Address correspondence to the Editor, Research /Penn State, 320 Kern Graduate Building, University Park, PA 16802, or, by e-mail, to editor@rps.psu.edu

A TYPICAL TICK
Dear R/PS: In your September 1997 issue, there was a very enlightening article concerning ticks. I thought I would share with you some scanning electron micrographs of a typical dog tick to give your readers another perspective on the dog tick's lethal and persistent capabilities in its struggle for existence. Fig. 1 shows the head region with the classic armor connecting to the body torso. Fig. 2 is the mouth region of the tick, indicating the talons that he uses to grip his subject. Of particular surprise in this region are these carefully laid out rows of mounds, which guarantee an efficient gorging of the tick with the animal's blood. This particular dog tick had not fed recently, as the complete mouth area was fairly clean. Note that in the anterior of the mouth, these mounds tend to age and disappear after use. There are indications that the mounds move back and forth in rhythmical motion. Fig. 3 is a more powerful magnification of the mouth, giving a little different perspective of the mound regions. In the last image, Fig. 4, we have a 2,000 magnification of a particular mound-with-debris image, enhanced and colorized.

Ernest C. Hammond
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD

ASTRONOMICAL POINTS
Dear R/PS: Enjoyed Research/Penn State, September 1997, greatly, especially the astronomy articles. Astronomy and photography have been two of my hobbies from the time I was a teenager. I am sending my own photo of Hale-Bopp, a ten-minute exposure with a 300 mm camera lens at f/2.8, taken near my home in Minneapolis. As a minor correction, the galaxy photo on page 3 is not M-31 in Andromeda. It is M-81 in Ursa Major and is also printed backwards. The Minnesota Astronomical Society is an amateur astronomy club with a semi-monthly newsletter, Gemini. I am requesting permision to give the wonderful Peter Usher article ("Hamlet and the Infinite Universe") to the Gemini editor for his possible use.

David E. Siskind
Geophysics 1966 and 1971
Minneapolis, MN

THE ACCIDENTAL COMET
Dear R/PS: Your column in the latest issue is EXCELLENT. How about more next time? Two pages? It made me grin. It made me think. That's an unbeatable one-two. I had not thought about the diluted significance of a comet's appearance. Video games have ruined it all.

Roger Martin
University of Kansas

GERIATRIC EYESIGHT
Dear R/PS: I much enjoy Research/Penn State. Do I recall correctly that it is aimed at a geriatric audience? If so, should you give consideration to the limitations of ancient eyeballs in your selection of type?? Perhaps also some one should research why people often express their appreciation by finding fault.

D. A. Weaver
@rmi.net

HAMLET'S UNIVERSE
Dear R/PS: A colleague gave me a photocopy of the article "Hamlet and the Infinite Universe" by Peter Usher, as it appeared in Research/Penn State (September 1997). I found it most interesting and persuasive. In fact, I posted a copy on my office door, and I suspect many of the students here will be interested and pleased by it. In case you are unfamiliar with St. John's (Annapolis and Santa Fe), we do a western civilization curriculum, leading to a bachelor's degree, and all of our students do the same four-year sequence based, as much as possible, on reading original authors, rather than texts and digests. Thus, all of our students read the Almagest, Copernicus, Kepler, references to Brahe, and, of course, Hamlet. Thus you have here an audience well suited to read and appreciate your "cross-disciplinary" article. Again, on behalf of myself and the students, thank you for the article.

Samuel B. Johnson
St. John's College
Santa Fe, NM

Research/Penn State is published by the Vice President for Research. Contents copyright 1998 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-3303. Contact the editor for permission to reprint.