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27 July 2011
From Elizabeth Pollitzer, Genset
The cost-benefit analysis put forward by Seirian Sumner and Nathalie Pettorelli to explain why women are leaving science (16 July, p 26) can be extended to show that gender imbalance also harms the quality of science. There is evidence at genderinscience.org , the website of the Genset project mentioned. It includes a consensus report by …
27 July 2011
From Mary Midgley
Your lead-editorial writer hoped for a new chapter of space exploration, probably crewed, to follow the shuttle (9 July, p 3) . This won't happen. Why not? The moon landings were part of the cold war. Like the Manhattan Project, they were financed in a way that never allowed their necessity to be questioned. Today, …
27 July 2011
From Martin Packer
The apparent "theft" of crystallographic data by Francis Crick and James Watson suggested by your "Lab rats" feature (9 July, p 40) can be easily explained by Max Perutz's letter to the journal Science , dated 10 April 1969. In it he discusses the background to how results from Rosalind Franklin's work on the crystal …
27 July 2011
From Frank Jotzo, Centre for Climate Economics and Policy, Australian National University
Your article on Australia's recently proposed carbon tax misrepresents it, and perpetuates misconceptions about its emissions target (16 July, p 12) . The policy will put a price tag on about 60 per cent of emissions, a larger share than the European Union emissions trading scheme and with a higher price. This will create strong …
27 July 2011
From Alastair Lack
You report that the anaesthetic pentobarbital will no longer be sold by Danish firm Lundbeck to prisons in US states with the death penalty (9 July, p 5) . This follows the end of production of sodium thiopental for the same reason. This is a futile act. The lethal injection contains a series of drugs …
27 July 2011
From Andrew Knight, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
Justin Williams's skill at encasing living brain tissue in polymer and "poking it with a sharp object" (25 June, p 6) is remarkable. That said, I wonder if he is aware how hazardous is the moral realm into which he has strayed. He and his colleagues believe that connecting similar small samples of heart, brain …
27 July 2011
From Alan Hewer
As usual we hear from a hacker whose actions could lead to the loss of money by millions, justifying such actions by claiming only to be highlighting faults in the system (9 July, p 26) . I wonder when we'll hear from a burglar claiming to have only broken into your house to point out …
27 July 2011
From Josiah Taylor
After reading the differing views on nuclear power across the globe (25 June, p 12) , I was saddened to see decisions in Germany, Italy and Switzerland to stop pursuing nuclear energy, obviously as a backlash following the dangerous meltdown at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. To the leaders of the respective countries, I have …
27 July 2011
From Mike Wilson
Wouldn't an electric-powered Formula 1 championship (16 July, p 19) be kind of, well, quiet? Part of the spectacle of F1 is the roar of 24 V8 engines at 18,000 rpm. You have to hear it to believe it. Having a bunch of cars as quiet as golf buggies would take away the "soul" of …
27 July 2011
From Derek Suchard
The article about barriers to the impending proliferation of personal helicopters treated the matter from a purely technical perspective (2 July, p 19) . It is difficult enough to keep track of criminals and terrorists without giving them all another dimension to work in, to say nothing of the consequences of "road" rage... and engine …
Issue no. 2823 published 30 July 2011
