Letters to the Editors, July 2006

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It could be said that March's issue was "problematic": at first glance, the title of "The Limits of Reason," by Gregory Chaitin, might have proved somewhat deflating. Chaitin's logical exploration of the insolvability of the number "omega" implicitly threw down the gauntlet at the human impulse to tackle every problem with the assumption that it has a solution, even if not immediately ascertainable. And, true to form, readers responded with a broadside of questions, challenges--and solutions.

Of more pragmatic concern was Scott C. Doney's "The Dangers of Ocean Acidification," which examined a not unsolvable (we hope) environmental problem caused by increased seawater absorption of fossil-fuel carbon. Finally, in "Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes," David A. Sinclair and Lenny Guarente pinpointed a handful of genes that may be key to solving an age-old problem: ending diseases of the elderly and extending the human life span. Just think of how many more issues of your favorite science mag you could read.

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