All Stories by Science News
- Humans
Letters from the December 18 & 25, 2004, issue of Science News
Think fast “Car deaths rise days after terror attacks” (SN: 10/9/04, p. 237: Car deaths rise days after terror attacks) mentions that the traffic volume was reduced following the attacks, yet fails to mention another likely factor in the increased deaths: Less traffic usually results in higher average speeds. Del DietrichSan Jose, Calif. Our sun, […]
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19492
When I read of the Hubble Space Telescope–repair controversy (this article and “Lean Times: Proposed budget keeps science spending slim,” SN: 2/12/05, p. 102), this question comes to mind: Why can’t an unmanned, powered vehicle latch on to Hubble and fly it to the International Space Station, where it could be repaired by the station’s […]
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19491
Reading this article, I puzzled over the statement that “domestication diverges from a standard model of evolution. . . .” Darwin’s primary evidence for The Origin of Species included observations of domesticated pigeons and other species, and even Mendel worked with garden peas. Yet hybridization and artificial selection have been considered evil or dirty for […]
- Humans
From the December 8, 1934, issue
Goose barnacles, the formation of elements, and the nature of cosmic rays.
- Health & Medicine
Exploring the Heart
Learn about the human heart at a fascinating online exhibit from the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia. Discover the complexities of the heart’s development and structure. Follow the blood on its journey through the blood vessels. Check out how to keep your heart healthy and how to monitor your heart’s health. Look back at […]
- Humans
Letters from the December 11, 2004, issue of Science News
Mover Earth I would have thought that it is more likely that Earth’s hum creates the weather patterns (“Humming Along: Ocean waves may cause global seismic noise,” SN: 10/2/04, p. 212: Humming Along: Ocean waves may cause global seismic noise) than the other way around. Judy AngelGlasgow, Scotland Nuclear fallout “Hurrying a nuclear identity switch” […]
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19490
I was surprised to read in this article the explanation, “Those low-pressure swirls create suction that pulls the insect upward.” There is no physical force known as “suction.” As the article correctly states, the leading-edge wing vortices create a low-pressure zone above the wings, and the higher-pressure air under the insect’s wings pushes the insect […]
- Humans
From the December 1, 1934, issue
Large propellers for an ocean liner, a new kind of nitrogen, and high blood pressure and thickening of arteries.
- Humans
Museum of Science
Interested in ancient Egypt, how your body ages, electron microscope images, or fractal patterns in nature? The Museum of Science in Boston offers a wide variety of online exhibits. You can learn the basics of robotics, explore Mt. Everest, venture to Antarctica, meet Leonardo da Vinci, dip into Earth’s oceans, and much more. Go to: […]
- Humans
Letters from the December 4, 2004, issue of Science News
Shouting about decaf? As a decaf drinker, I found myself shouting, “What about caffeine”?” as I read “Coffee’s curious heart effects” (SN: 10/2/04, p. 222: Coffee’s curious heart effects). How can any report not, at least, mention its involvement or lack thereof? Greg TulloRaleigh, N.C. Researcher Pertti Happonen suspects that caffeine was responsible for the […]
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19489
Since “women with chronically ill children generally reported more stress” and since “there was a very striking connection between stress and telomere length,” isn’t it probable that there is a strong connection between telomere length and becoming the parent of a chronically ill child? I would be interested to learn whether the connection between stress […]
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19488
I love Science News. Now and then, however, you write in terms that aren’t understandable to the average reader. I refer in particular to (the article above). It states that “weather models suggest winds atop the peak exceeded 50 meters per second.” I dare say that to 99 percent of your readers, like myself, that’s […]
