwin Mendenhall reported in Science a straightforward method of plotting word length versus frequency. The beauty of this method is that […]
