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I enjoy and endorse the many recent articles on, for want of a better phrase, lifestyle improvements. Better diet, more exercise, more creativity, more socialising, positive thinking and so on. However, the proposals are statistical in nature and probably written by researchers under 60. As one ages past 70, there is an increasing awareness that …

In recent issues of Â鶹´«Ã½ , I have learned that I might improve my biological and/or mental health by a variety of methods – exercise, fermented foods, deep rest, cold-water swimming, deep breathing, gardening and stargazing. The obvious question is whether any combination of some or all of these would have a cumulative effect. …

Much is made of the deep principles that appear to generate elegance in the universe. Yet what remains striking isn't just that the cosmos is orderly, but that it is intelligible – describable by abstract mathematics that the human mind can readily grasp. This remarkable correspondence between thought and reality raises a quiet question: is …

Richard Smyth's article "Our true nature" is a valuable corrective to overly mystical interpretations of nature and the claim that a "sense of oneness with nature" is associated with "greater spirituality" and scepticism about "science over faith". I contend that while science informs and expands our knowledge and love of nature, spirituality, in the sense …

Ian Smith criticises my comparison of modern SUVs with older small cars. But I didn't make that comparison. Rather, it was made by Anthony Laverty in his opinion piece. I simply pointed out that, counterintuitively, the switch in public preference had probably led to a substantial reduction in fossil-fuel consumption. In my personal experience, that …

Some letter writers seem to have missed some of the implications of living in a simulation. It is provably impossible to detect that we are in a simulation. Should anyone discover a "fact" that reveals the simulation, the system admin can stop the run, edit out the rogue fact and restart from a backup ( …

Paul Whiteley writes about the value of small changes in averting the climate crisis. But small changes, however much they are multiplied, produce only small effects. If every person and business in the world were to reduce their energy consumption by 1 per cent, the global decrease in energy consumption would be just that – …

The article on Reflect Orbital's plan to use satellites to provide sunshine on demand raises the at least equal chance of reflecting sunshine away from Earth, which would be far more desirable to reduce global warming. The areas that should be the first to be shaded should be areas with the most rapid ice cap …

The Bornean orangutan pictured is named Badul (27 January, p 7).