Uncategorized
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19078
I was saddened to see that water conservation received such short shrift in this article. The easiest, cheapest way to conserve water supplies is simply not to use them. Instead of figuring out how to put blankets on snowdrifts, why not just focus on turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving? Alan […]
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From the July 16, 1932, issue
CANADIAN RESEARCH BUILDING READY FOR USE AT OTTAWA “In time of war, prepare for peace” is an adage worthy of being followed in economic conflict such as now grips the world. The impending dedication of Canada’s $3 million laboratory building at Ottawa for its National Research Council is a fitting reminder that research undertaken now […]
- Physics
Sandcastle Physics
Just about anyone can build a sandcastle out of wet sand. Why sand behaves as it does–on the beach, during earthquakes, at low pressures–isn’t yet fully understood. A NASA space shuttle experiment is now slated to tackle details of what happens when sand is compressed. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/11jul_mgm.htm
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19091
This article is highly deceptive in implying that avid recyclers are responsible for more dioxin in backyard burning. True, the article does say that’s per pound of trash burned. But how many fewer pounds of trash per person per year do these people burn? In reality, many people who are avid recyclers are probably also […]
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From the January 25, 1930, issue
IF AMERICA HAD NOT BEEN DISCOVERED The suggestion that ancient America appears to parallel ancient Europe rather remarkably was made recently by Dr. A.V. Kidder, archaeologist of Phillips Academy, Andover, and director of archaeological researches for the Carnegie Institute of Washington. Dr. Kidder pointed out that the Mayan Indians who lived in Central America and […]
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Let’s Go to Lascaux
Take a virtual trip to France’s Lascaux Cave. Gawk at the prehistoric paintings and engravings while learning about the site’s history, scientific work performed there, and Stone Age art techniques. Go to: http://www.culture.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/fr/index.html
- Chemistry
Buckymedicine
Scientists are turning carbon-cage molecules called fullerenes into drug candidates and medical diagnostic tools.
- Astronomy
X-ray observatory captures a rare supernova
Astronomers have obtained the first portrait of X-ray emission from a rare, so-called Ic supernova.
- Health & Medicine
Do-It-Yourself: Virus recreated from synthetic DNA
In an experiment with implications for bioterrorism, scientists have used poliovirus' widely known genetic sequence to synthesize that virus from DNA and other chemicals.
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19020
“Vaccine for All? Math model supports mass smallpox inoculation” failed to mention an important complication for any type of smallpox-inoculation program: The vaccine might not work. A smallpox outbreak could be caused by a viral strain purposely engineered to evade any commercially available vaccine. Also, how likely is it that a new smallpox vaccine would […]
- Health & Medicine
Vaccine for All? Math model supports mass smallpox inoculation
Vaccinating an entire city in response to a smallpox terrorist attack would save thousands more lives than would quarantining infected people and vaccinating anyone they contacted.
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19077
I found “Voltage from the Bottom of the Sea: Ooze-dwelling microbes can power electronics” both interesting and troubling. In essence, the article describes a bioelectrochemical fuel cell that has been under constant investigation since the 1960s, when such studies were funded by NASA and the Office of Naval Research. These devices have been variously referred […]
