- Email: [email protected]
Mind machine
See newscientist.com for letters on: ● Second-hand smoking gun ● Proof of deity ● Shrimp shrank ● Mind machine
could openly arrange their affairs in a way that would relieve some of the country’s sexual pressure. And what about some changes to the norms of heterosexual relations that would even give the west pause, such as polyandry? The Chinese may have to get very creative along these lines, or face either an explosion of male violence or a mass exodus of virile men to greener pastures. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Drugs work sometimes From David Kingdon I entirely agree with Morgan Haldane, Sophia Frangou and Spilios Argyropoulos (24 November, p 24) that medication is helpful in schizophrenia – although whether the newer atypical drugs, with their own distinctive repertoire of side effects such as diabetes, represent an advance is questionable. Antipsychotic medication was discovered because astute individual clinicians noted the potential effect of drugs developed for other uses. It had nothing to do with attempts to “unpick the biological basis of schizophrenia”. And how have studies of the “environmental stressors” and “neurotransmitter genotypes” improved the lot of even one
individual with schizophrenia? I do not wish to overplay the role of cognitive therapy in acute treatment and relapse, but evidence of its effectiveness is accumulating. Southampton, UK From William Smyth How dare Morgan Haldane and colleagues be so glib about chlorpromazine? I nearly died in the outback of the English Lake District on a glorious summer’s day, because doctors had not told me that this disgusting concoction is photosensitising. They then suggested I use a barrier cream and stop going out in daylight. Then there are the thousands of patients crippled by tardive dyskinesia. Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, UK
It’s in the mix Andy Taylor, Division of Food Sciences, University of Nottingham Scaling odours from pleasant to unpleasant and linking liking to molecular structure is one thing (17 November, p 48). Applying this to perfumery is a classic example of over-extrapolation of data. If perfume consisted of one odour compound, the correlation might hold. In practice, perfumes contain several hundred
components, which creates one level of perceptual complexity, and then there are interactions between the odours at the receptor level and at the cognitive level that add yet more complexity. I agree with Charles Sell, quoted in the article, that we are still a long way off understanding perfumes. The article does, however, highlight progress towards understanding the odour-structure relationships of single odorants. Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK
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No. 1474 Keith Austin MISS AMBER is holding the dress rehearsal for the school Nativity play. The choir has 81 children, consisting of 9 each of angels, barn owls, chickens, dogs, ewes, farmhands, goats, horses and innkeepers. She marked out a 9×9 grid on the stage and some of the children are already in the grid (right). Surprisingly, Miss Amber was able to add the other children to the grid, making sure each row, column and 3×3 box contains all www.newscientist.com
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From David Budworth I may well have been one of those to surprise Dennis Woodman (3 November, p 26) by transcribing a document instead of photographing or scanning it, or having it copied. I sometimes sketch things in preference to photographing them: it forces me to read or look at them properly there and then, rather than at some future time. A copy is a useful back-up in case of doubts about the accuracy of the original notes, and a photograph may include details whose significance emerges only when putting together disparate pieces of evidence. That does not diminish the value of initial close concentration,
the 9 characters. Send in the 3×3 box in the bottom left-hand corner of the finished grid. £15 will go to the sender of the first correct answer opened on 30 January. The Editor’s decision is final. Send entries to Enigma 1474, New Scientist, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, or to enigma@ newscientist.com (include your postal address). The winner of Enigma 1468 is Michael Bracewell of Aberdeen, UK.
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Silent night From Chris Geraghty It’s not my partner’s insomnia that bothers me, it’s my own. As regular as clockwork he wakes in the middle of the night and reaches for New Scientist. In truth, I applaud such behaviour, but the
Nota bene
Enigma Nativity places
which is, in my view, well worth the time expended. London, UK
Answer to 1468 Paving the way 15 20 21 24 33 34
crinkling of the pages being turned is loud enough to wake the dead. Can you please, please do something to reduce that crackle. I remember the kids used to have cloth books they could take into the bath. Maybe you could experiment along those lines? Enmore, New South Wales, Australia
For the record ● The DOI reference for the article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences mentioned in our short report on increasing storm frequency in the US (8 December, p 18) should have been 10.1073/pnas.0705494104. ● The bishop who calculated the date of the Creation spelled his name Ussher (24 November, p 57). Letters should be sent to: Letters to the Editor, New Scientist, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS Fax: +44 (0) 20 7611 1280 Email: [email protected] Include your full postal address and telephone number, and a reference (issue, page number, title) to articles. We reserve the right to edit letters. Reed Business Information reserves the right to use any submissions sent to the letters column of New Scientist magazine, in any other format.
