Science News

All Stories by Science News

  1. Humans

    Letters from the July 3, 2004, issue of Science News

    Whale, of an annoyance In “Din among the Orcas: Are whale watchers making too much noise?” (SN: 5/1/04, p. 275: Din among the Orcas: Are whale watchers making too much noise?), Rus Hoelzel states, “One thing I want to make clear is that I think whale watching is a good thing.” He then states that […]

  2. 19435

    It is very disappointing that this article has not a word about any disagreement surrounding the health and related consequences of global warming, let alone of any disputes about its very likelihood. Tibor R. MachanOrange, Calif. The article asserts that malaria and other tropical diseases will migrate northward with global warming. This ignores the fact […]

  3. 19434

    I was surprised to find no mention of Linus Pauling’s theory of anesthesia in this article. In 1961, Pauling provided detailed arguments that interactions between anesthetic agents and water, rather than lipids, form hydrate microcrystals in the brain that entrap side chains of proteins and interfere with electrical oscillations. Stephen Lawson Linus Pauling Institute Corvallis, […]

  4. 19433

    I don’t think anyone should be surprised that squirrels have figured out how to say “nyah, nyah” to rattlesnakes. After all, it’s what they’ve been saying to cats, dogs, and bird-feeder owning humans for years. R. Kelly WagnerAustin, Texas

  5. Humans

    From the June 23, 1934, issue

    Young desert hawks in their nest, properties of newly found element 93, and the effect of high pressure on phosphorus.

  6. Astronomy

    Tracking Solar Activity

    Part of the Student Observation Network, this NASA Web site offers information and activities related to solar flares and storms. Vividly illustrated online tutorials provide guidelines and background for observing sunspots, recording radio waves, collecting data from magnetometers, and viewing auroras. Learn how to make a sunspot viewer or magnetometer. See live images of the […]

  7. Humans

    Letters from the June 26, 2004, issue of Science News

    Theory and practice Like physicists, mathematicians have always been divided into theorists and experimentalists (“Math Lab: Computer experiments are transforming mathematics,” SN: 4/24/04, p. 266: Math Lab). And, as with the physicists, the two groups of mathematicians have not gotten along very well. Still, in physics, there has always been an understanding that both groups […]

  8. Humans

    From the June 16, 1934, issue

    Fanciful creations of the photographer's art, the possible addition of element 93 to the periodic table, and a Triceratops skull on display.

  9. Backyard Nature

    Naturalist Jim Conrad has created a friendly, nicely illustrated introduction to studying nature, starting in your own backyard. The Web site features information on plants, animals, and fungi that might thrive in a backyard. It also provides basic information on ecology, geology, naming and classifying living things, and other topics. Look for the list of […]

  10. Humans

    Letters from the June 19, 2004, issue of Science News

    Scan or scam? Using laser technology that has an apparent resolution of only about half a centimeter is somewhat laughable (“Laser scanners map rock art,” SN: 4/3/04, p. 222: Laser scanners map rock art). I also wondered whether the “fresh coat of desert varnish” was an April fool joke. Actually, I really look forward to […]

  11. 19432

    Does it really take a team of scientists running computer simulations to come up with the common sense that the greater the common surface area of two objects that touch, the more efficient the stacking? The closer objects are to being flat, the more efficiently they will stack. Hence ellipses will, of course, stack more […]

  12. Humans

    From the June 9, 1934, issue

    Mexican archaeology, dry ice for shrinking metals, and choosing optimal flight paths for airplanes.