All Stories by Science News
- Humans
From the April 6, 1935, issue
Early cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., nebulae as remnants of exploded stars, and 6,000-year-old leftovers.
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Inner Tube of Life
Science magazine presents a striking portrait of the human gut in a special collection of articles and features devoted to the flora, development, immunology, diseases, and more of this remarkable, 10-foot-long tube. The Web pages include an interactive poster displaying the gut in all its glory. Requires free registration. Go to: http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/gut/
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19539
To a layman like me, it seems almost impossible that light reflected from a body that lies “much farther from the star than Pluto does from the sun” could be seen from Earth at a distance of 450 light years, when Pluto, only 6 light hours away, reflects so little light to Earth. Peter JemingSeattle, […]
- Humans
Letters from the April 9, 2005, issue of Science News
Big ideas Your article “Life on the Scales” (SN: 2/12/05, p. 106) reminded me that taking a bird’s song and transposing it down four octaves makes it sound like a whale’s song. The opposite is also true. To hear this, go to http://www.mind.net/music/birdwhaleDemo.mp3. Todd BartonAshland, Ore. The article would imply that the only anomaly to […]
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19538
Your article gives a simplistic and generally inaccurate account of the relationship between Fst [also called Wright’s F statistic] and race/subspecies/species. Fst reflects the relative amount of total genetic variation between populations. While there is bound to be a correlation between Fst and species status, Fst is not normally used to define species. An Fst […]
- Humans
From the March 30, 1935, issue
Dust storms over Washington, D.C., 300 successive generations of fruit flies, and the world's oldest cemetery.
- Humans
Science Cartoons
The science-themed cartoons of Sidney Harris have entertained readers of magazines ranging from American Scientist to The New Yorker for many years. You can find a selection of his delightful cartoons, organized by topic, in this Web gallery. Go to: http://www.sciencecartoonsplus.com/gallery.htm
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19537
I usually tend to downplay worries about research in genetics, but I was quite concerned after reading “Expanding the genetic code” (SN: 4/2/05, p. 222). The researchers surely have plans to keep whatever they create contained. But adding a fifth base to the DNA of bacteria with a genetic mutation rate 10,000 times that of […]
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19536
The technique of ultrasonic leak detection through sensors mounted on the skin of a spacecraft or space station sounds good until the structures being monitored become more complex than a single sheet of aluminum. Then, resolving ambiguities from reflections and localizing the exact point of leakage may become difficult. Perhaps a portable device, with four […]
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19535
I usually tend to downplay worries about research in genetics, but I was quite concerned after reading this article. The researchers surely have plans to keep whatever they create contained. But adding a fifth base to the DNA of bacteria with a genetic mutation rate 10,000 times that of normal bacteria seems unnecessarily dangerous. I […]
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19534
This article showed several reasons why stem cell research is a good thing: Stem cells from embryos might cure cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and many other diseases. But the article should have included the fact that stem cells may help with transplanting organs. Stem cells may be used to “grow” organs for patients […]
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19533
I was interested to read about factors influencing the “hunger hormone’s” —ghrelin’s—effectiveness. One factor not considered but seemingly very significant is physical activity. I suggest that it is more useful to understand and encourage the positive effects of physical activity on overall well-being than to develop new drugs that artificially manipulate the release of hormones […]
