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On the bubbles.


The article "Brutal Bubbles: Collapsing orbs rip apart atoms" (SN: 3/5/05, p. 147) didn't specify how strong the ultrasonic waves were or if any special conditions were required for these bubbles to form. I am curious to know if there's a difference between the ultrasonic waves mentioned in your article and those in ultrasound exams of pregnant women.

ANDREA BIKFALVY, DOWAGIAC, MICH v. i. 1. To lie hid; to skulk; to act, or carry one's self, sneakingly. .

The article made me wonder whether the ultrasonic waves of naval sonar can "rattle" an aquatic mammal's brain. If so, it bears some serious investigation.

DEBBIE BUTLER, VASHON, WASH.

The shorter duration and higher frequency of diagnostic ultrasound diagnostic ultrasound
n.
Use of ultrasound to obtain images for medical diagnostic purposes.
 make bubble formation less likely than with the ultrasound used in sonoluminescence son·o·lu·mi·nes·cence  
n.
The production of light as a result of the passing of sound waves through a liquid medium. The sound waves cause the formation of bubbles that emit bright flashes of light when they collapse.
 experiments. As for marine mammals marine mammals

mammals inhabiting the sea; generally taken to include the cetaceans (whales, porpoise, dolphin), the sirenians (sea-cows, including manatees and dugong) and the pinnipeds (the carnivores of the group, seals, sealions, walruses).
, some investigators suspect that bubbles may form in blood and tissues exposed to sonar and that the result can be animals stranded on beaches. Deep-diving marine mammals may be particularly vulnerable to ultrasonic-bubble formation because they have large amounts of dissolved gas in their bodies.--P. WEISS WEISS Workshop on Industrial Experience with Systems Software  
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Title Annotation:LETTERS
Author:Weiss, P.
Publication:Science News
Article Type:Letter to the Editor
Date:Apr 23, 2005
Words:166
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