Letters archive

Reality may not be quite as inscrutable as Anil Ananthaswamy suggests in his look at quantum wave-particle duality (5 January, p 36) . Instead of abandoning "any pretence of understanding the outcome" of the interferometer experiments he describes, we can pay attention to a neglected aspect of quantum observations, namely the measuring apparatus. We don't …

David Robson's feature "'Sno myth" was subtitled: "Eskimos really do have at least 50 words for snow" (22/29 December 2012, p 72) . He wrote that anthropologist Franz Boas "sparked off the claim" about Eskimoan languages having numerous snow words; that "most linguists considered it an urban legend"; and that Smithsonian researcher Igor Krupnik and …

It was good to read Reg Platt's case for the use of wind power based on research (19 January, p 26) . As he says, "the concerns of people who do not want wind power on their doorsteps need to be taken into account", but this should not be allowed to prevent the development of …

Minimum alcohol pricing may not reduce consumption among those who see heavy drinking as an essential part of social activity, and who have disposable income (12 January, p 3) . But the pricing may reward retailers, and punish poorer people who drink a little. Perhaps restrictions should focus on the types of drinks most often …

A negative correlation between economic performance and test scores in mathematics and science subjects, which was highlighted in your look at the gap between the West and Asia, does not surprise me (5 January, p 22) . In a school with a broad international intake it is often the case that the student from a …

Carrie Arnold discusses the idea that symbiotic microbes help drive the evolution of their hosts (12 January, p 30) . Could a collection of microbes in the very distant past, a precursor of our present-day microbiome, have started the whole co-evolutionary process? Perhaps by wrapping itself in a protective outer layer of cohesive cells, it …

New Scientist reported possible NASA plans to capture a 7-metre-wide asteroid and place it in the moon's orbit (2 January, newscientist.com) . A great idea, but why not go for a larger rock to have a permanent platform in lunar orbit from which to launch missions? It makes sense to put one in high Earth …

Video game tournaments as a spectator "sport" provide fodder for the mindless, and attract more to couch-potato land (12 January, p 20) . It is sad that, for these folk, constructive hobbies are being drowned in a sea of sterile entertainment.

The news article on climate change suggests that streams and rivers powering European hydroelectric projects will flow more strongly in winter and less so in the summer, causing problems (1 December 2012, p 9) . The answer is beavers. They not only store water in their dams, but also in the raised water table on …

Peter Bauer in his letter notes the need for curiosity to overcome established information and experience (19 January, p 31) . In my experience it is when entering a new field, where you don't know the accepted ideas, that useful new approaches often arise.

• In our story on new bird-scaring methods for flight paths (19 January, p 22) , we should have said that Technology International is in Laplace, Louisiana. • An ironical misuse of the word had us describing Terry Erwin of the Smithsonian Institution as an etymologist. Since we report his work with insects, we should …