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reaching Earth from elsewhere – On 8 August 1846, Challis bit.ly/ns-seismo). And the Seeking research on a
I do not recall hearing that this observed Neptune but failed to Seismological Society of Japan gender effect in research
“alien” life was a “contaminant” identify it as a planet. It was was founded in 1880.
that shouldn’t have arrived, Johann Galle of the Berlin From Crad Allerton, Milton Keynes,
despite it ending up with humans observatory who made the There is no queen of Buckinghamshire, UK
being, eventually, in control of the discovery on 23 September 1846. England, so show respect I enjoyed the Christmas edition
planet. If Hoyle was right, then this year, so thank you all. Some
what sort of alien “ethics” decided The editor writes: From Ian Olson, Aberdeen, UK articles involve thinking about
upon our existence? Should we Q This is the subject of continuing Graham Lawton would have why creatures behave in certain
not repay the compliment? dispute. Adams himself insisted difficulty addressing the“queen ways (23/30 December 2017, p 69),
Le Verrier be given full credit. of England”(16 December 2017, or how hominins behaved in the
A 19th-century Neptune p 31). The post has been vacant distant past (p 32). This makes me
row rumbles on Surely seismometers go for over 700 years. wonder: does the gender mix of a
back further than that An inclination of the head is not research team affect the ideas or
From Mike Sutton, sycophancy: it shows acceptance interpretations it generates? In
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK From Peter Daymond-King, and acknowledgement of the business, mixed teams work as
In his excellent article, Richard A. Helensville, New Zealand titular head of the country, as well as or better than single-sex
Lovett correctly states that Urbain I was surprised to read that “in the agreed by Parliament. This may teams. Has anyone analysed the
Le Verrier suggested that wobbles early 20th century there was no not always be the case. It is very make-up of the most-cited
in the orbit of Uranus revealed seismology [and] no accurate doubtful, for example, that research teams?
an unseen eighth planet, which location data for earthquakes” Camilla Windsor will be so
led to the discovery of Neptune (25 November 2017, p 40). accepted through marriage to When a childhood
(16 December 2017, p 36). This We may discount the Prince Charles. More dramatically, calendar is for life
was in November 1845. seismometer developed by Zhang monarchs have been deposed,
But in September that year, Heng in AD 132 because we don’t exiled or even executed. From Fred Ramsey,
Cambridge astronomer John understand how it worked (see Dublin, Ohio, US
Couch Adams had communicated 3 December 2016, p 42). But back The editor writes: Caroline Williams discusses
similar calculations to the director in 1969, James Dewey and Perry Q Monarchs have indeed been calendar synaesthesia
of the university’s observatory, Byerly listed, at my rough count, deposed, exiled or executed, but (23/30 December 2017, p 74).
James Challis, who ignored his at least 15 earthquake recording that does not disprove the idea For me, the months of the year
work. Then Le Verrier’s instruments developed between that the current queen is the are placed around a square,
announcement started an 1703 and 1889 (Bulletin of the beneficiary of prestige bias rather with June, July and August at the
international planet hunt. Seismological Society of America, than earned dominance. top, September, October and
November down the right side,
December, January and February
TOM GAULD
heading left along the bottom,
and March, April and May rising
up the left side. This is not because
my brain is different. It is how
the calendar on the wall in my
kindergarten class looked.

For the record
Q Call that a creature? Australia’s
crocodiles are bigger predators than
the Tasmanian devil (cover and
contents page, 6 January).

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54 | NewScientist | 20 January 2018