Readers learn about classical music, the future of astronauts, and more

In full swing

The mood swings in jazz music that push the feet to the beat can arise from the insensible pauses in the lion’s share of music nearby. Nick Ogasa reported in “Jazz gets more subtle from small, subtle delays” (SN: 11/19/22, p. 5).

Reader Oda LisaA self-taught saxophonist, he noted playing these subtle delays. “I performed my jazzy version of our beloved Carol, which I sent to my friend.” Lisa he wrote “He praised my study overall, but suggested that I have a metronome because the time was not consistent. My answer was that I am a slave to the tune I hear in my head. I think now what I know.”

On the same page

Dirty definitions and measurements hinder social research; Sujata Gupta reported in “Fuzzy definitions of social science mar” (SN: 11/19/22, p. 10).

Reader Linda Ferrazzara He found the story irritating. “If there is no agreement on the terms of the people … then no negotiation or conversation can be fruitful. People end up talking and working at cross purposes without mutual understanding or progress.” Ferrazzara he wrote

They fly me to the moon

Space agencies are preparing to send the next generation of astronauts to the moon and beyond. These sailors will be more different in stage and skill than the missions of the Apollo sailors; Lisa Grossman reported in “Who takes to space?” (SN: 12/3/22, p. 20).

“It’s great to see a wider recognition of the work being done to make space flight open to more people,” the reader said John Allen he wrote “Future space travel must accommodate the will and population of humanity it represents. It won’t be easy, but it will happen.

He also hinted at the story Allen The Gallaudet Eleven, a group of deaf adults who participated in research conducted by NASA and the US Navy in the 1950s and ’60s. The experiments tested how volunteers responded (or not) to a wandering scenario that typically induces motion sickness, forcing them to ride ferries over seas. Learning how the body’s sensory systems work without the usual questions of gravity allowed by the inner ear has led to a better understanding of motion sickness and adaptation to the flight space of the human body.

Sweet dreams are made of this

A scientific method of augmentation that uses sound cues has proven to be a powerful treatment for debilitating ailments. Jackie Rochelleau reported in “The doctrine of trickery puts dreams to bed” (S *N: 12/3/22, p. 11).

Reader Helen Leaver He shared his trick for a good night’s sleep: “I said that I have strong uncomfortable cases when I sleep, and I wake up hot and humid. By removing the amount of heat from the bed and using an electric heated mattress, I now sleep well without these dreams.

The prospect of pestilence

In “why do we hate pests?” (SN: 12/3/22, p. 26) Deborah Balthasar interviewed the former Science News Explores staff writer Bethany Brookshire about her new book; pestilence The book argues that humans — affected by culture, race, colonialism and much more — create animal villains.

Article to the reader Doug Clapp consider what he considers pests or weeds. “A weed is a plant in a strange place, a pest is an animal in a strange place.” Clap he wrote But what is considered evil by the people who occupy the place, he noted. “Grain in the grass can be a delicate matter. The grass in the garden chokes the vegetables I’m trying to grow, it becomes a weed. The wild rats don’t bother me. Field rats migrating into my house when the weather cools down has become a pest, especially when they eat my food and leave behind leave behind,” Clap he wrote

The article is encouraged Clap to look at pests through a social lens: “I never thought of pests as a class or a low class. Also, residual effects [colonization]. I’m glad we’re considering some of these issues in a broader context.”