Letters archive

Alice Klein's article says the outbreak of covid-19 in Australia is blamed on the delta variant ( 21 August, p 7 ). Yes, the variant is more transmissible, but the reason we have the outbreak is partly political. Some right-wing politicians are opposed to lockdowns and the outbreak in Sydney wasn't and still isn't being …

Graham Lawton's article on making dairy products using microbes describes technology that can bring significant and welcome benefits: greatly reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, improving animal welfare, helping to better human health and nutrition, and so on ( 14 August, p 46 ). While he says lobbying against these products hasn't yet begun, it is …

Laura Healey's explanation of possible reasons for the large number of records broken on the athletics track at the Tokyo Olympics was interesting ( 14 August, p 25 ). It suggests to me that track and field athletes should be required to be barefoot, bareheaded – other than religious headgear – ungloved and wearing only …

I read with interest Annie Murphy Paul's article on the impact of the physical working environment on productivity, which was very much focused on the office ( 14 August, p 36 ). With office work very likely to be different when we enter the post-pandemic period, I was intrigued about the potential impacts on productivity. …

Because of space tourism, there has been much talk lately of what constitutes being in outer space ( 31 July, p 16 ). Many definitions are strictly technical and scientific in nature. Perhaps a more philosophical position should be considered. Let us apply the distinction between object and subject – that is, when would you …

The nearshore trawling ban mentioned in our report on kelp conservation off southern England ( 31 July, p 18) has no definite expiry date.

The introduction to your feature on all things quantum talked of "a wilderness of interpretation where physics begins to blend into philosophy", but there was no mention of Immanuel Kant and his idea that the true nature of such things may elude us. For example, Kant's point that what we see depends not just on …

Environmentalist Jonathon Porritt notes that "neither extreme weather nor stronger warnings in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports has triggered a proper emergency response from politicians" ( 21 August, p 25 ). This isn't surprising – as long as politicians are beholden to vested interests for election campaign funds and sweet jobs when they leave …

You report research that suggests life may be viable inside Martian caves ( 4 September, p 9 ). My colleagues and I tested this idea in our 2009 paper "Ancient photosynthetic eukaryote biofilms in an Atacama desert coastal cave" . The study you describe suggests that UV radiation levels are low enough inside Martian caves …

Further to Sam Wong's article on the science of jam making ( 28 August, p 51 ). A good tip is that slightly under-ripe fruit contains more pectin, eliminating the need to add pectin via either special jam sugar or apples.