All Stories by Science News
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19721
I was sorry to learn Pluto did not qualify as a planet (this article and “Doggone! Pluto gets a planetary demotion,” SN: 9/2/06, p. 149). Pluto has a diameter comparable with the Earth’s moon. The size of our moon relative to Earth might cause any observer to consider Earth and its moon as double planets. […]
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19720
I have a question concerning this article. It says, “As the sun rotates, its polar regions make a complete circle in about 34 days, compared with the 25 days required by its equator.” I was wondering how it’s possible to have two points on a rotating body take different amounts of time to make a […]
- Humans
Letters from the August 19, 2006, issue of Science News
Aye carumba Math isn’t the only science that makes it into The Simpsons (“Springfield Theory,” SN: 6/10/06, p. 360). In one episode a few years ago, a meteorite landed near Bart. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. Although most people are under the impression that meteorites are extremely hot, they’re not. […]
- Humans
From the August 8, 1936, issue
Phosphorus for agriculture, dirtless gardening, and the spectroscopic analysis of blood.
- Earth
Earthquake Hazards
To keep up with the latest rumblings around the globe, the U.S. Geological Service offers a Web site with current earthquake data. The site also includes information about significant earthquakes of the past, megaquakes and Hollywood disaster movies, and a section for kids, which has games, puzzles, science project ideas, and more. Go to: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
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19719
To argue that the concentrations reported in this study are environmentally relevant is misleading. Those concentrations are usually in groundwater, not surface waters. I’ve been involved in the environmental field for almost 20 years and have yet to hear of any fish being caught in groundwater. John HarrisSacramento, Calif. Study coauthor Frank von Hippel notes […]
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19718
Did the researchers take into account that most arrow points and spearheads would have been in contact with the inside of game, a considerably warmer and more humid environment than the ground where the points were found? Daniel WoitulewiczDetroit, Mich. The material would be inside game—and at a higher temperature than the environment—for only a […]
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19717
This article says that a magnetic linkage between spinning stars and the charged particles in the dusty disks that surround them slowed the spin of the stars, but says nothing about its effect on the disk. The law of conservation of angular momentum dictates that the angular momentum lost by the star would be transferred […]
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19716
Your article states, “Yet individuals with Asperger syndrome can still look at a face and assess characteristics such as trustworthiness.” Statements like that are mystifying to me. I think I am about average in social intelligence, but I can’t imagine even thinking of looking at a stranger’s face and deciding whether or not the person […]
- Humans
Letters from the August 12, 2006, issue of Science News
Dates of contention Are the dates quoted in “Stones of Contention: Tiny Homo species tied to ancient tool tradition” (SN: 6/3/06, p. 341) correct? I didn’t think Homo existed as a genus 840,000 years ago. David AdamsBoothwyn, Pa. Fossil finds indicate that the Homo genus originated roughly 2.4 million years ago.—B. Bower No juicy story […]
- Humans
Letters from the August 5, 2006, issue of Science News
Rod is the spoiler While I applaud the work that is looking at the biochemical correlates of aggressive and delinquent behavior, it is important to emphasize that environmental factors still predominate when we are searching for the roots of violence (“Violent Developments: Disruptive kids grow into their behavior,” SN: 5/27/06, p. 328). Although there is […]
- Humans
From the August 1, 1936, issue
A destroyer revealed, light linked to chlorophyll, and hemoglobin analyzed.
