Letters to the Editor
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19186
In your article, a spinning coin’s motion is explained by the existence of an air cushion between coin and tabletop. If this is indeed the case, then I would expect coins to do something quite different in a vacuum. What do they do? Richard Chambers Charlotte, N.C. H. Keith Moffatt offers an explanation for the […]
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19146
Concerning the Apollo rocket’s third stage returning to Earth orbit: How did the researchers determine the source to be Apollo 12, since there were six other Apollo moon missions? Did they use some fancy orbital mechanics along with statistical probability? George RichesonBrenham, Texas Yes, they did, and the orbit matched. Also, the researchers found no […]
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19185
In response to this article, I’d like to ask why is it that on our campus, native swamp maples growing within 30 feet of one another display totally different leaf color? While I appreciate them aesthetically, I’d also like to understand why their anthocyanin production is different. Marcia WalshNorth Andover, Mass. According to David Lee […]
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19145
Your recent article on the exact nature of bubbles in beer and other beverages keyed an old memory. In Cleveland, during Christmas, one brewery used to bring out its holiday oddity for sale. They billed it as “the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom . . . and the top!” There really […]
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19184
In this article, I was surprised to read that chimeras harboring a mutation are not medically useful. Consider the value of cytokine-receptor mutations in humans, with respect to HIV. It’s likely that introducing some genetic mutations can inhibit viruses or bacteria in a host. Freda Wasserstein Robbins New Jersey City University Jersey City, N.J.
By Science News -
19029
Your readers need not wait to do less crying in the kitchen. All you have to do is put the onions in the refrigerator for a half hour or in the freezer for 10 minutes. Daniel F. BarightLebanon, Mo. Another solution is to do the chopping outside. I have found that more turbulent, outside air […]
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19028
The picture of the mummified dinosaur was amazing and a bit spooky. It is a great find. Patrick LeaheyGeneva, N.Y.
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19135
You report that “the sea squirt has the beginnings of a spinal cord, making it a so-called chordate.” That’s the same mistake I fight against each time I teach my zoology class. What makes a sea squirt a chordate is the notochord in the animal’s larval stage. A notochord is a skeletal component, not a […]
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19024
The most profound consequence of the research in this article is that there is no such thing as “now.” Since consciousness is spread out across the brain, and since those centers of brain activity cannot communicate faster than the speed of light, “now” is not the hard point in time we usually imagine. Rick NorwoodJohnson […]
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19183
This article seems to contain a few errors. Codons are found on the messenger RNA. Therefore, they can’t contain thymine. They must have uracil, instead. The RNA codon AUG (your ATG) is the only codon for methionine. If it is the “start” codon, how is methionine coded? Nicholas L. Reuter University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio […]
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19182
I’ve never been a baboon, but I have been a mom, and consequently a mother baboon’s failure to call out to a separated youngster emitting distress sounds is not a bit puzzling to me. If I heard my toddler wailing on the other side of the road, would I call and say, “Don’t worry, mummy’s […]
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19181
Reading your article, I was struck with a question: Do the oxen form a psychological attachment to their oxpeckers (and vice versa)? One way of finding this out would be to observe whether the oxpeckers remain attached to one ox or are fickle partners. Jeff Leer Fairbanks, Alaska
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