Letter
Richard L. Garwin is right about boost-phase intercept being “technically
more feasible” than any other kind of missile defence
(4 August, p 40). What the
interview ignored is that BPI is politically unacceptable, however technically
“neat” it appears.
Intercepting a missile within three minutes of launch means total dependence
on a cascade of automatic systems that cannot ever be realistically tested and
may be vulnerable to hackers. There will be no time for a human assessment of
“rules of engagement”, or whether an attack really is on the way.
So unless the US wants to be thought of as ready to engage either in
pre-emptive attacks on nothing more than suspect targets, or in completely
automated war-making, BPI won’t do.
Worth the risk
The research carried out in Sweden on the possible role of folic acid
supplements in multiple births does raise some concerns, and further research
needs to be carried out in this area
(28 July, p 3 and
28 July, p 7). But it should not
put the British government off the idea of fortifying a food staple such as
flour with folic acid.
Even if folic acid does result in a slightly increased incidence of twins,
the benefits will far outweigh the costs. Folic acid lowers levels of the amino
acid homocysteine in blood plasma. Excessive levels of homocysteine can lead to
increased rates of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.
Excessive plasma homocysteine is as significant a risk factor for CHD as
smoking and high cholesterol levels (which may account for up to 24 per cent of
CHD cases). So fortifying flour with folic acid could have a big impact on death
rates from cardiovascular disease.
It will be extremely interesting in 10 years’ time to see the effects of
adding folic acid to breakfast cereals and wholemeal bread in the US. This is
surely the world’s largest unofficial clinical trial of a chemical that could
cut deaths from heart disease.
Unsafe journey
In his letter defending nuclear rockets
(4 August, p 51), George Maise seems
to ignore the fact that to build nuclear rockets in low-Earth orbit for missions
to outer space, you still need to get the nuclear material into orbit,
presumably in its highly enriched form. So it could easily end up strewn all
over the Earth if an accident occurs on the way up鈥攏ot a happy
prospect.
Drain the volcano
When I read your article on the dam burst looming at Mount Pinatubo
(28 July, p 4), I had a simple idea that could help avert the disaster: siphons.
Take a suitable length of acid-resistant, non-collapsible hose. Drop it in
the lake so as to fill it with water. Cap one end and dangle it down the side of
the volcano. Once the hose is opened, it would start to drain the lake at a safe
and steady rate.
You could set up as many siphons as necessary in very little time.
Sonic biopsies
Using ultrasound to measure the elasticity of tumours could be an alternative
not just to breast biopsies
(4 August, p 20).
There are other biopsy procedures鈥攕uch as on the prostate
gland鈥攖hat are no less traumatic, and sometimes more so.
Sensual jobs
I was intrigued by your interview with George Aldrich, whose job it is to
sniff things for NASA to make sure they won’t be too smelly when they are sent
up into space
(23 June, p 44).
I work at Sensation Dundee, a hands-on science centre, where our exhibits are
themed around the senses. I’m keen to find out whether your readers know of any
other unusual jobs which require one of the senses to be highly trained.
I’ve heard of pea-tasters, and we all know about piano tuners, but what other
jobs are there for sensorily gifted people?
Any information, please, through our website at www.sensation.org.uk or by
e-mail to alice.hague@sensation.org.uk.
An ill wind
An obvious source of possible bacterial contamination in Chandra
Wickramasinghe’s air samples from the upper atmosphere
(4 August, p 11) is
air flowing round the ascending balloon, which couldn’t have been
sterilised. The breeze could have carried bacteria into the sterile canisters
dangling below.
Cannabis relief
Further to your report on the pain-killing effects of cannabis
(28 July, p 11),
I suffer chronic, intractable pain resulting from an accident in 1985. I get
more relief from smoking medicinal-quality cannabis than I do from an implanted
pump that delivers morphine directly to my spinal canal.
Binary highway
If the officials of San Jose wish to rename Highway 101
(Feedback, 28 July),
then what better name than Highway 01100101?
This is in keeping with the ethos of Silicon Valley and incorporates the
original name.
Passive irony
I showed Rupert Sheldrake’s article about the merits of the active voice over
the passive in scientific writing to a philosopher friend, who noted an
inconsistency in the quote that came from Lord May, President of the Royal
Society
(21 July, p 48). It began, “In the long run, more authority is conferred
by the direct approach than by . . .”
Fast read
Feedback
(4 August) clearly doesn’t appreciate the intellectual rigour with
which Cambridge citizens read their local paper. I have a friend who has spent
seven years doing a PhD on two chapters of Judges from the Old
Testament鈥攁bout 1600 words.
That makes spending 17 minutes on 300 words of news look like skim reading,
wouldn’t you say?
Safer and tastier
By resorting to scientific criteria in their efforts to prove that organic
foods are more nutritious than conventional ones
(11 August, p 15), the
supporters of organic farming lay themselves open to sceptics who can quite
easily use science to demonstrate that the differences in mineral and vitamin
content are too small to be significant.
As a family that both produces and enjoys eating organic food, the important
differences are perhaps more subjective, but no less real. Our experience of
eating vegetables鈥攊n particular root crops鈥攁nd to some extent eggs
and white meat, is that the flavour and texture are noticeably superior. This
may be for the reason flagged up by Shane Heaton, the Soil Association
nutritionist: they contain more dry matter.
Even if consumers can’t agree on this point, there is a lot of weight behind
the argument that the farming and land-management methods within an organic
system protect soils, encourage biodiversity, help create a more varied and
attractive landscape, and provide better animal welfare.
Letter
Since most people buy organic food because it has not been swamped with
pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones, the Soil Association should spend
its limited resources proving that organic food is safer rather than more
nutritious.
After all, there is little reason to suppose that an organic carrot has a
higher mineral content than a conventional one. There is every reason to suppose
that it is less polluted.
Bombing from space
What can you do with a space bomber that you can’t already do with a
conventional bomber or a missile
(4 August, p 10)? That’s easy. It gives you
unprecedented scope for “plausible denial” in the sort of self-appointed,
policeman-of-the-world-type wars the US loves fighting against countries too
small to hit back.
The US got away with the excuse that it was dropping bombs from 5 kilometres
and firing missiles from over the horizon when it dropped a bunker-buster on a
civilian air raid shelter in Iraq, fired two missiles at a civilian train in
Yugoslavia and blew the Chinese embassy in Belgrade to bits.
Imagine what sort of accidentally-on-purpose “mistakes” the US could get away
with when the bombs are being dropped from 100 kilometres up, and the targets
are based solely on what is laughingly called “military intelligence”.
Unnaturally nice to aliens
I was amused to see Allen Tough’s “Hello to ETI” Web page for alien surfers
(28 July, p 46).
It says: “We will treat you with respect, courtesy, friendship, and caring.
We will speak and act truthfully, avoiding lies and deception. We will deal
honestly and fairly with you, avoiding any temptation to exploit the situation
for personal greed or for any particular nation or organization. Without
forsaking our own values and integrity, we will be as empathic, helpful, and
flexible as we can in understanding and fostering your goals and plans.”
What planet are these guys from? This doesn’t sound like a typical human
attitude to other humans, never mind extraterrestrials.