All Stories by Science News
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19174
I scuba dive, and I’ve noticed that when the current is brisk through some coral formations, small swirls behave exactly as dust devils. Would the researchers predict that any magnetic phenomena could be produced by silt in salt water? Lindsey Randal Potts San Antonio, Texas Probably not, says William M. Farrell of NASA. Any charges […]
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19214
Your article refers to “the current theory that high intelligence arises from the coating of brain cells with especially large amounts of the fatty substance called myelin.” As a person with multiple sclerosis, anything about myelin interests me greatly, yet I have never heard of this. Marion Leeds Carroll Arlington, Mass. For more, see Daniele […]
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19173
Erik Trinkaus argues that fossil evidence shows signs of considerable interbreeding of Neandertals and modern humans. However, I don’t believe that proves we could have Neandertal ancestors. Couldn’t crossbreeding result in sterile offspring, such as is seen in mules? Anne Wittke Flagstaff, Ariz. Sure. Trinkaus argues, however, that the presence of Neandertal traits on the […]
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19162
I think that your readers should be aware that this article on beach erosion is based upon a report by the Heinz Center for Science that’s being widely disputed. Susan Halsey’s opinion that nothing can be done to stop these losses is in direct conflict with a National Research Council report, “Beach Nourishment and Protection,” […]
- Humans
From the February 4, 1933, issue
SUPERLATIVE SPLENDOR REVEALED BY EXCAVATIONS IN PERSIA Eastern magnificence that surrounded Persian emperors 2,500 years ago is revealed by excavations at Persepolis. Palaces of the kings are being brought to light there by Dr. Ernest Herzfeld excavating for the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. The sculptured walls arouse comparisons with glories of one […]
- Physics
Powers of Ten
Florida State University’s “Molecular Expressions” Web site offers a fascinating sequence of images, each one 10 times bigger or smaller in scale than the one preceding or following it. The journey ranges from a view of the universe 10 million light years away from the Milky Way to an impressionistic glimpse of a diminutive sea […]
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19209
Your article says that “lactose, a sugar in milk, commonly elicits allergic reactions.” Lactose and many other carbohydrates don’t elicit an allergic response. Jonathan StapleyWest Lafayette, Ind. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose because there’s a shortage of an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar. This condition shouldn’t have been […]
- Humans
From the July 5, 1930, issue
POWER PLANT SENTINELS When hundreds of thousands of horsepower traveling with the speed of lightning are instantly halted, you may be sure there will be a grand disturbance. And there is, but all the fuss is confined in steel tanks 25 feet tall and 10 feet wide, filled with oil. Two such tanks are shown […]
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Classic Body
As part of an effort to put great works of fiction and nonfiction on the Web, Bartleby.com now presents the classic medical textbook Henry Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body in all its searchable glory. The electronic version of the 1918 edition features 1,247vibrant engravings, many in color, as well as a subject index with […]
- Humans
From the January 28, 1933, issue
COMET PRINTS The dark, oblong areas pictured on the front cover are all that remain of a pre–Ice Age collision of cosmical magnitude, the smattering of a part of what is now the southeastern United States with fragments of a comet. This is the belief of Profs. F.A. Melton and William Schriever of the University […]
- Tech
Super Truck
Even James Bond might take notice. The SmarTruck, developed for the U.S. Army by the National Automotive Center and the Integrated Concepts and Research Corporation, serves as a vehicle for testing cutting-edge technologies. The current model incorporates a sophisticated information system, an adjustable air suspension system for varied terrain, and a slanted body style that […]
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19172
I was encouraged to read this article. I’ve often wondered when researchers outside addiction research would realize type II diabetes is the result of addiction to foods that chronically elevate insulin levels, thus acting as antidepressants. Once physicians recognize carbohydrate abuse as drug abuse, we’ll be better situated to provide appropriate interventions. Betty Streett Clarksdale, […]
