Letters: Correction
In ‘Europe’s search for the winning diet’ (30 November). David Richardson,
who is on secondment from Nestle as manager of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Fisheries and Food’s programme on antioxidants, was erroneously called David
Richard.
Letters: Language of science
Peter Drake’s response (Letters, 23 November) to Tony Jones’s contribution
(Forum, 26 October) concerning the activities of Y Gymdeithas Wyddonol Genedlaethol
(the Welsh national scientific society) is, I fear, symptomatic of the Anglocentric
view of the world. He attacks the use of Y Cymraeg (Welsh) in science on
the basis of two, wholly unfounded pretexts.
His first mistake is to suggest that promotion of the language in the
school curriculum, as well as in civic life, leads to a reduction in the
ability of those ‘subjected’ to such conditions to access and understand
science. The experience of educationalists from many inherently bilingual
countries, where this matter has been studied, is that the performance of
children educated bilingually from an early age is better than monoglots,
across the curriculum. Learning to cope with two or more languages from
an early age seems to prepare the brain more easily to cope with new concepts
at a later stage. Often discussing scientific topics in two languages makes
it easier to grasp some of the concepts involved, rather than learning the
subjects parrot-fashion in one language. Several recently published official
reports on the educational performance of children in Welsh schools, where
bilingual education is the norm in some but not in others, clearly show
the advantages of bilingual education. This extends to the understanding
of science as well.
His second mistake is the suggestion that the promotion of science through
the medium of the Welsh language seems, in some way, to isolate those subjected
to such a ‘terrible’ deed from the world of science and technology simply
because ‘all’ of the information available is communicated through a language
called ‘English’. I would agree with him, to a large extent, ‘American English’
does act as lingua franca for international scientific communication. I
would not accept, however, that ipso facto Japanese, Chinese, Russian, French,
Basque or Welsh scientists in discussions with compatriots use that language.
Such people have the advantage of being able to use more than one language,
and choose to switch to the one most appropriate at the time.
In Wales there are over half a million people whose everyday language
is Welsh. It is our duty, not only to that language, but also to the promotion
of scientific understanding in that population, that we, who have had the
privilege of an insight into scientific matters, try our best to communicate
that understanding to our compatriots.
Iolo ap Gwynn Y Gymdeithas Wyddonol Genedlaethol Aberystwyth, Wales
Letters: More militancy
Perhaps Peter Nelson (Letters, 23 November) did not hear that the plans
of the world’s most powerful leader were once controlled by a chintzy astrologer,
or that American ‘intelligence’ agencies wasted a large amount of public
money on ‘paranormal warfare’. He is probably equally philosophical about
attempts to give equal school-time to creationism, or about the sale of
excrement to AIDS victims (as an ‘alternative’ medical cure). I expect a
philosopher could easily be found who could justify these excesses. On the
other hand, I find that the various sceptics organisations are not militant
enough.
David Fisher Cardiff, Wales
Letters: Switched off
Nowhere does your excellent article on engineering failures refer to
Chernobyl (‘The fallible engineer’, 2 November), but the accompanying photo
of the ruined power station was captioned: ‘As the Chernobyl accident in
April 1986 showed, automatic safety systems do not guarantee that nuclear
power stations can never run out of control.’
The several accounts I’ve read in the engineering press all say that
Chernobyl had several independent safety systems, any of which would have
shut down the reactor, but all were deliberately disabled to permit a test
at a power level well below the reactor’s designed operating range-something
the safety system designers considered dangerous enough to prevent.
Even then things might have gone well under manual control, but the
test was temporarily suspended on political authority. When the technicians
were allowed to resume the test, accumulated products of low-power operation
made the reactor behave in unexpected ways, causing the explosion.
So, while Chemobyl proves automatic safety systems may not protect you,
it proves nothing about such systems when they are switched on.
Alan Chattaway Surrey British Columbia Canada
Letters: Hounded to death?
