All Stories by Science News
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Bug Watching
Crazy about insects? The Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute in Arizona has a “Backyard Bugwatching” page with links to photos and articles focusing on a variety of insects and their diverse habitats. Learn what it takes to track Mexican leaf-cutter ants and catch bullet ants. Journey to Costa Rica’s rainforests for close-ups of novel arthropods. Watch […]
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18984
You missed the papers that describe our experiments that produce ball lightning in our lab. We use a lightning-arc-producing apparatus. Clint SewardElectron Power SystemsActon, Mass. The ball-lightning article makes no mention of Nikola Tesla’s creation of ball lightning while generating megavolt discharges from gigantic Tesla coil arrays. Ted V. PowellBaldwin, N.Y.
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18991
Maybe this article would be better titled “Don’t think and thrive.” As other reports tie stress to depressed immune function, any stress reduction (including intoxicant use) is expected to offer benefits in disease. Because ethanol use is already culturally ubiquitous, often with negative effects, outcome-oriented research serves the purpose of alcohol’s producers. Stephen DilibertoMiami, Okla.
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From the January 30, 1932, issue
MONTE ALBAN TREASURE MAY SET JEWELRY STYLE The proud inhabitants of Oaxaca, in whose vicinity the Mixtec treasure tomb was found, think they are going to set the worlds jewelry styles. A casual glance at the ornaments and trinkets reveals that archaeology has already influenced modern jewelers. One of the most beautiful objects found in […]
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Virus Picture Book
If you’re interested in biological viruses, a good place to start is the “Big Picture Book of Viruses.” Founded by Robert F. Garry of the Tulane University School of Medicine, this Web site serves as a catalog of virus images on the Internet and provides links to tutorials, Web courses, and many other resources devoted […]
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19049
Shame on you. This article on the importance of fractals in earth sciences never mentioned the “father” of fractals, the Polish-French scientist Benoit Mandelbrot, nor Christopher Scholz, the solid-earth scientist of Columbia University who first recognized the importance of Mandelbrot’s mathematical genius. Eugene C. BoveeLawrence, Kan.
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From the January 23, 1932, issue
FLOODLIGHTS ILLUMINATE LONDON’S TOWER BRIDGE Light from a new age is cast upon the pointed heights of London’s Tower Bridge by floodlights turned on the structure during recent engineering and scientific celebrations in England. The Tower Bridge is just one of the many structures illuminated. This bridge across the Thames, one of the most famous […]
- Health & Medicine
Painful Thoughts
It may not surprise people terrified by a visit to the dentist that one of the top pain research groups at the National Institutes of Health is located within the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Check out the group’s history in NIDCR’s fascinating primer on the science of pain. Go to: http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/pain/
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18990
The concluding comment in this article that both sexes preferred unsmeared birds doesn’t show any support for the researchers’ contention that non-UV-blocking smears didn’t impact the sexual behavior of birds. M.J. RaichykCincinnati, Ohio The researchers had noticed that birds preferred companions of the opposite sex with fluorescent feathers still glowing. But might this just be […]
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18989
I have to tell you that your new look will keep your base audience and attract new readers. Your new design leaped off the kitchen counter and said, “Read me, read me!” It is still serious, as it should be, but so much more inviting. Becky MoserKings Mountain, N.C. I hate the new look. The […]
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18988
I was disappointed to see Science News depart from its usual objective reporting to cite an antinuclear propagandist as sole authority on the “dangers” of nuclear waste. The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) is a single-issue political action group. Such organizations have a right to exist, but they should be identified as such in […]
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18987
The discovery that silicon would explode is not news to me. I made a serendipitous discovery over 20 years ago as a computer hobbyist. I discovered that silicon would explode when I accidentally injected 15,000 volts into some integrated circuits designed for 5 volts. Fortunately, the detonations were small and no damage was done to […]
