Letters to the Editor

18924

“Early Brazilians unveil African look” was a very interesting article containing an interesting idea. But some of us guessed the connection all along. Check out Olmec-age stones heads [in the Americas]. These images are African. However, it’s a good bet that migration came from both Asia and Africa. Gloria Harrison Raleigh, N.C.

18923

Regarding “Cold sliver may sense electron quiver,” micro-, nano-, and pico- are fine. But have mercy and explain zepto-! Joel Faitsch Pittsfield, Mass. The prefix zepto- refers to an amount represented by 10–21, or a billionth of a trillionth.–P. Weiss

18922

“Dyslexia gets a break in Italy” brought to mind a remark I learned in grade school decades ago. It is: In English, the word fish can be spelled ghoti. That’s gh as in tough, o as in women, and ti as in nation: “ghoti” = “fish.” English can be difficult. Norman C. Peterson Sata Monica, […]

18921

Depression is a common symptom of magnesium deficiency. Heart attacks, including fatal heart attacks, are also a common symptom of magnesium deficiency. It is thus no surprise that depressed people have a higher-than-normal rate of fatal heart attacks. Bernard Rimland Autism Research Institute San Diego, Calif.

18920

I was disappointed in “Blood relatives.” It ignored the pioneering work by people at the company Somatogen, now known as Baxter Hemoglobin Therapeutics. They first published work on a recombinant hemoglobin for use as a blood substitute in Nature in 1990. Later, they demonstrated definitively that many of the problems associated with blood substitutes were […]

18919

Your recent article on oxygen deprivation interested me greatly. As a jump pilot (hauling skydivers), I visit moderately high altitudes regularly. On a typical busy day, I may go to 14,000 feet 20 times. Granted that I don’t stay there very long, but I wonder if the harmful effects are cumulative. Peter Danes San Diego, […]

18912

As I recall, the Germans tried using diesels to power aircraft, but because diesels were not as responsive as gasoline-powered engines and heavier, they did not progress. That, it seems, was very fortuitous, given this surprising discovery that diesel-exhaust pollution increases with increased altitude. Anibal José da Silva Houston, Texas

18911

This article attributes the low visibility of the book Introductory Physical Science to the publisher’s limited means of promotion. This is only part of the story. Much more serious is the fact that many states’ mandated tests demand such shallow coverage of so many topics that they force bad textbooks on the schools. Uri Haber-Schaim […]

18908

In the March 17 issue, there was an article about arsenic pollution disrupting hormone activity (“Arsenic pollution disrupts hormones”) and another article concerned with satellite verification of greenhouse-gas effects from increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane (“Satellites verify greenhouse-gas effects”). Ironically, that same week, President Bush recommended that more stringent arsenic standards be set […]

18910

In the March 17 issue, there was an article about arsenic pollution disrupting hormone activity (“Arsenic pollution disrupts hormones”) and another article concerned with satellite verification of greenhouse-gas effects from increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane (“Satellites verify greenhouse-gas effects”). Ironically, that same week, President Bush recommended that more stringent arsenic standards be set […]

18909

As a university earth science professor, I view my son’s middle and high school science texts with horror. I see similar symptoms in the behavior of some of my undergraduate students. I view the problem as being an educational system in which, through high school, teachers are trained how to teach but not what. College […]

18907

About the Hippocratic Oath, as quoted in “I do solemnly swear . . .,” “first, do not harm” is not in it, although it has been said so dozens of times. Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary‘s version of the oath states “. . . never do harm to anyone.” “First, do no harm” (Primum non nocere) […]