I was fascinated to get the full story of the Moewus controversy in
J. Sapp’s book Where the Truth Lies (Review, l 9 October).
When I was a student doing research on plant hormones shortly after
the Second World War, I visited Moewus in Germany to learn about the cress
test for hormone assay. He and his charming wife entertained me with utmost
courtesy. On my return I attended a conference in Oxford where 1 was closely
questioned about my visit by the professor of botany. He finished by saying
in a most threatening manner, ‘If! detect any flaw in your research, I will
hound you out of the establishment’, or words to that effect. I had no idea
why he should adopt this attitude to an unknown student. Now I think he
must have been an over-enthusiastic adherent to the current mores, believing
that all this man Moewus did was fraudulent, and that anyone associating
with him must be tarred with the same brush.
In fact the cress test worked very well and I found it, with modifications,
very useful. To develop an inhibition test for growth-promoting substances
is in itself an interesting physiological concept. Did the American geneticist
who dismissed the cress work ever try Moewus’s test? Did the Oxford professor
hound other people who associated with Moewus?
When we heard that Moewus had died of a heart attack at the eariy age
of 5i, an apologist remarked to me, ‘I hope to God eve didn’t hound him
to his death.’ Readers of Sapp’s book will have to form their own conclusions
on this.
The Moewus controversy may be closed but Moewus has now been written
back into history and into the social and psychological aspects of scientific
research. Trvly one walks through a minefield in this profession.
Joyce Mowat Aberdeen, Scotland
Letters: Corny problem
While archaeologists have traditionally focused on past cultures, our
work often has relevance to contemporary problems. This is exemplified by
William Rathje’s long-term garbage project, (‘Degradable plastics’, Inside
Science, 19 October). Rathje’s recovery of an intact ear of corn, dating
to 1971, from the Freshkills landfill he excavated in New York in 1988,
demonstrates one limit of biodegradation approaches to plastics. Simply
adding corn starch to plastic to encourage microbial breakdown is not likely
to work in landfills where ears of corn themselves were completely ignored
for 17 years.
George Nicholas The University College of the Cariboo Kamloops, British
Columbia Canada
Letters: Ubiquitous mites
Philip Mann’s discovery of mites in his camera (Letters, 21 September)
is not an uncommon occurrence and similar infestations have been recorded
in VCRs and other equipment. The culprits usually prove to be Glycyphagus
domesticus or Tyrophagus putrescentiae, mites which are more typically found
in damp areas in houses or in stored foods such as flour where they feed
on microscopic fungi.
In cameras etc, these mites are thought to graze on the moulds which
sometimes develop on traces of grease used during the assembly process.
Also, oil accumulating on the viewfinder through contact with the user’s
eyelashes may encourage mould growth and so attract mites.
It is difficult to say whether Mann’s mites are descendants of the original
population or whether his camera has been re-infested. These ubiquitous
mites are very delicate and easily transported on air currents and people’s
clothing. They are therefore well-placed to exploit just about any habitat
where suitable conditions prevail.
Conscientious cleaning and ensuring equipment is kept cool and dry will
help to prevent and control infestations. A 24-hour spell in the refrigerator
will also kill off many mites.
Anne Baker Thomas Downing, Gavin Kenny
Letters: Heat and maize
Your report of David Stooksbury’s work on maize yields in the box in
your feature on climate change (‘Gaps in the climate map’, 23 November)
does not do the field of climate impact assessment a service. The crop-climate
model is not sufficiently documented to be able to gauge the significance
of the results.
It is not clear from the box if the correlation between daily temperature
range and yield was performed. If not, the relationship between yield and
temperature range may not be stable. In either case, the importance of the
daily temperature range would be better assessed with a daily crop-soil-water-balance
model rather than a monthly statistical-empirical model. The effect of episodes
of extreme temperatures may well be more important than a decrease in temperature
range. In general, statistical-empirical models are constrained in their
ability to project to other regions or new climates for which they have
not been validated. This may be particularly important where the limiting
factors change in the new conditions.
We encourage a diversity of approaches in climate impact assessment
and agree that much uncertainty remains in deciphering current trends in
climate, projected climatic changes, and impacts on agroecological potential.
As such, we would support a more balanced conclusion, such as: The major
change in maize production in a greenhouse world may not be just in yield,
but in altered planting times, management practices, availability of water
for irrigation, and comparative advantage.
