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As an aside to your look at a book on hype over AI abilities, we had an unfortunate encounter with an AI that was recently introduced to health software that triages for our local doctor's office. I was referred by a pharmacist to my doctor because my eyes had developed a severe allergic reaction to …

As a counsellor and psychotherapist, I have a different take on emotions. What would be the point of them if they weren't useful? We have them whether we like them or not( 10 May, p 30 ). Generally, we like the so-called positive ones and not many others. But they serve a major purpose, nudging …

If mechanochemistry can transmute chemical compounds by smashing them in a ball mill, perhaps the chemical precursors of life didn't arise in a warm tidal pool, but under rocks and pebbles compressed by geological forces( 24 May, p 38 ).

The impact of microplastics on animal brains – and probably human cognition – got me thinking, while I still can. While we are engineering our downfall with plastics, we may unwittingly be crafting a "solution": minds immune to microplastics, in the form of AI. Could we also engineer our way out of this conundrum? Or …

James Wong suggests tomatoes may do better when grown near basil. I found something similar, but different. When creating a veg garden, I thought I would test the companion-planting theory by growing basil and tomatoes – some near each other, some not. It wasn't a scientific study, but I found basil grew bigger when next …

The continuing arguments about the absorption spectrum of the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b shows the difficulty of such research. Who selects the size and contents of the set of molecular spectra against which to compare the planet's data? The original 20 molecules seems an absurdly low number. That an expansion to 92 gives different …

I take issue with the idea that we don't hear from aliens because the ability to develop interstellar communication also means an ability to develop potent weapons that lead to self-destruction( 24 May, p 21 ). Such civilisations have the potential to last longer because they can find ways to avert natural Armageddon. We know …

Game theory – the maths of strategic interactions – suggests we are unlikely to see full nuclear disarmament. Perhaps the best we can push for is the UN monitoring a reduction in stockpiles, and work to cut the dangers of automatic, hair-trigger reflex counter-attacks.

I am a writer of mainly historical novels. I scored fairly high on your imagination tests. That said, there was a time about 11 years ago when my imagination faltered after I had a haemorrhagic stroke. After a few days in intensive care, I was put on pills to reduce high blood pressure. Suddenly I …

You don't need complex research to find how to cut onions with no tears. When I chop them, I put my scuba mask on. Problem solved( 24 May, p 12 ).

Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt ( 7 June, p 27 ).