Fast, faster, fastest?
Perhaps an explanation for the anomalous velocity of neutrinos from CERN to Gran Sasso in Italy (1 October, p6), compared with the velocity of light in a vacuum, depends on what you mean by a vacuum. Measurements of the speed of light in a vacuum may have a hidden error. We all know these days that the vacuum is not empty – it is an energy field seething with virtual particles.
Perhaps light, when ploughing through the vacuum, is slower by 60 billionths of a second than neutrinos covering the same distance. Since neutrinos can zip through Earth as if it weren’t there, the quantum vacuum isn’t going to bother them much.
From Roger Schafir
The first reaction of many physicists, unsurprisingly, has been to doubt the neutrino experiment. And indeed, such an incredibly delicate experiment could be wrong. But never underestimate the skill of modern experimentalists. They have, after all, tested the theory of quantum electrodynamics with an accuracy equivalent to measuring the distance from London to New York to within the width of a human hair.
London, UK
From Tim Hely
In his technology story, Jeff Hecht reports that light travels “just 330 metres” in one microsecond (1 October, p 24). I find this quite impressive as, traditionally, light would travel no more than 299.8 metres in that time. Now that it has competition from speedy neutrinos, has light done some extra sprint training?
Edinburgh, UK
Risky business
So, scientists in Italy are being prosecuted for failing to predict an earthquake (24 September, p 34). May I predict the number of prosecutions relating to other failures of risk management?
Investment bankers in charge of disaster banks – no prosecutions; any public servants (other than scientists), for anything – none; politicians responsible for lax financial regulation, overspending and free credit – none; politicians, for misusing evidential and statistical information – none. Now that’s what I call predictable.
Brain essentials
Your article “A brief history of the brain” (24 September, p 40) was wonderful, but missed an important point. During its first 2.5 billion years, life was largely anaerobic. It is likely that during this phase, synthesis of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) would have been limited. DHA is a major essential fatty acid constituent of the photoreceptor and the brain. Its synthesis requires six oxygen atoms just to introduce six double bonds on top of the other high-energy requirements for fat synthesis.
When the oxygen tension rose sufficiently about 600 million years ago, abundant synthesis of DHA would have been feasible. The dinoflagellates – mainly marine plankton – possess not only DHA, but unusually also di-DHA phosphoglycerides, present in our own photoreceptors today.
This switch would have stimulated the evolution of the nervous system and the brain, in which all the signalling systems and neurones are universally rich in DHA.
There is a wealth of data to show that DHA deficiency results in loss of function, reduced learning, behavioural defects and more. This data also leads to the theory that, because we are getting less and less of our nutrition from the marine food web, our brain capacity could diminish over several generations.
I am not alone in thinking that we are already seeing evidence of this. Brain disorders and mental ill-health have now overtaken all other health problems. It is likely that the future will see a continued rise. I raised this issue in 1972. This most serious threat needs to be tackled urgently.
Snap the theory?
My interest in the account of the thoughts of cosmologist Max Tegmark was tempered by something more than surprise – I learned that the rejection of the early cosmic inflation or of the Copernican principle, that Earth does not occupy a special place in the universe, “are anathema to cosmology”, (24 September, p 8).
The tenor of opinions seemed consistent with the basis of scientific thought – that no hypothesis is above challenge and change in the light of subsequent discovery. If “anathema” is now considered appropriate to scientific discussion in certain circumstances, then it must have a meaning quite different to its current definition.
This must be particularly relevant to the seeming apotheosis of the Copernican principle, especially in the light of the fact that at least twice in the past few years 91av has reported proposals by researchers who claim the principle has never been experimentally validated, and suggest methods to address this.
Since a lack of observational evidence for Tegmark’s “big snap” hypothesis for the fate of the universe could imply that the principle may not hold, surely an appropriate action would be to try to validate it.
Fish that glow
I was quoted in your report on a transgenic fish that fluoresces when exposed to oestrogenically active chemical contaminants (11 June, p 16). My comment, as used, is slightly ambiguous.
To clarify, the creation of a transgenic fish that glows in the presence of oestrogenically active compounds in the water is an advance, and a novel invention. This development is essentially measuring a response to particular levels of contaminants.
However, what is not being measured is whether the chemicals at those concentrations are likely to have an adverse biological (reproductive, for example) or physiological effect on the transgenic fish or other biota in the water.
Pull of the tide
It is easy to fall into the trap of believing an overlooked technology is the magic solution to our energy needs, and I got the impression that your article on tidal power (17 September, p 48) was teetering on its edge.
A renewable future will need many different energy sources. The biggest challenge is matching the intermittency of renewable sources with demand. The special characteristic of tidal power is that although it, too, is intermittent, it is more predictably so than any other renewable source.
Anti-science doubt
As someone charged with communicating science in a Catholic newspaper, I am not helped by Royal Society president Paul Nurse’s attacks on anti-science (17 September, p 5).
The Catholic church is on official record as saying that material human evolution is compatible with religious faith. But science, by definition, has nothing to say about the spiritual aspects of humans.
On “the wholesale destruction of human life” in embryonic stem cell research, leaving aside “wholesale”, which is gratuitous, the destruction of life is a matter of fact. Questions of relative values and rights in this are not scientific issues – although scientists may provide helpful circumstantial evidence.
Last word on Jon
Come, now, do you really think prolific Last Word correspondent Jon Richfield of Somerset West, South Africa, is a real person ()? Nobody knows everything about everything, as “Jon” seems to. My guess is that the faculty of a nearby university get together during the tea break to come up with answers to Last Word questions.
The editor writes:
• You’re not the first to succumb to such . We interviewed Jon in 2010 (9 October, p 50) and amazingly, he is real.
The definite article
James W. Pennebaker says that people who make relatively high use of definite and indefinite articles tend to be “more organised, emotionally stable, conscientious, politically conservative and older” (3 September, p 42).
His feature contains just over five articles per 100 words. Without a baseline figure, it is difficult to know where this puts Pennebaker on the scale of organised-stable-conscientious-conservative-age.
However, a quick comparison with other writers is interesting: A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh contains around eight articles per 100 words; Finnegans Wake by James Joyce about the same proportion; and a sample of early Beatles lyrics contains over 10. This must mean something.
Vital vaccine
While there may be good reasons to be cautious about large-scale HPV vaccination programmes (1 October, p 28), the potential human cost of postponing such schemes should not be underestimated.
Extensive clinical programmes of up to six years support the safety profile of HPV vaccines. Indeed, how long they remain effective has not yet been demonstrated, but let’s not miss the opportunity to better protect a generation of women from cervical cancer.
Elbow grease
Concerning your story “A wrinkle pill that feeds your genes” (24 September, p 10), never mind the wrinkles, what about doing something to help creaky joints?
The most common form of arthritis involves erosion of cartilage. Arthritic people spend huge amounts of money on glucosamine and chondroitin supplements in the hope that they might protect or restore damaged cartilage.
The new pill has apparently been shown to boost collagen production, albeit in skin rather than joints. Collagen is a major ingredient of cartilage, so what effect might the pill have on arthritic joints?
For the record
• The final quote in the story on brain waves (1 October, p 19) should have been attributed to Bernard Balleine at the University of Sydney.
• The DOI in the story linking epigenetic changes to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (1 October, p 16) should have been .
• Paul Drayson, in the story on electric car racing (24 September, p 26), referred to the innovations that motorsport in general, not just F1, has brought to road cars.