All Stories by Science News
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From the May 21, 1932, issue
GENES, ONCE HYPOTHETICAL, NOW SEEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED Genes, the ultimate units in heredity, have been seen and photographed. So declares Dr. John Belling, biologist on the staff of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Genes have hitherto been dealt with as hypothetical entities by biologists, because no one has ever actually seen them. They were like […]
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Science Fair Snapshots
Experience the 2002 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held recently in Louisville, Ky., via reports and photos produced by students from Kentucky school districts. Sorry! This web site is no longer available. For more current information on the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, got to http://www.sciserv.org/isef/.
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19062
In this article, it struck me that the helicopter lander’s blades might be helped considerably by their undersides’ being dimpled like a golf ball. Those dimples supply significant lift during a ball’s flight. The helicopter wings would seem to benefit in the same way. I suspect that the dimples near the outer radius might be […]
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19006
Linguistic cladistics? Based on vocabulary? Linguistic froth, such as loan words from other languages, frequently becomes a source of heated debate. The deep structures of language that can provide a relatively stable field for analysis are more subtle. These include verb-substantive-object order, verbs of giving or receiving, noun declensions, and the like. But even these […]
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19005
Your article reports that, after infancy, humans have trouble recognizing facial differences between members of other species. Many of us commonly observe that people of other races than ourselves “all look alike” to us. Could this stem from lack of early exposure to others? Anecdotally, my wife, raised in a multiracial environment, has far less […]
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19004
This article reported surprise in some at the power of placebos to improve depression. From a psychological perspective, the antidote to depression involves increasing experiences of nurturance and hope in a person anticipating a future that’s empty and depleting. What’s a placebo but food that a depressed person hopes will fix things? Could it possibly […]
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From the May 14, 1932, issue
DOVE ORCHID MAKES FITTING FLOWER FOR WHITSUNDAY Sunday, May 15, is the Feast of Pentecost, or Whitsunday, when many of the churches commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit. In the lands of tropical America, where delicate orchids can be had by anybody, many an imaginative Latin will mingle poetry with his piety as he […]
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Spying Natural Hazards
NASA’s Earth Observatory Web site offers spectacular satellite images of natural hazards around the world–just about as they happen. Continually updated, the site focuses on wildfires, severe storms, floods, volcanic eruptions, and major air-pollution events, such as dust storms, smog, and smoke. Go to: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/
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19061
In this article it was speculated that calorie restriction reduces the production of free radicals. We have found that food deprivation almost doubles concentrations of melatonin in various parts of the gastrointestinal system. Melatonin, a very potent scavenger of free radicals, has increased the lifespan of mice in several studies. It could be that the […]
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19060
I agree that depression and smoking go together for a variety of physiological reasons, and it’s clear that people use nicotine to self-medicate. But your article’s title is unfortunate since we are treating people at our facility for nicotine-patch and nicotine-gum addiction. Our facility deals continuously with well-meaning attempts to respond to addiction, anxiety, and […]
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19003
This article says, “While tornadoes are most common on the Great Plains and throughout the Mississippi River valley, they can occur almost anywhere in the United States.” Are tornadoes unique or more common in North America than elsewhere? Ruth HousmanNewton Center, Mass. Tornadoes have been spotted on every continent except Antarctica, says Harold Brooks of […]
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From the May 7, 1932, issue
MONKEYS GET BALD LIKE MEN It is no longer fair to blame your barber or beautician for that bald spot; nor can you lay your gray hairs onto worry over your childrens naughtiness or your brokers shortsightedness. Getting bald or going gray are just primate traits, like walking on two legs instead of four, according […]
