All Stories by Science News
- Tech
Cold Lighting
Solid-state light sources, such as light-emitting diodes, promise greater energy efficiency than do incandescent lamps. The Sandia National Laboratories has launched a Web site that offers articles, references, and other information on semiconductor-based lighting and its use for illuminating homes, offices, and public spaces. Go to: http://lighting.sandia.gov/
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19002
This article implies that the universe has a beginning and maybe an end. That seems to be a leap. I think we should not limit our thinking to a universe that was created at some point by a Big Bang or a Supreme Being. The facts in the article point to an event (maybe the […]
- Astronomy
Faded Stars Get New Role: Hubble takes a long look
By setting their sights on the galaxy's faintest stars, scientists have calculated the universe's age to be between 13 billion and 14 billion years old.
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19059
Ian Gotlib doesn’t disprove “clinical lore” that depressed individuals often cry. People who are depressed typically become preoccupied with their faults and shortcomings and less interested in the world, much less compassionate for others. That the study described finds that some people who are depressed do not cry in response to another’s sad situation doesn’t […]
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19001
I am deeply disturbed by the research involving manipulation of a rat’s brain to remotely control its behavior. Why does this article mention the researchers’ qualms about possible danger to the animal in entering risky situations but not the danger to the integrity of what we consider its conscious life? Ruth HousmanNewton Center, Mass.
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19000
I’ve been hosting an interactive forum on the Web for the past 7 years. Our community is made up of people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and their families and friends. The nature of these diseases is such that sufferers tend to be socially isolated, and finding each other on the Web has opened up […]
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From the April 30, 1932, issue
SPIRAL NEBULA IN ANDROMEDA BORDERED WITH STAR CLUSTERS Tiny flecks of hazy light around the borders of one of the most famous of the spiral nebulae, the one in the constellation Andromeda, are now believed to be great globular clusters of stars–literally swarms of suns crowded like clouds of gnats that hang over the marshes […]
- Physics
Fluid Beauty
Visualizations of a swirling jet, an insect’s wake, agitated sand, and other types of fluid motion can produce stunning images. The American Physical Society’s Division of Fluid Dynamics annually recognizes research efforts that generate images having both scientific merit and aesthetic appeal. Its gallery of fluid motion features a variety of winning photographs (pdf images) […]
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From the April 23, 1932, issue
WELDING OFFERS CAMERA STRIKING FIELD OF BEAUTY By no means a trivial by-product of electric welding is the field of beauty the new art is opening up for photographers. While electricity eliminates the irritating staccato of noisy riveting, the photographer focuses his camera on a glowing scene of shadow and light, man and steel. Such […]
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Ant Patrol
With more than 11,000 ant species now identified worldwide, the “Antbase” Web site serves as the definitive guide to these social insects. Hosted by the American Museum of Natural History, the site provides links to a variety of resources devoted to ants, including databases, image collections, and news articles. Go to: http://research.amnh.org/entomology/social_insects/
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19058
I am surprised at the matter-of-fact sounding statements in this article: “Dark matter reacts only to gravity. Unlike visible matter, it can’t be pushed by winds.” We hypothesize the existence of dark matter to explain observations that could be attributed to gravitational forces, but we don’t know what dark matter might be. How can one […]
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19057
In this article, what, other than hubris, allows the modelers to conclude that the assumptions upon which their calculations are based are more valid than those upon which the genetic and paleontological calculations are based? Letting a computer do the number manipulations doesn’t change “garbage in, garbage out.” Leonard StoloffDelray Beach, Fla.
