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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


16 February 2022

Observations on the new quantum perspective (1)

From Paul Seedhouse, Newcastle, UK

Your article gives an account of the "Wigner's friend" thought experiment, an adaptation of the one involving Schrödinger's famous cat ( 5 February, p 38 ). Wigner's friend opens the cat's box – which contains a radioactive particle, the random decay of which releases a deadly poison – to establish the animal's state, but Wigner …

16 February 2022

I fear for future of fertility in our polluted world

From Geoff Harding, Sydney, Australia

Evidence is accumulating that our accelerating poisoning of the environment has insidiously affected the health of humans and animals, with increasing impact, for decades ( 29 January, p 44 ). Of great concern are recent claims that a wide range of "endocrine-disrupting chemicals", often referred to as "everywhere chemicals" due to their ubiquity, are responsible …

16 February 2022

Migraine was wiped out by medical emergency

From Jan Horton, West Launceston, Tasmania, Australia

My first experience of migraine more than 50 years ago was immediately after starting an oral contraceptive ( 29 January, p 38 ). Once triggered, I was stuck with a monthly dose of pethidine, a painkiller that wiped me out for a week each time. Then a miracle occurred. I had emergency surgery, with a …

16 February 2022

Happiness: there may be a better way

From John Moore, Nelson, New Zealand

Perhaps contentment should trump happiness ( 22 January, p 38 ). The concept of happiness as a pursuit tends to suggest a relentless chase, perhaps for new experiences. Happiness itself is a transient and ephemeral emotion. In contrast, contentment is pervasive and readily understood. You do mention satisfaction in your article, but contentment is richer …

16 February 2022

For the record {19 February 2022}

Our look at sites that could mark the beginning of the Anthropocene epoch ( 29 January, p 14 ) should have used an image of Crawford Lake in Milton, Ontario, Canada

23 February 2022

Poor products run rings round circular economy

From Carole Allsop and Tony Kaleda, London, UK

By coincidence, just after reading your article on the circular economy, our blender (only a few years old) stopped working ( 12 February, p 38 ). After attempts to repair it using YouTube videos, we have had to give up. It, like so many modern appliances, suffers from built-in obsolescence. To buy a new spice …

23 February 2022

Poor products run rings round circular economy

From Steve Blyth, Roade, Northamptonshire, UK

I have a suggestion in response to your interesting article on the circular economy, "Waste not... want not?". There should be mandatory return of used items and packaging from end users via their suppliers to manufacturers. This could utilise delivery vehicle fleets on return trips, encourage design for disassembly and reuse (fostering the latter), reduce …

23 February 2022

Megabats have some pretty mega differences

From Talia Morris, Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia

You report on a study on the two major groups of bats that claims the only significant difference between Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera is a single ear bone ( 5 February, p 25 ). However, the megabats, or Pteropodidae, have completely different brain structures and visual systems to both the rest of the Yinpterochiroptera and all …

23 February 2022

Perhaps classical space doesn't always commute

From Paul Hield, Bristol, UK

I had to chuckle while reading the section "Does space-time commute?" in your feature on quantum reality ( 5 February, p 38 ). The example for classical space being commutative is that it doesn't matter if you travel 5 kilometres south and then 3 kilometres west or vice versa, you end up in the same …

23 February 2022

Migraine can be enough to make you vomit

From James Bailey, Southampton, UK

For me, migraine involved a lot of nausea ( 29 January, p 38 ). There were times when I was actually sick. I discovered after some years that taking a travel sickness pill greatly reduced the nausea and made the headache symptoms more bearable.

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