All Stories by Science News
-
19101
Hickling and Lee, whose work was described in this article, might consider a piezoelectric crystal as a point-source speaker. One would need to figure out a proper coupling-to-substrate scheme to separate the acoustic and substrate vibrational pathways. Yves KrausMansfield Center, Conn.
-
From the February 1, 1930, issue
WHOSE MEMORY LIVES IN THIS EGYPTIAN TOMB? The great tomb of an unknown Egyptian who lived about 2800 B.C. has been discovered and entered by the expedition from the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, working at Meydum, fifty miles south of Cairo. A report just received from the director, Alan Rowe, states that the […]
-
Beams of Our Lives
What are energy beams? How do they carry information, cure disease, illuminate distant points, or create images on our television screens? Answers to these and other questions you probably never thought to ask can be found on a Web site hosted by the Center for Beam Physics at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Funky stick […]
-
19100
This article mentions that “toxicology studies suggest that crabs, birds, rodents, and cats face little risk from the baits.” Acetaminophen in fact is lethal to cats. Cats may be safe, however, because of their preference for live food. John WeissDallas, Texas
- Humans
From the August 6, 1932, issue
WEIRD STINK-BUG PARENTS PRODUCE CURIOUS EGGS “Like parent, like child,” is one of the oldest and best-known folk-proverbs. It holds outside the human realm, too. For instance, the pair of stink-bugs which Cornelia Clarke’s magnifying camera lens caught for the cover of this issue of the Science News Letter are weird enough little monsters, in […]
- Health & Medicine
Obesity and Genetics
Studies show that genes are a significant factor in developing obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide an online guide to the problem of obesity and insights into current research on the genetics of obesity. Go to: http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/training/perspectives/obesity.htm
-
19099
Other species recognize the different meanings in dogs’ barks, as well. I lived for several years next to a wonderful habitat for ducks. I fed the ducks cracked corn, and my Doberman pinscher would call them. The ducks only came to his “The human has food” bark. They didn’t respond to the “I hate bicycles” […]
-
19098
Many research scientists don’t realize to what purpose much of their seemingly innocuous information may be put. Many weapons had their inception from otherwise humanitarian efforts. If I may engage in a little hyperbole, would you have condoned the free exchange of atomic information in the early 1940s? Dana PelletierLynn, Mass. The obvious conclusion to […]
-
19097
This article gives the incorrect and highly misleading definition of how wood preservatives work: by releasing “toxins into the water, killing everything nearby.” False. The treated wood itself becomes unpalatable to these organisms. Leaching does occur, but the literature is full of conflicting results as to the extent of the effect. Ironically, probably the most […]
- Humans
From the July 30, 1932, issue
LAYMAN TAKES GREAT INTEREST IN VIEWING TOTAL ECLIPSE When, on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 31, the shadow of the moon sweeps across eastern Canada and New England at the rate of some 2,000 miles an hour, hiding the sun for a little over a minute and a half, probably millions of people will see […]
- Animals
Dragonfly Glitter
Dragonflies bring a lot of glitter to glamour shots. Texas A&M’s entomology program offers a variety of stunning images to illustrate the considerable diversity of dragonfly species. A video captures a female laying eggs, and a sequence of images shows how junior grows up. Go to: http://stephenville.tamu.edu/~fmitchel/dragonfly/index.html
-
19023
This article advances the idea that a positive attitude is conducive to longevity. As a senior citizen, 87, looking at my contemporaries, I wonder about that. Possibly, the good health prompted the positive attitude as much as the attitude influenced the health. Wayne LewisGate, Okla. While the researchers accounted for some confounding factors, they did […]