Thomas Downing, Gavin Kenny Paula Harrison Environmental Change Unit
University of Oxford
Letters: Noxious oxides
Nitrous oxide is not produced by motor cars, neither does it affect
the ozone layer (Technology, I 6 November). Its biological origin is an
example of ‘error’ metabolism-the reactions normally producing carbon dioxide
for exhalation are fooled into producing some nitrous oxide as well, because
they have almost identical electronic strvctures. It is not the first time
this harmless gas has got the blame for effects produced by the real villains,
nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide.
Tom Nash Sherborne, Dorset
Letters: Flushed with success
In connection with your excellent and informative article about lavatory
cisteras (Technology, 9 November), we should like to know if Andy Coghlan
had his tongue in his cheek while writing that the inventor of ‘the valveless
waste water preventer’ (quite a tongue twister) is a certain Thomas Crapper.
In our school technical English is taught. One of my students had a
fit of laughter when told about the cistern inventor. He recognised the
verb ‘to crap’ as common American usage, at least among his American consorts.
My dictionary seems to confirm this.
Maybe we have here one of the many instances where an inventor’s name
has been remembered in an unexpected way? I hope Coglhan will be kind enough
to offer an informed opinion.
Can any readers get to the bottom of this?-Andy Coghlan
Poul Yding Hillerod, Denmark
Letters: Natureballs
I was amused to see that Feedback had been flicking through the Natural
History Museum’s Christmas catalogue and spotted that they had classified
a frog as a reptile rather than an amphibian (Feedback, 23 November). Did
you also spot the mug depicting adult king penguins apparently rearing emperor
penguin chicks? The base of this mug bears the legend ‘Endangered Species
of the World’. Does CITES list either the king or emperor penguin as endangered?
l think not.
Maybe you could run a ‘Natureballs’ column for the festive season to
include similar items of inaccuracy. 1’ll start the ball rolling with a
real collector’s piece: the Cotswolds Wildlife Park has recently been flogging
inflatable ‘dolphins’-but the tails move from side to side, as in fish,
rather than up and down, as in cetaceans. Shurely shum mishtake.
Roger Coggan British Antarctic Survey Cambridge
Letters: Window wonder
Since November 1988, I have been recording, measuring and photographing
circles and ellipses which appear on my bedroom window pane-normally as
clear areas on condensation; once, as an area of condensation on clear glass.
The figures appear from around 7 am onwards-usually singly, occasionally
in pairs, or even threes. All have an initial sharp ‘burnt-in’ appearance
and range from 1 to 10 inches in diameter, becoming larger and less clear
with time. If they get mixed up with downcoming ‘melt’ or each other, they
form more complex figures, but water droplets never tun down from them.
I have seen them appear, disappear and reappear.
Only one window seems involved, but l can detect no pattern in size,
shape, position or occurrence, nor does weather or day of the week appear
to be important. I live in a bungalow on a small residential estate. A few
fields separate us from the Cleveland Hills and the sun comes up behind
them as late as 9.15 am in winter. The window faces south-west.
Bearing in mind my non-scientific background, is there a reader who
could enlighten me on this phenomenon?
Anita Langham Guisborough, Cleveland
Letters: Easy as Pi
That the ratio of the diameter to the circumference of a circle, designated
as pi, is about 3 has been known since antiquity (Letters, 26 October, 9
and 23 November); in fact, as noted by John Fauvel (9 November), a value
of 3 for pi appears in the Old Testament (I Kings vii, 23; II Chronicles
iv, 2). The Greeks used a more accurate value of 221 7 (error 0-04 per cent);
and the Egyptians used a ratio of two squares: 256/81 (error 0.6 per cent).
A simple way of obtaining an accurate value for pi is to write each of the
first three odd numbers twice, and divide the second half by the first,
355/113 (error 0.085 parts per million).
may also remember the mnemonic ‘How I wish I could calculate pi easily
quite fast’, and write down the number of letters in each word.
Alan Blair Julich, Germany
Letters: Bonios are best
Whilst frozen peas may make excellent tracers for drift currents (Letters,
30 November), Bonios are better her suited for deter’mining stream flow
rates and currents in the field.
We use Bonios as an ideal float for following and measuring ream flows
on our understanding field courses. In tuations where retrieval is Impossible,si
they have the advantage of being relatively cheap and biodegradable. However,
we always seem to encounter a local dog which is considerably happier after
our studies.
Jonathan Homer Roehampton Institute London