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The feature "Geroff my tail!" describes the study of alcoholism using the monkeys of St Kitts (31 July, p 46) . We were disturbed to see that experiments such as these, which clearly caused considerable stress to our closest relatives, were reported in such a light-hearted manner. It is difficult to justify alcohol experiments on …

It seems to me that what the feature "Love sick" calls love, and what love may really be, are two very different things (31 July, p 42) . The biological drive, which sends us insane and keeps us there long enough to get the biological job done, not only needs another name, but has also …

So falling in love is just the same as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)? Kathryn Brown's feature doesn't do much for the conventional image of scientists as people who aren't in touch with their feelings. As anyone who has fallen in love once or twice knows, when you are in that blissful state, you feel "as …

If your correspondent Peter Musk's idea that the pale skin of Europeans is a Neanderthal trait is correct (31 July, p 69) , what other traits survive? I suspect that the red hair and blonde hair of Europeans is Neanderthal, as it is unique to Europe, and the red-haired Celts and blonde Scandinavians do seem …

Your correspondent Jason Ramsey describes the supposedly unfortunate consequences of the New Zealand government's rabbit control operations (31 July, p 68), but gets his facts badly wrong. Yes, New Zealand has controlled European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) with poisoned oats and carrots since 1950, but this has nothing to do with infection of New Zealand rabbits …

Alien or introduced species are a serious threat to a large number of ecosystems worldwide. To argue in favour of protecting them even though they are known to be destructive is dangerous and must be counterproductive. Ramsey has just given succour to all the rats, mice, rabbits, goats and plants that, with our assistance, have …

I read with interest that the number of procedures conducted on animals in Britain rose in 1998 for the first time since 1976 (31 July, p 5) . That'll be apart from 1996 (2 709 631 in 1995; 2 716 587 in 1996), 1994 (2 827 745 in 1993; 2 842 361 in 1994) and …

Bryant Furlow was too sanguine about the relative lack of parasitic manipulation in humans (24 July, p 42) . Most of us (including myself) have at some time suffered from the widespread human parasite Enterobius vermicularis, also known as pinworm. This unpleasant little beast goes through most of its reproductive cycle within our intestinal tracts. …

In case readers are misled into believing that next-door's leylandii cypress hedge is pre-Norman conquest, Kate Charlesworth (31 July, p 67) should have said that to date a hedge, it is the number of woody plant species which are counted, not all plants, and certainly not insects, spiders, sparrows and so on.

The conger eel seems to exhibit the same postmortem aggression as the rattlesnake (24 July, p 59) . The severed head of a conger eel will bite anything placed in its mouth. The consequences are not serious as it has no teeth, only serrated jaws, and its usual method is to bite and spin, detaching …

Congratulations on a major scientific breakthrough (31 July, p 50) . After 33 years, I have a physicist in the kitchen. We dined tonight on your superb salmon menu. May I request this as a weekly feature? I volunteer my husband as trial chef.

Foolproof recipes? Don't make me laugh! Most of the world's interesting cuisine comes from interesting mistakes. Marco Pierre White's vast chef's ego does not come from having never made a mistake, but rather from having made nearly every possible one at some time or another. Cooking may have its scientific aspects—what activity does not?—but it …

I am intrigued by the several references to "tin foil" for wrapping the food in. Since I have only ever seen tin foil in a laboratory, I wondered whether our rocket scientist could have confused tin foil with aluminium foil, which is commonly used for wrapping food. Presumably in such robust recipes as these, the …

In the 31 July Feedback you pass on the information that the mascot of the Australian Federal Police is the platypus. As editor of the first two issues of the force's in-house publication I, together with the then police commissioner, Colin Woods, and his director of information, coined the name "Platypus" which was copyright registered …