Letters archive

You report that self-replicating virtual life forms have been found to emerge "from a digital primordial soup", an example of order arising in seemingly unlikely circumstances. Is it possible we have overlooked something fundamental about the universe? Have we failed to create a theory to explain the existence of order, which seems to emerge wherever …

That self-replicating virtual life emerged from random data surely increases the probability that we are living in a simulation, the possibility of which was raised by philosopher Nick Bostrom. One of the key notions connected to this, he suggested, would be the existence of posthumans capable of running simulations of evolutionary history. It now turns …

Evidence of human occupation in South America now dates back as far as 21,000 years. If correct, this would predate the currently accepted arrival of people in the Americas by at least 1000 years. It would also support my suggestion ( Letters, 2 May 2020 ) that the Americas were first occupied by Polynesian people …

Typical simulations of the universe assume gas extends by 10 to 20 per cent outside a galaxy's outer limit ( 27 July, p 10 ).

It is rare to see a study influence both the news and political agenda so quickly as the finding of "dark oxygen" production by polymetallic nodules in the deep sea ( 27 July, p8 ). This research represents yet another reason why there must be a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, a point made at …

While there are those who suspect contamination in the finding of oxygen production in seabed metallic nodules, I agree with Paul Dando at the Marine Biological Association that mining should be shelved until we understand the ecology of these places. There may be another reason for caution. You outlined research ( 12 August 2023, p …

Having read your leader on inequalities in sport, I would say that it is a statistical inevitability, rather than unfairness, that a country with a large population will (all things being equal) have more sports stars than one with a small population. This is the same for any field of endeavour. Is it a problem …

When considering what makes us human, there is a different way of looking at things. Clearly the journey from non-human apes to us is a continuum, but there are two features that seem undeniably human. We are the only species to truly harness energy other than from what we eat. The second, somewhat more shameful, …

I have been reading New Scientist for decades and love it deeply – but in Rowan Hooper's Future Chronicles, I have found one of the most imaginative and creative approaches to writing in years. The mix of science and speculative fiction is a new genre: "futurism science reportage". It brilliantly paints a positive and hopeful …

I was heartened to read that the benefits of exercise start at low levels. I was once involved in monitoring the exercise people get while doing normal office duties. It often amounts to as much or more than they get in their free time, so office design and practice could significantly improve health. Mobility around …