All Stories by Science News
- Planetary Science
The Mysterious Smell of Moondust
Long after the last Apollo astronaut left the moon, a mystery lingers: Why does moondust smell like gunpowder? In this account, astronauts describe the surprising smell and taste of moondust, which they experienced firsthand inside their lunar landers. The dust gave one astronaut a case of hay fever. Go to: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/30jan_smellofmoondust.htm
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19674
While reading in this article that starlings may be capable of discerning grammatical patterns, I recalled the FOXP2 gene. The gene seems to be involved in the development of areas of the brain involved in speech in humans. Variants of FOXP2 were found in a family whose members shared a rare speech disorder. In gene […]
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19673
This article refers repeatedly to black holes “swallowing matter and spitting out [or sending out] energy.” What really “spits out” or “sends out” anything is not the black hole itself, but the disk of gas that’s in the process of being mostly sucked irreversibly into the black hole. Bruce MoomawCameron Park, Calif.
- Humans
Letters from the April 29, 2006, issue of Science News
Creating a controversy The real irony of ironies is that evolution has not evolved (“Evolution in Action: The trials and tribulations of intelligent design,” SN: 2/25/06, p. 120). When even mainstream evolutionary scientists propose any change to “the fact of evolution,” they are immediately silenced. That’s not science. As it has been practiced by many, […]
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19672
Something mystified me about this article. Apparently, preservation experts are concerned that microorganisms could wipe out Stone Age cave paintings, as if this were an urgent threat. Has something altered the caves in which these paintings appear that has invited intensified bacterial growth? Don McMillanModesto, Calif. What threatens the paintings is a modern scourge: tourists. […]
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Finding Form
Biologist Sean Carroll maintains a site devoted to the genetics of animal body designs and evolution. Read about advances in the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology and watch brief movies of embryo formation in fruit flies, butterfly wing development, and other natural wonders. Go to: http://www.molbio.wisc.edu/carroll/index.html
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19671
Your article states that farsightedness will be treated with these new electric lenses. With some tweaking, could nearsightedness and astigmatism be treated as well? Could binoculars, telescopes, and microscopes use this technology? Roger CurnowGrand Rapids, Mich. Yes and yes, says Dwight P. Duston of PixelOptics in Roanoke, Va. However, he notes that it’s instant switching […]
- Humans
Letters from the April 22, 2006, issue of Science News
Second cousins With reference to “Chimps creep closer yet” (SN: 2/11/06, p. 94), some scientists say that bonobos are genetically closer to humans than to chimps. How did they compare in the referenced study? Dick MedvickCleveland Heights, Ohio Bonobos are indeed as genetically close to humans as are chimps, but there wasn’t enough genomic data […]
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19670
This article raises a couple of questions for me. Recently, I drank some clam-tomato juice that contained jalapeño puree. It seemed to alleviate some of my internal ailments. So, I wonder if jalapeño peppers also contain capsaicin. Norman MooreBoca Raton, Fla. Jalapeño peppers do contain capsaicin, but it’s impossible to say whether the substance delivers […]
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19669
After taking some of the bias tests talked about in this article, I am very skeptical. Since the major tool is speed of reaction, and since my eyes are not too good now, the results were very curious and probably totally unreliable: Though a lifelong, unprejudiced heterosexual, the test has me biased in favor of […]
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19668
Clock time has long been out of step with the heavens. Since the adoption of time zones in the 19th century, we have accepted disparities of as much as 30 minutes at the edges of the time zones (more in some cases since time zones are set by politics, not geography). And of course, the […]