22/29 December 2007 | NewScientist | 35
could openly arrange their affairs in a way that would relieve some of the country’s sexual pressure. And what about some changes to the norms of heterosexual relations that would even give the west pause, such as polyandry? The Chinese may have to get very creative along these lines, or face either an explosion of male violence or a mass exodus of virile men to greener pastures. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Drugs work sometimes From David Kingdon I entirely agree with Morgan Haldane, Sophia Frangou and Spilios Argyropoulos (24 November, p 24) that medication is helpful in schizophrenia – although whether the newer atypical drugs, with their own distinctive repertoire of side effects such as diabetes, represent an advance is questionable. Antipsychotic medication was discovered because astute individual clinicians noted the potential effect of drugs developed for other uses. It had nothing to do with attempts to “unpick the biological basis of schizophrenia”. And how have studies of the “environmental stressors” and “neurotransmitter genotypes” improved the lot of even one
individual with schizophrenia? I do not wish to overplay the role of cognitive therapy in acute treatment and relapse, but evidence of its effectiveness is accumulating. Southampton, UK From William Smyth How dare Morgan Haldane and colleagues be so glib about chlorpromazine? I nearly died in the outback of the English Lake District on a glorious summer’s day, because doctors had not told me that this disgusting concoction is photosensitising. They then suggested I use a barrier cream and stop going out in daylight. Then there are the thousands of patients crippled by tardive dyskinesia. Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, UK
It’s in the mix Andy Taylor, Division of Food Sciences, University of Nottingham Scaling odours from pleasant to unpleasant and linking liking to molecular structure is one thing (17 November, p 48). Applying this to perfumery is a classic example of over-extrapolation of data. If perfume consisted of one odour compound, the correlation might hold. In practice, perfumes contain several hundred
components, which creates one level of perceptual complexity, and then there are interactions between the odours at the receptor level and at the cognitive level that add yet more complexity. I agree with Charles Sell, quoted in the article, that we are still a long way off understanding perfumes. The article does, however, highlight progress towards understanding the odour-structure relationships of single odorants. Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK
A
No. 1474 Keith Austin MISS AMBER is holding the dress rehearsal for the school Nativity play. The choir has 81 children, consisting of 9 each of angels, barn owls, chickens, dogs, ewes, farmhands, goats, horses and innkeepers. She marked out a 9×9 grid on the stage and some of the children are already in the grid (right). Surprisingly, Miss Amber was able to add the other children to the grid, making sure each row, column and 3×3 box contains all www.newscientist.com
D C
I
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F
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E
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F
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From David Budworth I may well have been one of those to surprise Dennis Woodman (3 November, p 26) by transcribing a document instead of photographing or scanning it, or having it copied. I sometimes sketch things in preference to photographing them: it forces me to read or look at them properly there and then, rather than at some future time. A copy is a useful back-up in case of doubts about the accuracy of the original notes, and a photograph may include details whose significance emerges only when putting together disparate pieces of evidence. That does not diminish the value of initial close concentration,
the 9 characters. Send in the 3×3 box in the bottom left-hand corner of the finished grid. £15 will go to the sender of the first correct answer opened on 30 January. The Editor’s decision is final. Send entries to Enigma 1474, New Scientist, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS, or to enigma@ newscientist.com (include your postal address). The winner of Enigma 1468 is Michael Bracewell of Aberdeen, UK.
A I
F
Silent night From Chris Geraghty It’s not my partner’s insomnia that bothers me, it’s my own. As regular as clockwork he wakes in the middle of the night and reaches for New Scientist. In truth, I applaud such behaviour, but the
Nota bene
Enigma Nativity places
which is, in my view, well worth the time expended. London, UK
Answer to 1468 Paving the way 15 20 21 24 33 34
crinkling of the pages being turned is loud enough to wake the dead. Can you please, please do something to reduce that crackle. I remember the kids used to have cloth books they could take into the bath. Maybe you could experiment along those lines? Enmore, New South Wales, Australia
For the record ● The DOI reference for the article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences mentioned in our short report on increasing storm frequency in the US (8 December, p 18) should have been 10.1073/pnas.0705494104. ● The bishop who calculated the date of the Creation spelled his name Ussher (24 November, p 57). Letters should be sent to: Letters to the Editor, New Scientist, 84 Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8NS Fax: +44 (0) 20 7611 1280 Email: [email protected] Include your full postal address and telephone number, and a reference (issue, page number, title) to articles. We reserve the right to edit letters. Reed Business Information reserves the right to use any submissions sent to the letters column of New Scientist magazine, in any other format.
22/29 December 2007 | NewScientist | 35