Letters to the Editor
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19747
This article states, “Several billion years from now, scientists predict, the galaxy and the Milky Way will collide. . . .” How can galactic collisions occur in an expanding universe, where galaxies should be moving away from each other? James HendryFlorissant, Mo. On the large scale, objects are indeed receding from each other. But locally, […]
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19746
I am a retired high school mathematics teacher who has quilted mathematical ideas for over 20 years. Currently, I am working on a quilt called Pascal’s Pumpkin. I was totally excited by this article and began to think about quilting some spidrons! Elaine EllisonWest Lafayette, Ind.
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19745
The research showing that experimental animals receiving both antibiotics and stomach-acid suppressants colonized large numbers of drug-resistant intestinal bacteria might be important to preventing drug-resistant Clostridium difficile. Reviewing patients’ records to see whether those who developed the disease were more frequently prescribed antibiotics and stomach-acid blockers at the same time might be helpful in preventing […]
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19744
An entire scientific community could be wrong about something, be expected to know that they are wrong, and for nearly inexplicable reasons persist in being wrong. This happened when the medical establishment embraced Freudian psychology as an explanation of human behavior. In spite of extensive training in the biological and chemical sciences, medical practitioners of […]
- Humans
Letters from the October 21, 2006, issue of Science News
Fish story? To argue that the concentrations reported in “Macho Moms: Perchlorate pollutant masculinizes fish” (SN: 8/12/06, p. 99) are environmentally relevant is misleading. Those concentrations are usually in groundwater, not surface waters. I’ve been involved in the environmental field for almost 20 years and have yet to hear of any fish being caught in […]
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19743
It is ironic that the father of the current recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry won the prize in medicine. Looking at the research of 2006 winner Roger D. Kornberg, his prize should have been awarded in medicine. For his father, Arthur Kornberg, the prize in 1959 should have been in chemistry. The good […]
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19742
In the study that was cited in this article misoprostol was tested as a more practical means of inducing postdelivery contractions in women in developing countries, despite “troubling side effects.” Because most women need no intervention to cause the uterus to contract, why not wait a few minutes to see which of them will require […]
- Humans
Letters from the October 14, 2006, issue of Science News
Name game “Named medical trials garner extra attention” (SN: 8/5/06, p. 93), I think, has it backwards. It’s not that labeled trials are more likely to be funded. Rather, well-funded, large trials are more likely to be named. We research chemists label only the important projects. The name makes the project easier to track and […]
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19741
Reading this article prompted me to consider the biological significance of fever and our impulse to reduce it when given the choice. Isn’t it possible that an increase in cancer incidence could be related to the prevalence of fever-reducing medications or the overall reduction in illnesses that cause fever? Wendy GordonAustin, Texas
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19740
It is ironic that the father of the current recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry won the prize in medicine. Looking at the research of 2006 winner Roger D. Kornberg, his prize should have been awarded in medicine. For his father, Arthur Kornberg, the prize in 1959 should have been in chemistry. The good […]
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19739
The explanation in this article for the increased ocean-surface temperature seemed to focus solely on atmospheric effects. I wonder if variations in undersea volcanism might have contributed to the sudden spike in Pacific Ocean surface temperatures during the Aptian epoch of the Cretaceous period. If so, then a moderately higher release of volcanic ash might […]
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19738
This article concludes with the interesting fact that the only annual drop in U.S. population during the past century “occurred between July 1917 and July 1918, when the country was at war,” implying a military cause for the decline. Indeed, the honored dead of the First World War did total 116,708. However, you missed the […]
