Letters to the Editor

18902

“Force from empty space drives a machine” cites the attraction between a gold plate and a ball as proof of vacuum energy and the Casimir force, but isn’t it possible that science has jumped the gun? There may be other causes of this behavior, such as the photoelectric effect producing static electricity, chemical-bonding forces, magnetism, […]

18901

Since pandas produce twins “roughly half the time” and “the mother routinely selects one, and the other dies in a few days,” it seems that there is an opportunity to rear the discarded one experimentally (away from the mother). Has this been tried? It seems a waste to let one of the twins perish. Rhodes […]

18913

If the studies done by Lene V. Hau and by Ronald Walsworth and Mikhail Lukin are correct, then are we saying that our current interpretation of space and time can be misinterpreted? For example, if light passes through cold sodium gas, the speed of light can be greatly slowed. If this is so, then can […]

18900

What is the etymology of Yanomami? Unless someone pulled my leg, I was told that it was Yanomamo originally. If so, then it may be that the tribe was named by outsiders, much like Native Americans were called Indians by Columbus and others. Anibal José da Silva Houston, Texas The Yanomamo are the most numerous […]

18899

I enjoy your well-written articles, obviously by individuals who are not only proficient in their fields, but who also have great verbal skills and an excellent grasp of the English language. Therefore, it was with a great deal of surprise and dismay that I read the revolting title “Flood’s rising? Quick, start peeing!” Helen Burkin […]

18898

Both definitions of “source of the Amazon” advanced by its would-be finders are capricious. They imply that a river can be a lesser stream than its tributary, which runs counter to any plausible definition of tributary. Travel up the Amazon and at every fork take the branch with greater water flow. You will eventually reach […]

18896

The story “Stormy weather” carries some statements that I think need clarification: “If high-energy protons happen to strike astronauts outside the shelter of their spacecraft, they could be severely injured” or even killed. “Because the ionosphere absorbs much of the protons’ energy, they don’t pose a threat to people or electrical systems on Earth.” However, […]

18917

While applauding the great advance that nerve regeneration would bring to people with spinal cord injuries, I wonder if there is a reason that nature has designed the body so that these nerves do not regenerate. Perhaps an unintended consequence in genetically altering the proteins mentioned in your article could be the onset of some […]

18916

In your article “Do meat and dairy harm aging bones?” (SN: 1/13/01, p. 20), there was no mention of controls for vitamin D absorption. Differential exposure to sunlight or to dietary sources of vitamin D within the study populations could account for some of the differences in rate of bone loss. Brenda Gray County Dublin, […]

18894

Apparently your left column has no idea what your right column is doing. At the top left of page 15 in the Jan. 6 issue (“Y2K: One of the hottest, wettest yet”) you say Y2K is one of the hottest and wettest years yet. The first article starting on the right (“Sediments show bipolar melting […]

18915

Apparently your left column has no idea what your right column is doing. At the top left of page 15 in the Jan. 6 issue (“Y2K: One of the hottest, wettest yet”) you say Y2K is one of the hottest and wettest years yet. The first article starting on the right (“Sediments show bipolar melting […]

18914

So some neo-Darwinist DNA researchers found that a few genes link a shrew and an elephant (“Genes seem to link unlikely relatives,” SN: 1/6/01, p. 4). Indeed, they are certain that all our other senses (like perceived morphology and such) should be overruled and their new evolutionary story accepted over all other stories. Russell Husted […]