Letters to the Editor
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19246
This article details an advance in human-cloning efforts. The researchers charging into this field think that we should pass laws to keep others from abusing their research. Ha! Do they really think they can keep this genie in a bottle? If this keeps up, it won’t be long before people are cloning themselves and maybe […]
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19245
Your article refers to a virus as a “microbe.” I think of a virus more as a seed or spore. What definition is Science News using for the word? Neil MurphyWalnut Creek, Calif. Medical dictionaries differ in defining viruses as microbes . Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Eleventh Edition ( 2003, Merriam-Webster ) says that viruses are […]
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Letters from the Feb. 7, 2004, issue of Science News.
Warm topic I was fascinated by the article on heat production in flowers (“Warm-Blooded Plants?” SN: 12/13/03, p. 379: Warm-Blooded Plants?). It speculated on the evolutionary origins of such thermogenesis and observed how it predominates in ancient lineages of flowering plants like magnolias and water lilies. But thermogenesis goes back much farther than this, for […]
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19300
Regarding this article, did the researchers image the brains of disabled people who know the meaning of a verb but can’t perform the action, or of people without any disabilities who know the meaning of a verb such as “scull” but have never performed the action? It seems that without the above-mentioned types of tests, […]
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19378
The thought that anyone, Eskimo or otherwise, would willingly kill a member of an endangered species that may have been swimming when George Washington was still alive makes me sick at heart. Honoring one’s ancestors could surely be achieved by going out in a whaleboat, engaging in a mock hunt, and showing true reverence for […]
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19299
This article could leave the impression that the evolutionary significant unit (ESU) is the de facto concept employed for all listing decisions under the Endangered Species Act. In fact, the ESU has not been used in the vast majority of recent listing decisions under the act. Nor should it be. The act allows the National […]
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19377
Of course animals think, I’d say. But you say, “Many [scientists] theorized that nonhuman animals react to their surroundings without actually thinking.” My observation over the decades has been that most humans do the same, most of the time. George BlenderSan Diego, Calif. You don’t need all the elaborate experiments described in the article. If […]
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19298
The statement by Kyeongjae Cho that “we don’t have enough platinum” for a hydrogen economy based on fuel cells is simply wrong. Anyone who is working in the fuel cell industry expects the amount of platinum used in fuel cells to drop by the time this technology will be available for a mass market. If […]
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19376
In regards to the picture accompanying this article, it might be helpful to remind readers that such colorful depictions of nanoscale materials are slightly fanciful. These structures exist in realms so small that visible light, and therefore color, has little meaning. James HedbergPortland State UniversityPortland, Ore.
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19297
I’m confused. This article says that “atherosclerosis isn’t linked to oxidation of bad cholesterol.” If not, why does the article “Telltale Charts” (Telltale Charts) name cholesterol as one of the traditional risk factors? What is really going on with cholesterol? Sandor FrecskaLancaster, Pa. Good question. While epidemiological studies offer compelling evidence that blood-cholesterol concentrations influence […]
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19375
This article, or at least part of it, could have been titled “Danger on Dock” or maybe “Danger under Dock.” After reading about how chromated-copper arsenate (CCA) is leached from the wood, I began wondering how it affects aquatic organisms. Many fish, especially bluegills and other sunfish, make these docks their preferred habitat. If not […]
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19374
Something jumped out at me from this article. It’s that there were no published data supporting the 50 percent rule taught for years in medical schools. I think this speaks volumes about science and medicine in this country. Charlie WelchBrighton, Mass. I’m confused. “Wine Surprise: Heart-protective effect is independent of antioxidants” (SN: 1/31/04, p. 68: […]
