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Ain't got the guts
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friends, relatives, employers, potential mates, and even stalkers who already look at the wealth of information available online. One instance where this data could be misused would be by adopted children, or even the children of sperm donors, to find parents who might not want to be found. Similarly, certain professions could be affected from the outset. Genomics has the potential to touch all aspects of sport, from using genetic information for draft picks, to mandatory genetic testing to screen out players at all levels of the game at risk of serious and unanticipated ailments. With the growth in understanding the links between athleticism and genetics, public disclosure of personal genomic information of athletes may be just a logical extension of what is already in place. Analysing how athletes deal with this new form of personal information will be of particular interest to the rest of society as it learns how to manage the eventual disclosure of personal physical and genetic information. New Haven, Connecticut, US
Common ideal From Bryn Glover I agree with Mark van Vugt’s wellreasoned, sensible and logical proposals for overcoming the environmental tragedy of the commons by everyone working together (22 August, p 40), but I doubt that this will spontaneously happen within the few short years we have left before we become overwhelmed with tipping points. I can only assume that van Vugt’s experimental subjects, whose responses support his optimistic view, all come from the rarified world of academia. What is clear to me is that none of his wonderful conclusions could possibly have derived from the overwhelming majority of humans. Out here in harsh reality, genteel persuasion is not feasible when facing food wars, oil wars and – very soon I predict – global water wars. The only solution is a globally organised imposition of fairness and propriety. Unless we agree to allowing such impositions, I doubt if humanity will survive long enough for van Vugt’s idealism to be realised. Cracoe, North Yorkshire, UK
Allergic, not nuts From Tom York Rosemary Bentley suggests that a substantial degree of confusion exists over whether a peanut allergy also extends to nuts (29 August, p 26). Although I do not suffer from peanut allergy myself, I work with a large number of people who do. While it is correct to say that some are unsure whether they also have a nut allergy and avoid anything which displays a “may contain nuts” warning, a good 75 per cent suffer from both. There is not necessarily a correlation between the two, but given the severity of allergic reactions, no one can be criticised for playing safe. Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK
Warming wobble From Peter Slessenger On re-reading Anil Ananthaswamy’s article on melting Arctic ice caps (4 July, p 28), I realise I haven’t seen any mention of the Earth’s rotation in connection with global warming.
If a mass of meltwater sufficient to raise global sea levels by several metres spreads out from within 1600 kilometres of the Earth’s axis of rotation towards equatorial regions, about 5000 km further out, where the rotational speed is roughly 1600 km/hour, this could have a significant braking effect on rotation. The loss of icy mass from Antarctica will also reduce its balancing effect on the northern hemisphere’s continental masses. What will be the effect on the stability of the Earth’s rotation, and how might the rotational braking affect tectonic plates and volcanism? Is there anything in the geological record from other sudden changes in sea level to indicate how strong these effects will be? Reading, Berkshire, UK
Ain’t got the guts From Edward Williams Rick Jefferys writes that “individuals can have significantly different gut flora and other digestive capacities” (15 August, p 22). A doctor told me of a patient aged about 50 who ate enormously and yet remained exceedingly thin. When he had his appendix removed, the surgeon had a routine look around inside the abdomen, and discovered that his small intestine was only 1.5 metres long instead of the normal 7 metres. This would indeed have a significant effect on the proportion of calories absorbed. Malvern, Worcestershire, UK
Mystical roots From Bob Muirhead I must agree with Perry Bebbington in supporting your coverage of cold fusion (5 September, p 27). Much of chemical practice arose from the alchemical search for a “universal solvent” and the philosopher’s
stone. Astronomy has its roots in astrology – one could go on. The true opponents of progress are conservatives who fight tooth and nail against new ideas, only to end up declaring “of course, it was my idea all along”. Port Melbourne, Australia
Nose-picking licked From Alan Hickman What makes Sophia Dunn think that hoofed animals do not pick their noses (5 September, p 26)? Cows do it all the time – with their tongues. Folkingham, Lincolnshire, UK
For the record ■ The research into the effects of railway privatisation in the UK was published in volume 60 of Social Psychology Quarterly, p 355, not volume 63 (22 August, p 40). ■ The feature on other dimensions included a quote from Roger Penrose (29 August, p 34). The words are indeed Penrose’s but the book Gravitation in which they appeared was not written by him, as we stated, but by Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne and John Archibald Wheeler. 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.
