All Stories by Science News
- Humans
From the May 10, 1930, issue
CANNON-BALL TREE The strange growth represented on the cover of this issue of the SCIENCE NEWS-LETTER is not a freak grapefruit tree. It is the normal method of flowering and fruiting of the cannon-ball tree, a member of the monkey-pot family found in the forests of South America. Its fruiting branches always grow out of […]
- Health & Medicine
Cancer Net
Cancer.gov is a huge compendium of information on cancer assembled by the National Cancer Institute. You can find out the characteristics of different cancers, ponder treatment options, peruse statistics on cancer incidence, and check out support groups, coping strategies, and much more. The site offers access to scientific papers and lectures, along with a search […]
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19147
I am concerned about this article. It addresses the mass of fissile materials needed to “make a bomb,” yet it’s clear that the critical masses given–10 kilograms for plutonium-239, 50 kg for uranium-235, and 60 kg for neptunium-237–are for bare spheres with no neutron moderation, reflection, or other factors contributing to going critical. Consider that […]
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19186
In your article, a spinning coin’s motion is explained by the existence of an air cushion between coin and tabletop. If this is indeed the case, then I would expect coins to do something quite different in a vacuum. What do they do? Richard Chambers Charlotte, N.C. H. Keith Moffatt offers an explanation for the […]
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19146
Concerning the Apollo rocket’s third stage returning to Earth orbit: How did the researchers determine the source to be Apollo 12, since there were six other Apollo moon missions? Did they use some fancy orbital mechanics along with statistical probability? George RichesonBrenham, Texas Yes, they did, and the orbit matched. Also, the researchers found no […]
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19185
In response to this article, I’d like to ask why is it that on our campus, native swamp maples growing within 30 feet of one another display totally different leaf color? While I appreciate them aesthetically, I’d also like to understand why their anthocyanin production is different. Marcia WalshNorth Andover, Mass. According to David Lee […]
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19145
Your recent article on the exact nature of bubbles in beer and other beverages keyed an old memory. In Cleveland, during Christmas, one brewery used to bring out its holiday oddity for sale. They billed it as “the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom . . . and the top!” There really […]
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19184
In this article, I was surprised to read that chimeras harboring a mutation are not medically useful. Consider the value of cytokine-receptor mutations in humans, with respect to HIV. It’s likely that introducing some genetic mutations can inhibit viruses or bacteria in a host. Freda Wasserstein Robbins New Jersey City University Jersey City, N.J.
- Humans
From the October 22, 1932, issue
SUN, MOON AND STARS IN THE MOVIES Joshua, it is recorded, commanded the sun and the moon to stand still and they obeyed him. In this modern Yankee land and age of hustle, we are much less interested in making things stand still than in making them move faster. Present-day Joshuas would be more likely […]
- Health & Medicine
A Most Dreadful Pest
Yellow fever was a deadly scourge that had a devastating effect on lives and economies throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. This engrossing Web exhibit features historical documents from the Walter Reed Yellow Fever Collection at the University of Virginia. It focuses on the work of the Reed Commission, which proved that the Aedes aegypti […]
- Humans
From the May 3, 1930, issue
MOON’S SHADOW AT ECLIPSE PHOTOGRAPHED Clouds over the sun broke away at Camptonville, Yuba County, California, two minutes before the total phase of the solar eclipse of the sun. Only the lightest haze remained, and the observations planned by the various expeditions located there were carried through successfully. The Lick Observatory-Crocker expedition under the direction […]
- Astronomy
A Hubble Decade
To celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope’s 10th anniversary, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., has created a new Web site devoted to the Earth-orbiting telescope and its spectacular images. Offering much more than pretty pictures, the site recounts Hubble’s discoveries, illustrates how the telescope works, and suggests various educational activities and games. Until […]
