Letters to the Editor
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19810
I couldn’t help noticing the last sentence in this article: “One of the system’s 30 possible climate subtypes—a temperate climate with a cold, dry summer—wasn’t found anywhere on Earth.” The comment reveals that the writer has never read Mark Twain’s comment that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Jay […]
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19809
Has anyone ever considered the possibility that interbreeding between Neandertals and humans would have produced sterile individuals? They would have had the traits of both parents, but with no further reproduction, Neandertal DNA wouldn’t be found in humans today. Ernie CasbeerOglesby, Texas Researchers who argue for human-Neandertal hybrids say that fossil evidence argues against sterile, […]
- Humans
Letters from the March 24, 2007, issue of Science News
Story panned So we shouldn’t cook food in easily cleanable pots because we might release a little bit of maybe-not-even-toxic chemicals into the food (“Heating releases cookware chemicals,” SN: 1/27/07, p. 61)? Because a common chemical found worldwide is merely suspected of being linked to worldwide rates of exposure? Why are our U.S. companies being […]
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19808
When considering a spin rate of 1,122 revolutions per second, has anyone determined the diameter of the neutron star XTE J1739-285? If, for example, it were the same diameter as Earth, it would be traveling far in excess of the speed of light at its equator. In order to remain within the limitations of the […]
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19807
It is ironic that this article describes a captcha [completely automated Turing test to tell computers and humans apart] and then goes on to demonstrate how to defeat it. An automated program that is supposed to pass this difficult computation test just has to forward the captcha image to a real person, at a different […]
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19806
I find it absolutely incredible that anyone is seriously contemplating an escalation of “natural” herbicides as mentioned in this article. As there is no “additive” sprayed on the crop, no testing is likely in animal or human clinical trials. We in the first world must bear the brunt of this wholesale testing on populations, as […]
- Humans
Letters from the March 17, 2007, issue of Science News
Disputable thesis “Counterintuitive Toxicity: Increasingly, scientists are finding that they can’t predict a poison’s low-dose effects” (SN: 1/20/07, p. 40) took a wrong turn into Hormesis Swamp. The hormesis thesis has been thoroughly discredited by all major radiation organizations and professional societies, and its past conferences have been sponsored by tobacco companies and the U.S. […]
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19805
A better title for this article might be “Mendelian Cowbirds.” By reducing the number of successful hatches and subsequent offspring of any parent birds that kick the interlopers’ eggs out of their nests, the cowbirds are (unintentionally) reducing the expression of that behavior in the next generation of potential foster families. W. Gregory StewartLos Angeles, […]
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19804
What were the ages of the people in the study? Henry Dieter WeinschelLas Cruces, N.M. The participants, whose muscle cells showed several more-youthful signs if they ate fewer calories, were 35 to 38 years old. —P. Barry
- Humans
Letters from the March 10, 2007, issue of Science News
Cosmic cling At least on Earth, rock impacts result in charging of the particles (“Rocky Finding: Evidence of extrasolar asteroid belt,” SN: 1/6/07, p. 5). In space, wouldn’t this have a great effect on the motion of the rocks? Stuart HoenigTucson, Ariz. According to researchers, it’s true that the electrostatic charging of space dust and […]
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19803
To discourage poaching, authorities in Zambia should subdue every elephant they can find, sedate it, harvest the ivory themselves, and sell it for revenue for animal-protection programs. That’s better than dead. Buz CraftWills Point, Texas
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19802
Among estrogenic pollutants, by far the worst offender is 17-alpha ethinyl estradiol, the most common estrogen in oral contraceptives used by tens of millions of women. This synthetic steroid is of necessity non-biodegradable, at least by human liver. Otherwise, it would not work as a pill. Joel BrindCity University of New YorkNew York, N.Y.
