Letters to the Editors, February 2006

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

"FASCINATING" APTLY describes the October 2005 issue. Consider Dennis Drayna's "Founder Mutations," which covered genetic changes resulting in conditions such as sickle cell and lactose intolerance that can be used to trace human migrations over thousands of years and also lend support to the Out of Africa theory. And "The Forgotten Era of Brain Chips," in which John Horgan conjured up an odd nostalgia for mid-20th-century brain-chip technology as he looked back on the achievements of brain-stimulation pioneer Jose Delgado and his then controversial vision of a "psychocivilized society." Contemporarily contentious was "Fill This Prescription" [SA Perspectives], about the debate over pharmacists' right to refuse to dispense birth-control prescriptions. Paul S. Braterman of Denton, Tex., wrote, "Imagine what would happen to a checkout staffer who refused to sell cigarettes based on conscience. Why should pharmacists be any different?" But Steve Murphy asked via e-mail, "If a state allows assisted suicide, am I, as a doctor, not allowed to refuse if I believe it to be murder?"

HUMANITY'S GENETIC TRAIL
In "Founder Mutations," Dennis Drayna made an incorrect assumption when he concluded that there was no "successful interbreeding between [Homo] sapiens and other human groups" during the out-migration from Africa.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American