Science News

All Stories by Science News

  1. 19099

    Other species recognize the different meanings in dogs’ barks, as well. I lived for several years next to a wonderful habitat for ducks. I fed the ducks cracked corn, and my Doberman pinscher would call them. The ducks only came to his “The human has food” bark. They didn’t respond to the “I hate bicycles” […]

  2. 19098

    Many research scientists don’t realize to what purpose much of their seemingly innocuous information may be put. Many weapons had their inception from otherwise humanitarian efforts. If I may engage in a little hyperbole, would you have condoned the free exchange of atomic information in the early 1940s? Dana PelletierLynn, Mass. The obvious conclusion to […]

  3. 19097

    This article gives the incorrect and highly misleading definition of how wood preservatives work: by releasing “toxins into the water, killing everything nearby.” False. The treated wood itself becomes unpalatable to these organisms. Leaching does occur, but the literature is full of conflicting results as to the extent of the effect. Ironically, probably the most […]

  4. Humans

    From the July 30, 1932, issue

    LAYMAN TAKES GREAT INTEREST IN VIEWING TOTAL ECLIPSE When, on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 31, the shadow of the moon sweeps across eastern Canada and New England at the rate of some 2,000 miles an hour, hiding the sun for a little over a minute and a half, probably millions of people will see […]

  5. Animals

    Dragonfly Glitter

    Dragonflies bring a lot of glitter to glamour shots. Texas A&M’s entomology program offers a variety of stunning images to illustrate the considerable diversity of dragonfly species. A video captures a female laying eggs, and a sequence of images shows how junior grows up. Go to: http://stephenville.tamu.edu/~fmitchel/dragonfly/index.html

  6. 19023

    This article advances the idea that a positive attitude is conducive to longevity. As a senior citizen, 87, looking at my contemporaries, I wonder about that. Possibly, the good health prompted the positive attitude as much as the attitude influenced the health. Wayne LewisGate, Okla. While the researchers accounted for some confounding factors, they did […]

  7. 19090

    A pet dog doesn’t have to be hungry to enjoy chewing on a bone. Perhaps dire wolves did enjoy a “glorious paradise” 15,000 years ago. Without other predators to chase them away from a kill, they had more leisure time to hang about and chew the bone. Matt FenskeSpokane, Wash. From 15,000 to 12,000 years […]

  8. 19022

    All of the characteristics the researchers ascribe to sexual abusers–hostile masculinity, penchant for impersonal assembly-line sex, sexual preoccupation, emotional callousness, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder–prevent them from forming enduring emotionally intimate attachments. Perhaps abusers turn to domination sex in the vain attempt to relieve their frustration through an imposed physical intimacy they control. Marilyn M. KramerWausau, Wis. […]

  9. From the July 23, 1932, issue

    DROP OF OIL ATOMIZED INTO 100,000,000 PARTICLES A tiny drop of fuel oil no larger than the head of a safety match has been torn into 100,000,000 particles at the research laboratory of the General Electric Co., Schenectady, N.Y., it is announced. Intensely hot combustion results at high efficiency. Engineers are expected to apply the […]

  10. Follow that Fossil!

    The Denver Museum of Nature and Science offers an introduction to the process of finding fossils and learning from them about the past. The museum’s Web site describes the prospecting, excavation, preparation, and exhibition of various types of plant and animal specimens. Go to: http://www.dmns.org/denverbasin2/fossil/

  11. 19089

    As I recall, neural networks also require, from time to time, periods of very low input in order to maintain their learning efficiencies. Neural-network researchers call these periods sleep, yet these networks obviously don’t require glycogen to function. Thus, it always seemed to me that sleep is probably more of a requirement of the neurons’ […]

  12. 19088

    This article touches on one of the dirty little secrets of beauty products: By and large, they are a chemical stew with ingredients that would require EPA warnings if used in industrial settings. I’m amazed that EPA doesn’t regulate the volatiles in nail salons. Steve SchlosserSaratoga, Calif.