26 September 2009 | NewScientist | 29
friends, relatives, employers, potential mates, and even stalkers who already look at the wealth of information available online. One instance where this data could be misused would be by adopted children, or even the children of sperm donors, to find parents who might not want to be found. Similarly, certain professions could be affected from the outset. Genomics has the potential to touch all aspects of sport, from using genetic information for draft picks, to mandatory genetic testing to screen out players at all levels of the game at risk of serious and unanticipated ailments. With the growth in understanding the links between athleticism and genetics, public disclosure of personal genomic information of athletes may be just a logical extension of what is already in place. Analysing how athletes deal with this new form of personal information will be of particular interest to the rest of society as it learns how to manage the eventual disclosure of personal physical and genetic information. New Haven, Connecticut, US
Common ideal From Bryn Glover I agree with Mark van Vugt’s wellreasoned, sensible and logical proposals for overcoming the environmental tragedy of the commons by everyone working together (22 August, p 40), but I doubt that this will spontaneously happen within the few short years we have left before we become overwhelmed with tipping points. I can only assume that van Vugt’s experimental subjects, whose responses support his optimistic view, all come from the rarified world of academia. What is clear to me is that none of his wonderful conclusions could possibly have derived from the overwhelming majority of humans. Out here in harsh reality, genteel persuasion is not feasible when facing food wars, oil wars and – very soon I predict – global water wars. The only solution is a globally organised imposition of fairness and propriety. Unless we agree to allowing such impositions, I doubt if humanity will survive long enough for van Vugt’s idealism to be realised. Cracoe, North Yorkshire, UK
Allergic, not nuts From Tom York Rosemary Bentley suggests that a substantial degree of confusion exists over whether a peanut allergy also extends to nuts (29 August, p 26). Although I do not suffer from peanut allergy myself, I work with a large number of people who do. While it is correct to say that some are unsure whether they also have a nut allergy and avoid anything which displays a “may contain nuts” warning, a good 75 per cent suffer from both. There is not necessarily a correlation between the two, but given the severity of allergic reactions, no one can be criticised for playing safe. Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK
Warming wobble From Peter Slessenger On re-reading Anil Ananthaswamy’s article on melting Arctic ice caps (4 July, p 28), I realise I haven’t seen any mention of the Earth’s rotation in connection with global warming.
If a mass of meltwater sufficient to raise global sea levels by several metres spreads out from within 1600 kilometres of the Earth’s axis of rotation towards equatorial regions, about 5000 km further out, where the rotational speed is roughly 1600 km/hour, this could have a significant braking effect on rotation. The loss of icy mass from Antarctica will also reduce its balancing effect on the northern hemisphere’s continental masses. What will be the effect on the stability of the Earth’s rotation, and how might the rotational braking affect tectonic plates and volcanism? Is there anything in the geological record from other sudden changes in sea level to indicate how strong these effects will be? Reading, Berkshire, UK
Ain’t got the guts From Edward Williams Rick Jefferys writes that “individuals can have significantly different gut flora and other digestive capacities” (15 August, p 22). A doctor told me of a patient aged about 50 who ate enormously and yet remained exceedingly thin. When he had his appendix removed, the surgeon had a routine look around inside the abdomen, and discovered that his small intestine was only 1.5 metres long instead of the normal 7 metres. This would indeed have a significant effect on the proportion of calories absorbed. Malvern, Worcestershire, UK
Mystical roots From Bob Muirhead I must agree with Perry Bebbington in supporting your coverage of cold fusion (5 September, p 27). Much of chemical practice arose from the alchemical search for a “universal solvent” and the philosopher’s
stone. Astronomy has its roots in astrology – one could go on. The true opponents of progress are conservatives who fight tooth and nail against new ideas, only to end up declaring “of course, it was my idea all along”. Port Melbourne, Australia
Nose-picking licked From Alan Hickman What makes Sophia Dunn think that hoofed animals do not pick their noses (5 September, p 26)? Cows do it all the time – with their tongues. Folkingham, Lincolnshire, UK
For the record ■ The research into the effects of railway privatisation in the UK was published in volume 60 of Social Psychology Quarterly, p 355, not volume 63 (22 August, p 40). ■ The feature on other dimensions included a quote from Roger Penrose (29 August, p 34). The words are indeed Penrose’s but the book Gravitation in which they appeared was not written by him, as we stated, but by Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne and John Archibald Wheeler. 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.
26 September 2009 | NewScientist | 29