Letters to the Editor

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 […]

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 […]

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.

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 […]

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 […]

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: […]

19296

The political pseudoscience press strikes again. Now, we are told that by 2050, as many as 31 percent of species will be wiped out by a temperature increase of 0.8 to 1.7°C. I find this impossible to believe, in that these organisms are all presently surviving with diurnal, seasonal, yearly, and cyclical average-temperature fluctuations that […]

19373

Once again, we see evidence that supports what we knew all along. As my mother told me growing up, “Just sleep on it.” David VarnerPortland, Ore.

19372

John Harris is quoted as saying that the absence of opossums is a “curious exception” to the list of current mammals of the Los Angeles Basin preserved in the La Brea tar pits. But the presence of opossums on the West Coast is well documented to be very recent. All current California opossums derive entirely […]

19371

One of your sources in this article claims, “After all, even the sacred first law’s conservation of energy breaks down in the quantum realm, albeit in a limited way, he notes. That’s because Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle allows energy momentarily to appear from nothing, although it must be quickly paid back.” This claim is heard occasionally, […]

19295

In this article, it was assumed that people who switched from planes to cars after the terrorist attacks did so because of fear. However, many people who switched probably did so because of the inconvenience of added airport security. But before these extra deaths can be blamed on fear, security, or something else, it is […]

19294

This article seems to be delivering good news for the environment: “Clean” hydrogen can be produced from water using solar energy. This seems to me, however, to be even more horrifying than the burning of fossil fuels, which I believe we will be able to survive quite well without, once we consume them all. Will […]