All Stories by Science News
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Pluto is distinguished by properties other than its size, and its representation in “Nine planets, or eight?” as just another gray ball was misleading. It has the most contrasting surface known in the solar system (bright nitrogen ice caps and dark carbonaceous equatorial areas). To understand the processes ongoing on Pluto’s surface and within its […]
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Robot Zoo
The Robot Zoo Web site, developed by the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif., captures some of the charm of a traveling biomechanics exhibit featuring giant robot models of animals. These fanciful contraptions provide insights into how chameleons, bats, and other animals eat, move, and see. Go to: http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/traveling/robotzoo/
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From the June 6, 1931, issue
LARGEST WIND TUNNEL AND TOWING CHANNEL FINISHED Aeronautic research took a stride forward when two outstanding pieces of apparatus for testing and improving aircraft–both the largest of their kind in the world–were officially put in operation last week by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics at its Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Langley Field, Va. […]
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Regarding this article, wherein Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) findings are surpassed by BOOMERANG (Balloon Observations of Millimeter Extragalactic Radiation and Geophysics) data, can you help me understand what happened to the Microwave Anistropy Probe (MAP)? It was expected to surpass COBE in many ways. MAP was to launch in November 2000, establish a sun-sheltered position […]
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“Dirty money harbors bacterial dangers” brought back memories of my beloved grandmother in the 1920s. She always washed and ironed her dollar bills because she considered them to be unsanitary. F. Eleanor Warner Northport, Maine
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“Salmon hatcheries can deplete wild stocks” ignores a basic fact. Hatchery stocks came from wild stocks. Their DNA is the same. There is an abundance of underused habitat in our northwest rivers. Some hatchery salmon would use these habitats if they were left alone. Instead, hatchery fish are clubbed to death to prevent their mixing […]
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From the May 30, 1931, issue
LIFE IS RARE IN UNIVERSE, ASTRONOMER BELIEVES Life is a rare phenomenon in the universe, Sir James Jeans, British astronomer, assured the Franklin Institute meeting at which he was presented the Franklin Medal, one of Sciences highest awards. I leave it to you to be pleased or not, Sir James said, at a large fraction […]
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Daily Planet Earth
The Earth Science Picture of the Day Web site features photos, satellite images, and illustrations that highlight the diverse processes and phenomena shaping our planet and influencing our lives. A short explanatory caption and links to sources for more detailed information accompany each illustration. Go to: http://epod.usra.edu/
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As an insect taxonomist, I was amused by your article about whimsical scientific names but disappointed that one of my favorites was not mentioned: the wasp Iaha ha. Sandra Shanks San Francisco, Calif. Three observations on your article: 1) Linnaean names, at their best, tell you something about the creature that is named. Thus while […]
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I read the article “Look on the bright side and survive longer” with interest but was given pause by the fact that the nuns knew their autobiographies were “to be read by the congregation’s Mother Superior.” I think this may seriously undermine the conclusions drawn. Even without this problem, I think a basic distinction should […]
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Eating Insects
Looking for a different sort of snack? Iowa State University’s Entomology Club has Web pages featuring recipes for Banana Worm Bread, Rootworm Beetle Dip, Chocolate Chirpie Chip Cookies, and other insect treats. A handy nutritional chart reveals that 100 grams of crickets provide 12.9 grams of protein and 5.5 grams of fat whereas June beetles […]
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From the May 23, 1931, issue
TOUCH OF SPRING FEVER MAKES WHOLE WORLD KIN In the spring a young mans fancy turns to thoughts of another nap even more often than it does to amative imaginings, Tennyson to the contrary notwithstanding. Spring fever, that drowsiness and mild lassitude that comes of warmth and well-being rather than of the crabbed winter of […]
