All Stories by Science News
-
From the May 14, 1932, issue
DOVE ORCHID MAKES FITTING FLOWER FOR WHITSUNDAY Sunday, May 15, is the Feast of Pentecost, or Whitsunday, when many of the churches commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit. In the lands of tropical America, where delicate orchids can be had by anybody, many an imaginative Latin will mingle poetry with his piety as he […]
-
Spying Natural Hazards
NASA’s Earth Observatory Web site offers spectacular satellite images of natural hazards around the world–just about as they happen. Continually updated, the site focuses on wildfires, severe storms, floods, volcanic eruptions, and major air-pollution events, such as dust storms, smog, and smoke. Go to: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/
-
19061
In this article it was speculated that calorie restriction reduces the production of free radicals. We have found that food deprivation almost doubles concentrations of melatonin in various parts of the gastrointestinal system. Melatonin, a very potent scavenger of free radicals, has increased the lifespan of mice in several studies. It could be that the […]
-
19060
I agree that depression and smoking go together for a variety of physiological reasons, and it’s clear that people use nicotine to self-medicate. But your article’s title is unfortunate since we are treating people at our facility for nicotine-patch and nicotine-gum addiction. Our facility deals continuously with well-meaning attempts to respond to addiction, anxiety, and […]
-
19003
This article says, “While tornadoes are most common on the Great Plains and throughout the Mississippi River valley, they can occur almost anywhere in the United States.” Are tornadoes unique or more common in North America than elsewhere? Ruth HousmanNewton Center, Mass. Tornadoes have been spotted on every continent except Antarctica, says Harold Brooks of […]
-
From the May 7, 1932, issue
MONKEYS GET BALD LIKE MEN It is no longer fair to blame your barber or beautician for that bald spot; nor can you lay your gray hairs onto worry over your childrens naughtiness or your brokers shortsightedness. Getting bald or going gray are just primate traits, like walking on two legs instead of four, according […]
- Tech
Cold Lighting
Solid-state light sources, such as light-emitting diodes, promise greater energy efficiency than do incandescent lamps. The Sandia National Laboratories has launched a Web site that offers articles, references, and other information on semiconductor-based lighting and its use for illuminating homes, offices, and public spaces. Go to: http://lighting.sandia.gov/
-
19002
This article implies that the universe has a beginning and maybe an end. That seems to be a leap. I think we should not limit our thinking to a universe that was created at some point by a Big Bang or a Supreme Being. The facts in the article point to an event (maybe the […]
- Astronomy
Faded Stars Get New Role: Hubble takes a long look
By setting their sights on the galaxy's faintest stars, scientists have calculated the universe's age to be between 13 billion and 14 billion years old.
-
19059
Ian Gotlib doesn’t disprove “clinical lore” that depressed individuals often cry. People who are depressed typically become preoccupied with their faults and shortcomings and less interested in the world, much less compassionate for others. That the study described finds that some people who are depressed do not cry in response to another’s sad situation doesn’t […]
-
19001
I am deeply disturbed by the research involving manipulation of a rat’s brain to remotely control its behavior. Why does this article mention the researchers’ qualms about possible danger to the animal in entering risky situations but not the danger to the integrity of what we consider its conscious life? Ruth HousmanNewton Center, Mass.
-
19000
I’ve been hosting an interactive forum on the Web for the past 7 years. Our community is made up of people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and their families and friends. The nature of these diseases is such that sufferers tend to be socially isolated, and finding each other on the Web has opened up […]
