Letters
A climate tipping point In Janet Raloff’s article “Forest invades tundra” (SN: 7/5/08, p. 26), there seems to be a paradox. Raloff says that the albedo from normal snow coverage of the tundra “helps maintain the region’s chilly temperatures,” implying that the coverage also preserves the mats of plant matter. A little later in the article, Ken Tape explains how the arrival of tiny shrubs traps snow, insulating and warming the soil beneath and stimulating the growth of bacteria. At what point does snow’s effect change from a chilling blanket that preserves the tundra ecology to a warming blanket that stimulates bacterial and plant growth? Doug Stuart, Glenview, Ill. Once shrubs move in, the effect can change. Although snow cover can keep the establishment of such greens at bay, if shrubs can make it in and establish roots during warmer summers, then the snow can serve as a warming blanket to help those shrubs survive harsh winters. With each successive summer,the greens can become increasingly larger solar collectors. If they become large enough, they may continue to absorb solar energy even during part of the winter—as trees are doing now in the area of the Urals discussed in the story. —Janet Raloff Go for the gold The article “Finding the golden genes” (SN: 8/2/08, p. 16) makes it sound like gene boosting is horrible and focuses entirely on those who wish to cheat in an athletic competition. Really, this is great news. I don’t want to win the Olympics; I just want access to things that may improve my quality of life. Erythropoietin is wonderful for someone with asthma. Building muscle mass is great news for seniors. Take your tired view of bioethics and darken someone else’s door. As for me, when these items become available on the black or gray market, I will be waiting, cash in hand. We are discussing my quality of life, and the bioethicists don’t get a vote. Additionally, get to work on memory- and intelligence-enhancing products. I fail to see any issues since we are all stuffing ourselves with supplements, vitamins and other enhancement products. Something that actually works would be welcome. Ralph Hoefelmeyer, Colorado Springs, Colo. Super bonding In “Small, but super” (SN: 6/21/08, p. 14), models of the superatoms are shown. I have a question on the first model (Al4H7–). You show hydrogen with two bonds. How can it have two single bonds with only one electron? Skip Hackett, Tampa, Fla.
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