Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Letters archive

Join the conversation in Âé¶¹´«Ã½'s Letters section, where readers can share their thoughts and opinions on articles and see responses from experts and enthusiasts across a range of science topics. To submit a letter, please see our terms and email letters@newscientist.com


30 March 2022

Maths errors were great for keeping us on track (1)

From Arthur Barnett, London, UK

On the benefits of deliberate errors: 50 years ago, as a maths undergraduate, a small group of us used to record the errors in lecture notes ( 12 March, p 28 ). The lecturers would complain that we didn't point them out, but we found keeping them useful in understanding and revision. The errors provided …

30 March 2022

Maths errors were great for keeping us on track (2)

From Bryn Glover, Kirkby Malzeard, North Yorkshire, UK

Could David Robson's notion of "fruitful" errors be the real explanation behind British comedian Les Dawson's unique piano performances?

30 March 2022

Baby boomer theory doesn't add up for me

From Duncan Cameron, Brighton, UK

Your article on UK baby boomers being the unhappiest generation was interesting, but I don't buy the belief that the higher birth rate during the baby boomer generation from 1946 to 1964 is relevant ( 5 March, p 21 ). The researchers' analysis found that cohort size was the biggest predictor of happiness. The article …

6 April 2022

Good to correct Victorian distortions of biology

From Jonathan Wallace, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

As Lucy Cooke argues, there is little doubt that Victorian patriarchal attitudes influenced the interpretations that 19th-century biologists placed on animal behaviour and led them to some incorrect conclusions ( 12 March, p 27 ). The amazing diversity of life is reflected in a similar diversity of sexual behaviours in the animal kingdom, and the …

6 April 2022

Try to land a plane and a harsh reality may dawn

From Peter Slessenger, Reading, Berkshire, UK

Many non-pilots may believe they can land a plane after watching a YouTube video, but they might think twice if faced with reality ( 26 March, p 15 ). Certainly, if this applied to an airliner, even if you managed to touch it down, you would then be driving a 120-tonne racing car with unfamiliar …

6 April 2022

Perhaps Stonehenge is to do with the moon's phases

From John Kitchen, Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK

The idea that 30 stones in a circle at Stonehenge represent the days of a month is a bit odd ( 12 March, p 21 ). The sun doesn't circle the site at all, let alone once a month. The people who built Stonehenge were farmers, not factory workers. They didn't care what day it …

6 April 2022

So many places where we could up the tree count

From William Croydon, Sandown, Isle of Wight, UK

Victoria Hiley suggests turning car parks into woodlands ( Letters, 12 March ). We could also go back to planting standard trees into hedges, particularly alongside roads, and in streets within towns. In addition to sequestering carbon, this would help wildlife and provide shade to reduce summer temperatures. I am reminded of a yesteryear description …

6 April 2022

Let's talk about the puffin-rabbit relationship

From Blaise Bullimore, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, UK

In the article on the fate of rabbits, it is mentioned that puffins use rabbit burrows for nests ( 19 March, p 43 ). The naturalist Ronald Lockley addressed this in a paper in British Birds in 1937 looking at puffins on Skokholm, an island to which your story refers. He concluded puffins will and …

6 April 2022

If something is beyond testing, then is it science?

From Brian Horton, West Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

I appreciated Tom Gauld's cartoon depicting a physics professor stressed out by the bizarre theories in parts of the field that no one actually understands ( 12 March, p 55 ). I have noticed that some of your physics articles present ideas that aren't currently testable, and in many cases may never be tested. Since …

6 April 2022

There are other solutions to some nuclear waste

From Peter Roby, Watford, Hertfordshire, UK

You report that the latest estimate for the cost of an underground repository for UK nuclear waste has risen to as much as £53 billion, which includes storing legacy uranium and plutonium that were deemed an "asset in the past" ( 5 March, p 19 ). I wonder if many people are aware that a …

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop