Scientific American - USA (2012-12)

8 Scientific American, December 2021

LETTERS

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN CUSTOM MEDIA

EDITORIAL Amy Brady, Katherine Harmon Courage, Lydia Denworth, Ferris Jabr,

Anna Kuchment, Michael D. Lemonick, Robin Lloyd,

Steve Mirsky, Melinda Wenner Moyer, George Musser, Ricki L. Rusting,

Dava Sobel, Claudia Wallis, Daisy Yuhas

ART Edward Bell, Zoë Christie, Lawrence R. Gendron, Nick Higgins, Katie Peek, Beatrix Mahd Soltani

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Laura Helmuth

A R T

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NEWS

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LIVING WITH STUTTERING
Thank you for “The Stuttering Mind,” by
Lydia Denworth. Now pushing 80, I have
stuttered since early childhood. I endured
countless trips to “therapists,” one of whom
squirted me in the face with a water pistol
when I stuttered. My father was convinced
that I just didn’t try hard enough to use the
various “techniques” that were the standard
of the day. I was never able to convince him
that trying harder often made things worse.
Even at my age, learning from Den-
worth’s article that my brain is apparently
wired differently brought a tremendous
sense of relief—and tears to my eyes. We
now have scientific evidence that this is
not a personal failing or a character weak-
ness. Despite my stuttering, I enjoyed a
30 -year career as a college professor. Now
retired, I still recall the pride and sense of
accomplishment I experienced when
marching into the auditorium at com-
mencement with my faculty colleagues.
Gerry Myers via e-mail

ALZHEIMER’S UNKNOWNS
As the primary caregiver for an elderly Alz-
heimer’s patient, I eagerly read “A New Un-
derstanding of Alzheimer’s,” by Jason Ul-
rich and David M. Holtzman. Unfortunate-
ly, I ultimately found it disappointing. The
insight that microglia can modulate the
course of the disease is interesting, and im-
mune system seasonality might explain
some phenomena, such as the seasonal de-
pendence of Alzheimer’s symptoms, which
I have observed in my own patient.
But the research does nothing to eluci-
date the underlying causes of the disease.
Based on the article, my impression is that
therapies aimed at microglia might ease
symptoms but not be curative.
Alzheimer’s disease victims and fami-
lies are desperate for real cures. Sadly, we
still have a long way to go. I’ll keep look-
ing for breakthroughs in the science, al-
though it is likely already too late to help
my own loved one.
Michael J. DeWeert Kaneohe, Hawaii

ERRATUM

“Not Quite Stars,” by Katelyn Allers, should

have said that astronomers Rafael Rebolo

López, María Rosa Zapatero-Osorio and

Eduardo  L. Martín observed elements in

Teide 1’s atmosphere, not molecules.