All Stories by Science News
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19583
This article gives the impression that the increase in skin cancer among young people is caused by tanning in the sun. Environmental factors such as ozone depletion should have at least been referenced in the article. Cathy Hodge McCoidSacramento, Calif. In your article, the conclusion that young people are getting more skin cancers because “people […]
- Humans
Letters from the August 13, 2005, issue of Science News
Bay listen It was interesting to read of processing mundane noise to produce an ultrasound image of the geology of Los Angeles (“Seismic noise can yield maps of Earth’s crust,” SN: 6/11/05, p. 382). A big question in the state is the deep structure of San Francisco Bay. Clearly, the bay and the valleys extending […]
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19582
This article says that fungal sprays could kill nontarget insect species, “but most of those species people don’t want anyway.” That is a flippant way to blow off reasonable questions. “Most” means “not all,” so some of them people would want. And I would suggest that most people don’t want (don’t care about) worms or […]
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What’s the Buzz?
The highly unusual “bzzzpeek” Web site gives you a chance to compare how people in different countries try to imitate animal (and some vehicle) sounds. Click on an animal or vehicle symbol, then on the language of the native speaker, to hear each result. The animals include sheep, pigs, turkeys, frogs, dogs, and cats. Among […]
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19581
While no obstetrician nowadays advocates starving expectant mothers, there was a general belief for many years that a pregnant woman should gain minimal weight. It might be of interest to know if this practice had any influence on the incidence of schizophrenia. Nelson MaransSilver Spring, Md.
- Humans
Letters from the August 6, 2005, issue of Science News
Empty threat? “Empty Nets: Fisheries may be crippling themselves by targeting the big ones” (SN: 6/4/05, p. 360) reads as if there is something to be alarmed about. By selectively catching large fish, we have reduced “the mean size [of food fish to] one-fifth of what it was.” This is not cause for alarm. It […]
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19580
This article reports on research indicating that winds above the ocean surface can increase due to an apparent damping of turbulence by particles of ocean spray. I would like to point out that a similar phenomenon has been identified in rivers. In situations where the transport of fine sediment particles (sands, clays) coming from the […]
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19579
Your article was very interesting, but it didn’t mention the possibility of a genetic bottleneck after Homo sapiens was already dispersed into Asia and then eliminated from everywhere but Africa by the Toba volcano in Sumatra 74,000 years ago. It has been said that during the colder times after the explosion, the cold-adapted Homo neanderthalensis […]
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19578
Does the name of Honda’s robot, Asimo, have a meaning in Japanese, or is it just a tip of the hat to Isaac Asimov? Dennis LynchGlenshaw, Pa. Asimo’s name stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.—N. Moreira
- Humans
From the July 27, 1935, issue
The geometry of honeycombs, high-energy, man-made gamma rays, and an electrical speed trap.
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Virtual Insects
Created by entomologist Alexei Sharov of Virginia Tech, this Web site provides dramatic, close-up, three-dimensional views of various insects, as presented in animated images or using the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Virtual insects on display include the ant, stag beetle, water strider, and termite. Requires a QuickTime plug-in (movies) or a VRML plug-in (virtual […]
