Letters archive

From your review of Ada Twist, Scientist , I am looking forward to seeing it ( 16 October, p 36 ). However, it occurred to me that young children don't need to be encouraged to be scientists. My granddaughter's second birthday is coming up and she has been engaging in increasingly sophisticated experimental investigations since …

In his article on the black hole information paradox, Paul Davies postulates a "residual connection reaching across the event horizon" between entangled pairs of particles of Hawking radiation ( 25 September, p 34 ). One particle travels back across the event horizon of the black hole, and the other travels away. With one of the …

Your article on vegan substitutes draws on flaws in dietary science that were pointed out in an article you published two years ago ( 13 July 2019 ). This showed how most dietary advice is based on observational studies rather than randomised, controlled studies, a state of affairs that leads to contradictory guidance on things …

One phrase that doesn't seem to be used enough in the context of the COP26 summit and climate change is "the tragedy of the commons" ( 30 October, p 8 ). This describes a scenario that is a standard part of mathematical game theory. The "tragedy" considers free public use of a common resource – …

Having read several pages on COP26 and the need to cut emissions, I was struck by the irony of a story on the next page reporting advances in restoring male fertility ( p 13 ). The largest contribution an individual can make to reducing carbon emissions is to not have a child.

Graham Lawton's article "A wooden circular economy", on Finland's research and development of a cyclical symbiosis of woodlands, forestry and wood technology, was life-affirming and full of hope for the future ( 30 October, p 21 ). Finland demonstrates one way forward that embraces the beginning of a new age of wood and the coming …

Coupled with insulation and draughtproofing, heat pumps are very good for warming buildings sustainably, but they cost more than boilers and are more complicated ( 23 October, p 9 ). While reliability is excellent, repairs by skilled technicians (if needed) are costly. And knowing how to run a heat pump optimally is difficult when some …

Your article on the possible origin of domesticated horses has some important wider implications ( 30 October, p 18 ). These relate to the realisation that languages as diverse as modern Welsh and classical Sanskrit have a common root, which has led to a search for the origins of a Proto-Indo-European language . There are …

Regarding Annalee Newitz's look at the truth behind land used to fund some universities in the US – that is to say, the fact that it was taken from Indigenous people ( 2 October, p 26 ). My understanding is that pretty much all land in the US was stolen from these people, either by …

When it comes to reducing food waste, we often put vegetable peelings in a pressure cooker (a great energy-saving device) with some water, herbs and garlic to make a healthy vegetable broth we call "rubbish soup" ( 25 September, p 42 ). We keep the strained liquid and put any remaining solids in the compost, …