Letters to the Editor
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19684
While reading this article, I pondered what would happen if fissionable elements were the core crystals of the nanosqueeze. Would nanoreactors or nanobombs be possible? Victor LawnickiLouisville, Ky. Florian Banhart of the University of Mainz in Germany notes that a nuclear-fission bomb or reactor requires a critical mass of kilograms of fissionable material—way too much […]
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19683
The lenses in our eyes yellow as we age. Does this affect the light-mediated regulation of our body clocks? Could it explain any age-related dysfunction? Mike SpecinerActon, Mass. Indeed, it could. The progressive browning of tissue in the eye can end up “acting like yellow-tinted sunglasses,” says Elizabeth R. Gaillard of Northern Illinois University. Moreover, […]
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19682
While I applaud the work that is looking at the biochemical correlates of aggressive and delinquent behavior, it is important to emphasize that environmental factors still predominate when we are searching for the roots of violence. Although there is no single factor underlying aggressive behavior in children, my own 30-plus years looking into the relationship […]
- Humans
Letters from the May 20, 2006, issue of Science News
Forget dessert In “Got Data? Consuming calcium, dairy doesn’t keep off weight” (SN: 3/11/06, p. 147), you report, “Every 4 years, each volunteer completed a questionnaire about his body weight and dietary habits.” Any dieter knows that it is next to impossible to remember what one has eaten 4 days ago. Any more details on […]
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19681
Unlike some, I find no problem with the idea of hybrids between ancestors of chimpanzees and humans. We have to assume that any speciation event will be protracted. The collection of genes that separate humans from apes would hardly have arisen in a single individual. From my study of dabbling ducks, I have come to […]
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19680
Regarding the “new humanmade version of an insect’s compound eye,” it has been obvious for many years that such structures need not be exceptionally small and need not be extremely like ommatidia to behave like ommatidia. Triads of small light sensors can be arrayed in large, wide, and slightly concave or convex panels and hardwired […]
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19679
It would seem to me that instead of looking to minimize the effect of grapefruit juice in slowing the metabolism and elimination of drugs, one could cut drug dosages by taking advantage of it. Grapefruit juice costs less than any drug and has far fewer possible side effects. This could only benefit the patient by […]
- Humans
Letters from the May 13, 2006, issue of Science News
Now hear this Unless the writer is deliberately implying an archaic theory of evolution in “Can you hear me now? Frogs in roaring streams use ultrasonic calls” (SN: 3/18/06 p. 165), the statement “Ultrasonic perception may have developed as the frogs (Amolops tormotus) struggled to hear each other . . .” cannot be true. That’s […]
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19678
This article reported that years ago it was discovered that certain male mice eradicate cancer cells and that white blood cells from these mice make normal mice cancer resistant. It also reported that it is superpremature to look forward to clinical applications. It would seem that aggressive searches for remission of cancer in humans with […]
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19677
The study in this article fails to address the more disturbing issue: Most of the insurance money (apparently) goes to lawyers (both sides), and very little to those injured. Peter WilsonSimi Valley, Calif. The numbers in the story pose a question. First, one reads that “about 85 percent of [1,452] cases were settled out of […]
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19676
Unless Vincenzo Formicola can demonstrate a human-caused fatal injury to the youngsters buried at these grave sites, his suggestion of human sacrifice is just sensationalistic speculation. The likeliest reason for a group burial is death in an outbreak of disease. There are many modern instances, such as the era of the bubonic plague. The rich […]
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19675
I’ve always found difficult the argument that Homo erectus couldn’t speak because of the size of its spinal cord. Consider that parrots manage to reproduce a wide range of human sounds. David PetcheyMill Valley, Calif.
