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In response to João Magueijo's article "Bringing chaos to order", the term "law of nature" is used to describe a process that has, since its identification, always been observed to be the case. However, a basic tenet in the philosophy of science is that one knows that the observation of the process describes only what …

Magueijo's fascinating speculation about the evolution of the laws of physics from a chaotic initial state begs to be extended. He presumes initially random variations of laws and constants over time, but there would also have been random variations over space. Thus, it might be worth looking for inconsistencies not only as time passes, as …

The notion that the "laws of nature", the term we use to give natural explanations rather than supernatural ones, may not have always existed, while intriguing, is also corrosive to rational thought, for without stable natural laws, the very notion of a natural explanation of phenomena loses all meaning. Such metaphysical conjectures are in danger …

Leah Crane writes a fascinating article about the TRAPPIST-1 star system, with its seven roughly Earth-sized planets. Just out of curiosity, I worked out how long it would take us to get there, as measured on board a ship. If a 1 g ship accelerates for the first half of the journey, and decelerates for …

In your interview with Dave Hone, he says that "birds are literally dinosaurs". It is likely that the physical characteristics of birds that facilitate flying – lighter, stronger bones and more efficient lungs that have unidirectional air flow and sacs that act like bellows – are also characteristics that in dinosaurs led to huge sizes. …

I greatly enjoyed Hone's interview, but think he greatly underestimates the importance of birds' legs. Not just useful for running and jumping into the air, they are also sophisticated at perching and catching prey of all kinds – both in the air and in water. Also, birds' wings can enable hovering and flying backwards, as …

The story of the gradual decipherment of proto-Elamic script is fascinating and impressive. However, the reason "cow" doesn't appear with "plough" is probably because they used a different sign for "ox". An ox was a beast of burden and used for ploughing. A cow was for milk and calving. The fact that we modern English …

It seems to me that "The essence of reality" confuses the objective and the subjective. "What could be more real than experience?" your author asks. A human observer with three distinct iodopsin molecules in three distinct retinal cones will experience the red tomato differently than people with zero, one or two cone types. So, their …

Your leader article "Asking the big questions" must draw us to René Descartes: "I think, therefore I am ( 16 May, p 3 )." Can science exist without three domains of philosophy: personhood, thought, existence?

In her piece about the mystery of love, Carissa Wong doesn't mention evolution. She refers to the initial honeymoon stage filled with intense desire. In the normal course of events this is likely to produce offspring. This period will, therefore, have served its evolutionary purpose ( 23 May, p 10 ).

Global sea-level has risen by more than 0.2 metres over the past 150 years as a result of global warming (16 May, p 4).