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8 March 2023
From Andrew Smyth, Los Angeles, California, US
On the subject of AIs with theory of mind, a machine will eventually be able to measure things – such as tone of voice, the look of a person's eyes, body position and so on – that we observe when "reading another person's thoughts". This machine will compare these measurements with a database and use …
8 March 2023
From John Davies, Lancaster, UK
The idea that vacuum energy at the cores of black holes may be the source of dark energy is awfully reminiscent of steady state theory. Instead of matter continuously being created everywhere in the universe in the latter, it is energy being spontaneously created only in black holes. Not so different( 25 February, p 19 …
8 March 2023
From Chris Eccles, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, UK
The article "Searching for answers" raises interesting questions about the use of AI language models such as ChatGPT in internet search engines( 25 February, p 12 ). With AI also used to generate increasing volumes of internet content, will these systems end up training themselves with their own output? If so, what effect will this …
15 March 2023
From Bryn Glover, Kirkby Malzeard, North Yorkshire, UK
In his book Magisteria , reviewed by Joshua Howgego, Nicolas Spencer identifies two "crunch points" where science and religion conflict. I would cite a third: the existence or otherwise of a supreme being( 4 March, p 34 ). At present, the scientific method leads me to conclude there is no god, but, logically, if evidence …
15 March 2023
From Bruce Denness, Niton, Isle of Wight, UK
The picture accompanying Howgego's review nudges us towards the creation versus evolution debate. Creationists believe that God created the universe and everything in it in six days, whereas evolutionists point to the measurably greater age of fossils and other geological evidence as counter to this. Nevertheless, if God is smart enough to have created everything …
15 March 2023
From Jo Spencely, Edinburgh, UK
While Julia Oh was scrupulous in noting the limitations of the sample group used in her research into how the skin microbiome might cause wrinkles – the narrow range of ages, ethnicities and even facial areas swabbed – neither she nor your reporting fully addressed the most glaring bias: the only people in the sample …
15 March 2023
From Joseph Ting, Brisbane, Australia
I fear that antibacterial face creams for "anti-ageing" may worsen antimicrobial resistance from antibiotic overuse.
15 March 2023
From Naomi Jacobs, lecturer in design policy and futures thinking, Lancaster University, UK
Ray Nayler suggests that legislators and policy-makers should learn from speculative fiction writers in considering impacts of emerging technology. In fact, speculative approaches are already informing such areas( 25 February, p 27 ). At our design-led research centre, Imagination Lancaster, for example, we have a number of projects that include speculative design and design fiction: …
15 March 2023
From Guy Inchbald, Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, UK
The painting of wind turbines in black and white stripes to make them more visible to birds is a step in the right direction. However, any solution must pay attention to the life of the turbines( 4 March, p 9 ). Some blades can have a surprisingly short life. Black paint absorbs a lot of …
15 March 2023
In our look at chronic conditions linked to viral infections ( 4 March, Leader and p 14 ), we should have referred to myalgic encephalomyelitis.
