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29 June 2022
From Elizabeth Belben, Nettlebridge, Somerset, UK
You report that Shoji Takeuchi at the University of Tokyo thinks it is important that we make robots look more human so that we feel comfortable interacting with them ( 18 June, p 22 ). I would feel more comfortable if a robot was identifiably robotic than if it looked human – and definitely more …
29 June 2022
From Keith Collyer, Reading, Berkshire, UK
The article on gorillas in Virunga was fascinating ( 11 June, p 42 ). I couldn't help noticing the similarities between the work being done there and that being led by Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka in Bwindi, Uganda. She was one of the first to recognise the three-way relationship between gorillas, humans and livestock in terms of …
29 June 2022
From Martin Pitt, Leeds, UK
There is no need to search for a new name for animal cells grown in vitro for food ( Letters, 28 May ). Cells being grown in the lab or in industrial vats are referred to as cultures. Cultured meat is what Wikipedia calls it, and this term is widely used.
6 July 2022
From Peter Basford, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, UK
We have elegant concepts of time that enable us to converse systematically about past, present and future events on the scale of our solar system and to some extent well beyond it ( 18 June, p 38 ). However, we are required to prove the need for any assertion that these concepts aren't merely useful …
6 July 2022
From Andy Howe, Sheffield, UK
You write that " stops everything from happening at once". Surely it is one step more fundamental than that. Without time, there can be no change. Nothing happens. Nothing can happen. Even if the "present" situation represents a potential cause, without time, there can be no effect. That would pre-suppose change, which requires there to …
6 July 2022
From Ellen Bolton, Millmerran, Queensland, Australia
Three cheers for Graham Lawton, for the overdue discussion of the waste of the fashion industry, both in the greener climate debate and the plight of many of its workers ( 4 June, p 38 ). To add to the points made, the use of fabric derived from bamboo should also be encouraged. Technically a …
6 July 2022
From David Flint, London, UK
Graham Reynolds asks us to choose between long-term storage of nuclear waste and "worldwide, incomprehensible damage to the climate" ( Letters, 25 June ). That would be a good argument for nuclear power if we had only two choices. But we don't. We can also choose to sharply reduce energy waste and to rely on …
6 July 2022
From Merlin Reader, London, UK
Nuclear power isn't just problematic because of the carbon costs of uranium mining, construction and waste disposal. It is also troublesome as anything like an earthquake, tsunami or terrorist attack that affects a reactor is also liable to take out the back-up safety generators needed to remove and isolate the fuel in the reactor to …
6 July 2022
From Martin van Raay, Culemborg, Netherlands
You say that most climate researchers fear to tread into the arena of politics ( Leader, 11 June ). In my opinion, that is their biggest mistake. Most politicians aren't scientists, so they don't speak the language of science and don't understand the methods. Even those who are able to understand what the scientists are …
6 July 2022
From Roger Browne, Alexandra, New Zealand
The adoption of insects and lab-grown meat in place of the consumption of traditional meat and dairy products is an intriguing possibility ( 30 April, p 12 ). For insects, as living things, this raises a question of how will they be "harvested". However, I believe the biggest hurdle will be the "yuck" factor. The …
