Hygiene

A Pat on the Bacteria

TO THE EDITOR:

Re “The Horrors of Handshakes” (In Brief, Aug. 5): Humans are a highly social species. Touch is fundamental to our natures and plays important roles in child rearing, mating, social bonding, etc. We have been exchanging bacteria among ourselves for thousands of years. Sometimes, this exchange may be harmful, as during contagions, but at almost all other times, this transfer is harmless or even beneficial, as when it leads to greater diversity in intestinal flora. Yes, in a hospital, it is important to control the spread of harmful organisms. Otherwise, we should have no fear of spreading bacteria in our physical interactions. The transfer of micro-organisms in handshakes or caresses is simply a consequence of our living in a world of complex biology. A lack of physical contact is more damaging to individuals of our species than the incidental exchange of omnipresent bacteria.

Stephen Gins

Kenmore, Wash.

Astronomy

Hubble Led the Way

TO THE EDITOR:

Re “Chasing Storms on Saturn,” (Out There video, Aug. 6): Cassini is an incredible mission, but it was the Hubble Space Telescope that first showed that the mysterious hexagon at the north pole of Saturn was a long-lived feature. Saturn was among the first objects imaged with the Hubble after its launch in 1990. At the time, its optics had not yet been repaired, but a team led by James Westphal was able to process the images to excellent clarity, sufficient to recognize the hexagon and to show that the telescope even in its compromised condition could do frontier science.

Tod Lauer

Tucson

The writer, an astronomer with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, was involved with the first imaging research conducted with Hubble.

The Fab Four in Space

TO THE EDITOR:

“You Won’t Meet the Beatles in Space” (Out There, Aug. 5), is well meaning, but naming any exoplanets for the Beatles, as Dennis Overbye proposes, would create celestial confusion. The Beatles already have asteroids named for them.