Letters archive

You observe that the history of humanity is one of stupidity, denial and dawdling followed by heroic rearguard action (Leader, 13 October ). I read this on the day that the firm Cuadrilla was allowed by our wretched establishment to resume fracking. My thoughts turned to the point perhaps 30 or 40 years ago when …

Pascal Boyer highlights the idea that "wealth is a fixed-size pie" as an example of economic folklore ( 22 September, p 40 ). But the counterposition to which most economists subscribe – that greater inequality is a price worth paying for most people being generally better off – is no more based in fact. The …

Pascal Boyer says economics is "not an exact science". The study and practice of economics is not science at all. No notion espoused by an economist of whatever leaning has had any greater predictive power than a chimp trying to choose a winning horse at the Grand National. The fact that most economic "theories" assume …

David Cole criticises Simon Oxenham for suggesting that a liberal outlook is the default in Western societies (Letters, 27 October ), and then says that the large parts of society that haven't thrived under neo-liberal economics and bewildering social change deserve respect. This risks confusion over the word "liberal". A liberal democracy is one in …

Sarab Sethi and his team have developed a device that cheaply gauges rainforest biodiversity by interpreting the collective sound of different animals ( 6 October, p 10 ). I predict the results will reflect " Yoda's law ". This arose from efforts to maximise crops and is also called the "-3/2 distribution law": if you …

You reported on skin cells engineered to make an enzyme that destroys cocaine, which might be implanted to treat drug addiction ( 29 September, p 19 ). I wonder whether similar enzymes exist that destroy opioids and methamphetamine. Though on reflection, I wonder how useful this might actually be. Would cravings lead someone to take …

Tributes to Stephen Hawking rightly admire the mental resilience that enabled him to live a productive life with an overwhelming physical disability – including that by his daughter Lucy Hawking ( 20 October, p 42 ). None that I have come across mention the carers who enabled him to go on living. I have searched …

Alice Klein's comparison between hydrogen-powered and battery-powered vehicles was interesting ( 8 September, p 20 ). In a country like Australia the limited range of either type of vehicle outside of the major cities will be a problem for some time to come, for example because of a lack of fast charging points. But we …

"Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum ." Now we have moonmoons ( 20 October, p 10 ). May some have moons: so moonmoonmoons? We might need to abbreviate to m3moons, m4moons and so on.

You report a new chewing gum that "consists of a piezoelectric element and electrodes wrapped in a thin plastic film" ( 20 October, p 7 ). What are the environmental consequences of such a product? Our pavements are already heavily stained with discarded chewing gum. Will the new chewing gum also be discarded, adding to …