Join the conversation in New Scientist's Letters section, where readers can share their thoughts and opinions on articles and see responses from experts and enthusiasts across a range of science topics. To submit a letter, please see our terms and email letters@newscientist.com
1 June 2022
From Bryn Glover, Kirkby Malzeard, North Yorkshire, UK
I welcome your editorial highlighting the lack of progress on climate change ( Leader,21 May ). It is true that other global problems have made progress more difficult, but it seems that many world leaders have seized upon these factors as an excuse to delay or cancel their promised actions. Often, they place national or …
1 June 2022
From James Austin, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
Solly Zuckerman, referred to as "the discredited 20th-century British zoologist," was, in fact, a remarkable man and polymath ( 7 May, p 42 ). After a medical degree at University College London, he chose to lecture in anatomy at Oxford, where he was an early proponent of the idea that egg development in mammals is …
1 June 2022
From John Corey, Melrose, New York, US
Your report states that bug splats on UK cars declined by 58 per cent per car-mile travelled between 2004 and 2021, and suggests that this was due to declining bug numbers ( 14 May, p 23 ). Would it not also be dependent on traffic density? That is, if the number of car-miles driven had …
1 June 2022
From Richard Hind, York, UK
The article "Your second skin" provides a very insightful overview of current research into fascia tissue ( 14 May, p 38 ). I was intrigued by the suggestion that it could be classified as a sensory organ. Anyone who has practised tai chi or qigong for a number of years may have experienced this as …
1 June 2022
From Hazel Beneke, Banksia Beach, Queensland, Australia
Your look at the psychological effects of design reminded me of an interesting experience in 1988 ( 16 April, p 44 ). The article mentioned that the level of light can affect thinking and problem-solving, but there is no mention of differences in the wavelength of lighting. At World Expo 88 in Brisbane, Australia, there …
8 June 2022
From Rachael Padman, Dalham, Suffolk, UK
Maria Rossini writes that ingrained attitudes limit girls' engagement in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at school ( 21 May, p 27 ). It seems to me an unstated assumption that these subjects are where the power lies, so we need more women in STEM to ensure that power and influence are shared more …
8 June 2022
From Timothy Mead, St Keverne, Cornwall, UK
The version of "Maxwell's demon" that you covered, which seemingly defeats the second law of thermodynamics to create a perpetual engine, appears to be no more than a simulation of life, which itself is no more than the local defeat of entropy ( 21 May, p 15 ). The means are different, the situation is …
8 June 2022
From Kimon Roussopoulos, Cambridge, UK
Andrew Simms's call for a ban on adverts for SUVs in his comment article shows a paucity of ambition ( 7 May, p 27 ). Given the nature of the climate emergency, surely it is better to actually ban these vehicles and their like, at least for the vast majority who have no real need …
8 June 2022
From Mark Nelson, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Jack Ashby is spot on in his observation of dismissive attitudes towards native Australian mammals ( 14 May, p 27 ). As an example of this, I remember an interview with the daughter of the owner of Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania, who overheard the disappointment in a local's voice on seeing the last living …
8 June 2022
From Michael Allen, Ottawa, Canada
Clare Wilson gives useful tips on growing sweetcorn ( 30 April, p 51 ). It is worth pointing out that each plant, though it might be up to 2 metres high, will usually yield only one ear of corn. When I first started growing it, I thought I must be doing something wrong, so asked …
