All Stories by Science News
-
18999
Let me preface my comment by saying that I have been providing Faith M. Walker with access to semitame and hand-raised southern hairy-nosed wombats for her studies. You didn’t mention that Faith’s work has an application in studying the effects of habitat fragmentation, which is a major cause of the species’ decline. On a more […]
-
From the April 16, 1932, issue
NEW INDIAN TOMB YIELDS STRIKING ARTIFACT The first picture to reach the United States of one of the most striking art objects recovered from Indian tombs recently opened at Guerrero, Mexico, is shown on the cover of this weeks Science News Letter. The vessel was photographed just as it was taken from the tomb, with […]
- Planetary Science
Jupiter’s Whirlpool
The surprising birth and rapid evolution of a giant vortex highlight the first movie of Jupiter’s polar regions seen in the ultraviolet. The movie and other Jupiter images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft are available online at the Cassini imaging team and Jet Propulsion Laboratory Web sites. Go to: http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=58 and http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2002/release_2002_59.html
-
18998
Are you sure you quoted Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen accurately in this article? To wit: “. . . he was surprised to find that [the factors most influencing trihalomethane production in pools] include water temperature, large numbers of swimmers, and high concentrations of organic compounds.” Elevated temperature generally accelerates chemical reactions. More swimmers mean more grunge. […]
-
19056
In this article John L. Hubisz mentions that his research shows that 80 percent of elementary school teachers have never taken a physical science course yet are required to teach physical concepts. Disturbing as this is, the larger problem would seem to be parents who home school and have never taken the classes necessary to […]
-
19055
Shame on Nature for saying, “the evidence available is not sufficient to justify the publication of the original paper.” The fact that transgenes get into maize is cause for caution. The agribusiness conglomerates are spending millions to stifle any intelligent debate about the risks and benefits of genetically engineered crops and modern chemicals. Without information […]
-
From the April 9, 1932 issue
SPIDERS’ EGGS FORM PATTERN LIKE MOSAIC OF PEBBLES Like a rough mosaic of pebbles is the array of spider’s eggs photographed by Cornelia Clarke and reproduced on the cover of this week’s Science News Letter. Although smaller than small pinheads, the enlarging lens brought the eggs up to such apparent size that they were guessed […]
- Astronomy
Galaxy Hunter
At the interactive “Galaxy Hunter” Web site, students use data from the Hubble Space Telescope to investigate a bewildering assortment of deep-space galaxies in various stages of evolution–and learn statistical concepts such as sample variability and size along the way. Go to: http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/ghunter/
-
19070
According to this article, osmium is the least compressible of materials. When I looked at an encyclopedia article about osmium, I was surprised to discover that its name comes from a Greek root that means “odor.” I’d always thought it was named after the generic Anglo-Saxon word for a god, which is “os.” Gerald BakerCedar […]
-
19069
This article says that Rift Valley fever and the Ebola virus are linked to shifts from dry to above-average rainfall. It seems to me that Africa has a tremendous number of hibernating animals. They explode out of the ground when it rains. They and the animals that feed on them would be handled and eaten […]
-
From the April 2, 1932 issue
TELETYPEWRITERS CAN NOW BE USED IN HOME On the cover of this issue of the Science News Letter is shown a portion of the mechanism of the teletypewriter, a hybrid medium of communication. The new teletypewriter service is a telegraph system with telephone methods and typewriting thrown in for luck. It is now possible to […]
-
Genetic Code Cracking
Can’t tell a base pair from a Bosc pear? The National Library of Medicine offers an impressive, informative Web site devoted to the intricacies of genetics and molecular biology. Its science primer explains basic concepts, from bioinformatics to gene maps. The site also points users toward helpful resources on topics such as the human genome. […]
