Letters archive

In his review of Ara Norenzayan's Big Gods: How religion transformed cooperation and conflict (28 September, p 52) , Michael Bond wonders why the US, one of the most economically developed countries, is still among the most religious. This contrasts with the fact that the world's most secure countries tend to be the least religious. …

Bond's review has it that "true believers think atheists cannot be expected to behave morally". This is wrong. Orthodox Christianity teaches explicitly that every rational person can recognise moral obligation. The mystery lies in how an atheist squares this obligation with a wholly materialistic universe. London, UK

In her look at the relationship between manners and disgust, Valerie Curtis raises some interesting points (21 September, p 28) but does not address the huge differences between cultures. For example, why does the concept of personal space vary? A social anthropologist friend of mine described how, at a conference in Brazil, every conversation between …

In an otherwise fascinating exploration of civilisation's true beginning (5 October, p 32) , David Robson states that art has its roots 8300 years ago. However, there are earlier examples as exemplified by the recent Ice Age Art exhibition at the British Museum in London. Then there is the incomparable art of the Chauvet cave …

In your special issue on thought, you list Occam's razor as a tool for easier thinking, as follows: "Don't invent a complicated explanation for something if a simpler one will do" (21 September, p 38) . It is also useful in medicine: do not make two or more diagnoses when one will explain the symptoms. …

Adam Corner discusses the ineffective way in which some scientists communicate the predicted effects of climate change (28 September, p 28) , a problem which makes me despair. For example, tell British people about a 2°C rise in temperature, and the usual reaction will be: "Oh, that'll be nice. We could do with some better …

I am writing in response to Corner's take on the ineffective communication of climate science. We are all subject to confirmation bias, whereby we favour evidence that supports our existing feelings. Further, when strongly held views are challenged, cognitive dissonance is invoked – a feeling of mental discomfort that discourages a change of heart. It …

Given that gun lovers in the US seem impervious to moral or rational argument (28 September, p 30) , I suggest that the only remaining hope is to make their weapons useless. One way would be to produce bullet-proof clothing which is both wearable on a casual basis and cheap enough to become ubiquitous. A …

The Mars rover Curiosity reports that methane is not present in the atmosphere (28 September, p 19) . Chlorinated methane derivatives such as chloromethane have been detected in experiments with Curiosity's sample analyser at least twice. We are told they are possibly the result of contaminants brought from Earth. This issue is unresolved, and so …

I suspect the birds that die in Lake Natron in Tanzania (28 September, p 26) are found as they are because they become coated with carbonate and dry out. Often birds will go into these lakes because the water facilitates removal of their surface parasites. Some spend too long in it. The water strips the …

In your look at the true nature of cats (14 September, p 44) , you miss one of their most peculiar behaviours: that of giving their "owners" dead mice as a present. It has happened to me a couple of times, and it always felt (very unscientifically) as a genuine act of friendliness, perhaps in …

You ponder legal dilemmas of the future (14 September, p 40) . Perhaps the most interesting one facing the legal system and society as a whole will be machine consciousness. Will switching off a self-aware robot be murder? Manchester, UK

It was interesting to read about the outcomes predicted by climate models for the year 2100 based on crucial decisions we make now, ranging from starting large-scale geoengineering to continued addiction to fossil fuels (5 October, p 8) . I do, however, believe it is somewhat naive of the modellers to have omitted that in …

Your recent article about the importance of birth order credited Francis Galton with the idea of prising apart the influences of nature and nurture (7 September, p 40) . However, Shakespeare uses it in The Tempest Act IV Scene I, where Prospero describes Caliban as "A devil, a born devil, on whose nature/Nurture can never …

Robert Adler reported on dark matter (31 August, p 36) , and John Darlington hypothesised that "dark aliens" exist and are searching for their missing 15 per cent of matter (21 September, p 31) . I can confirm the existence of these one-footed monsters. The cheeky blighters are recovering their 15 per cent of matter …

• We got carried away in our report on floods in Colorado (21 September, p 7). We should have said 18,000 homes were damaged, not destroyed.