Science News

All Stories by Science News

  1. From the November 18, 1933, issue

    “ROSETTA STONE” OF PREHISTORIC AMERICA Frank M. Setzler of the Smithsonian Institution is shown pointing to a little pottery bowl which he likens to the Rosetta Stone of the Nile because it is decorated with two kinds of art design, one known and the other unknown. Together with other discoveries made under Mr. Setzlers direction […]

  2. Common Cold

    This Web site offers a wide range of material concerning the common cold. The available information includes an overview of how the cold virus invades the human body and how cold symptoms are caused. The site also has pages on preventing colds and about some of the complications that can occur. Check out the special […]

  3. 19287

    This article refers to “Japanese research-whaling ships” that “capture” whales. Reputable scientists and environmentalists agree that the Japanese whaling industry operates primarily for slaughter, not research, in violation of antiwhaling treaties respected by virtually all nations. Science News shouldn’t use the propaganda terms favored by those who would drive cetaceans to extinction. Ken PaffDetroit, Mich.

  4. 19286

    Sounds like this article is on to a fertile field of inquiry. But why were all the subjects who were tested for racial bias white? I suggest that people of other colors be tested, too. In my experience, racial bias cuts many ways. Anne JonesShawnee Mission, Kan.

  5. Humans

    Letters

    Letters from the Nov. 22, 2003, issue of Science News.

  6. 19359

    Your article brought to mind what could be a biblical description of this phenomenon. In Mark 8:22–26, a blind man reports after an initial healing touch by Jesus that he sees people, but they look like “walking trees.” After a second healing touch, the man sees everything “clearly.” While the account doesn’t specify how long […]

  7. 19285

    The irregular satellites of the outer planets are interesting, as reported in this article, but my heart paused when I read “the medium-size Hale Telescope.” That historic 200-inch telescope was the largest in the world for almost 50 years. Incidentally, it’s on Palomar Mountain, not Mount Palomar. Jay M. PasachoffWilliams CollegeWilliamstown, Mass.

  8. Humans

    From the November 11, 1933, issue

    RARE BIRD COURTSHIP SHOWN BY NEW MUSEUM GROUP Romantic squires and young knights of the sunset days of feudalism paid court to the lovely ladies of their fancy in elaborately built bowers set in corners of the castle grounds. Even in these livelier days, when troubadours carry saxophones and steel guitars instead of plaintive lutes […]

  9. 19284

    This article, implying the demise of the unique Mexico-Canada migration, seems too pessimistic. Monarchs have shown a great degree of adaptability. There are monarchs of the western United States, resident populations in Hawaii and on Caribbean islands, and a migrating population in Australia. I am betting that even if the weather forecast for 2050 is […]

  10. 19283

    Your article was such a wonderful example of reporter bias that I had to share it with my children. Growing genetically modified, herbicide-resistant beets and canola “lowers the abundance of other plant species and certain insect groups that typically grow along with these crops.” But genetically modified, herbicide-resistant cornfields “have more weeds and insects than […]

  11. Humans

    Letters

    Letters from the Nov. 15, 2003, issue of Science News.

  12. Humans

    Everyday Mysteries

    Why do onions make you cry? What causes the noise when you crack a joint? How does sunscreen work? The Library of Congress offers “everyday mysteries” Web pages devoted to answering such questions. The archive includes responses to questions in a wide range of fields, from anthropology to zoology. Go to: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/archive.html