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I agree with Adam Taor that some of the terminology used for female anatomy, especially reproductive parts, is extremely paternalistic, if not outright misogynistic, and could do with revision( 14 June, p 21 ). I remember a discussion on the subject involving Germaine Greer, who recalled that once she had found out "vagina" comes from …

Taor contends that male eponyms for female anatomical structures are somehow wrong. Actually, they are part of the rich history of nomenclature in anatomy. Since the 1960s, many have been supplanted by more descriptive terminology, but a lot of the enduring terms do bring to mind the lives of those long-dead anatomists and surgeons whose …

I totally endorse the healing qualities of mucus. My doctor wasn't able to heal my persistent sore throat, so referred me to a specialist who said my throat was sensitive, not inflamed. So there was no treatment( 7 June, p 40 ). I discovered that if I swallowed the mucus in my throat, the irritation …

We should be grateful that AI companies aren't, in fact, on the brink of ushering in an era of "radical abundance". Based on all the evidence of innovations in technology over the past few decades, this wouldn't result in a "golden era" for humankind, but instead create more obscenely wealthy individuals overseeing crushingly powerful corporations …

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is right to remind us that in 1922, Germany was the global epicentre of science and that this pre-eminence was destroyed by the Nazi government. In the 1930s, British and US universities, to their credit and advantage, welcomed scientists fleeing persecution by the Nazis( 14 June, p 22 ). It appears that US …

Economics could also explain why Tutankhamun's tomb contained so many high-value goods. When his father Akhenaten closed the traditional temples, presumably he seized a lot of their gold. Gold has two key functions: decoration and a medium of exchange. If the temple gold was melted down and turned into a medium of exchange – perhaps …

The article on new discoveries about cancer cells and nerve cells was very upbeat until near the end, when the pharmaceutical industry's reluctance to fund work on out-of-patent drugs was raised. I can think of no better argument for the creation of a state-owned drugs manufacturing industry( 14 June, p 30 ).

You don't need to go to a gym to do isometric exercise, where you tighten and hold certain muscles, for example in a plank. You don't even have to get out of bed, as no movement is needed. I started doing this when I noticed my arms getting weak – at 79, I am amazed …

The many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics may suggest that humans lack true free will, even though they feel as if they have it. Each choice a person makes splits them into parallel, pre-existing block universes, each with its own fixed past and future. While it may seem like we choose between alternatives, in reality we …

Could the sauropod described as an "indiscriminate bulk feeder" have been the dinosaur ancestor of the labrador dog( 14 June, p 9 )?

May I hypothesise that a Â鶹´«Ã½ subscription invigorates the brain by stimulating curiosity, thus reducing mental ageing( 7 June, p 17 )?