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Regarding your article "What makes a mind?", until recently it was thought that the life process originated as some kind of accident of thermodynamics, and that "agency" (and consciousness) arose as a by-product of this. But when, for example, I see a cat doing acrobatics on a garden fence, I know for certain that the …

It has always been a supposition of mine that our perception of time has a biological basis. I believe, like Robert Checchio says in his letter, that when engaged in boring activities, clock-watching seems to slow the pace of time. Likewise, excitement makes the clock go faster. Could it be that when we are excited, …

My personal experience of time certainly differs radically from what I see the clock recording. The older I get, the more rapidly Saturdays seem to come round, and doing anything practical makes time fly past before I finish it. My memory for some things that happened long ago is as sharp as a pin, whereas …

As a keen long-distance cyclist, my experience (admittedly a single datum point) is that in the months when conditions allow plenty of long rides, my weight always drops by several kilograms. Unfortunately, outside those months, it creeps back up. Evidence that this isn't simply a seasonal effect comes from last summer, where multiple heatwaves meant …

As usual, I enjoyed Emily H. Wilson's review of the books Vigil and The Rainseekers . However, I don't generally find novellas or even short stories unsatisfying. Some of the most-praised science-fiction stories of all time, such as The War of the Worlds and The Day of the Triffids , are very slim volumes compared …

This latest attempt to link creativity with health, as discussed in "Want to stay healthy? Get creative", once again ignores the common denominator of all the other likely links, from exercise to the consumption of fermented foods: the richer you are, the more likely you are to engage in one or more of these healthy …

The critiques of BMI have long cited the scores of professional rugby players, who typically exceed 30, due to high muscularity rather than excess fat tissue. But busy clinics need quick and easy assessments, and visible muscularity should allow sensible edits to possible guidance to lose weight. The pragmatic system of BMI and waist-to-height ratio …

As an example of how seafarers could cross vast oceans to populate new lands, look no further than the Māori in their quest to settle Aotearoa. They were both brilliant boat builders and navigators, using nothing more than observations of nature – and faith in Tangaroa, god of the sea. 31 January, p 32

Regarding "Our universe's quantum secret", if a single quantum wave function is to be discovered, it may well take a massive amount of computer power. Perhaps as big as a planet (we could call it Earth). If such a wave function were to be determined, I am confident the solution would be 42 ( 7 …

Participants received a 21.5-milligram dose of DMT (21 February, p 6).