Letters.

Or the devil?

I read with interest the article "Religious commitment linked to longer life" (SN: 6/3/00, p. 359). This report reminded me of similar studies demonstrating longer life in people who own pets. Has anyone compared these studies and looked for causes of the increased life span in common in these two populations? Such things as increased opportunities of emotional expression, getting out of the house on a regular basis, or adapting to the needs of others could all be significant factors. Or perhaps, as my cat believes, she really is God!

Robert Cairone Crystal Lake, Ill.

Horrifying, not fascinating

I was shocked to read that now we need to be concerned not only with genetically modified organisms that we can see, but code-transgressing organisms that are invisible ("Code breakers," SN: 6/3/00, p. 360).

Altering Escherichia coli in this way seems very dangerous. E. coli is found in every human intestine and has a proven ability to swap genetic material with unrelated bacteria. The article suggests that code-altered organisms would be more subject to mutation than natural ones are.

Mutations have created drug-resistant organisms, and rapid mutations already make it very difficult to fight HIV. It's easy to see how an "uncoli" could produce an uncontrollable plague, and there is no mention that it was ever done in a biosafety lab. Unlike the bioethicist in the article, I find research with potentially deadly unintentional consequences and poor controls neither "very exciting" nor "fascinating," but "horrifying."

John Pollack Omaha, Neb.

Truth be told

In regard to the ability of people unable to speak a language to detect lying ("Emotional gain after verbal loss," SN: 5/27/00, p. 351), this may be a result not of their inability to speak or understand any language but merely their inability to speak or understand the language the speakers were using. Some years ago, while visiting Japan, I saw a television show there obviously modeled on the U.S. show To Tell the Truth, with three people claiming to be a particular person. Back home, I guessed the right person a bit more often than chance would allow. But watching the Japanese show, when I knew only a few words of Japanese and had to depend on tone of voice and body language, I was right nearly all the time. I don't know if I'm typical, but this looks like a promising course for further research.

Lee Gold Los Angeles, Calif.

Useful mutations

In the article "New gene-altering strategy tested on corn" (SN: 5/6/00, p. 294), I was surprised to read that chimeras harboring a mutation are not medically useful. Consider the value of cytoidne-receptor mutations in humans, with respect to HIV. It's likely that introducing some genetic mutations can inhibit viruses or bacteria in a host.

Freda Wasserstein Robbins New Jersey City University Jersey City, N.J.