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The idea of conducting life virtually in a metaverse is unappealing on various grounds ( 8 January, p 39 ). Above all, if there is one thing we have learned from the pandemic, it is the importance of interpersonal contact. The technology of the virtual hug is a long way away. It would be very …

Your mention of the Jevons paradox, the shift to greater energy use despite improvements in energy efficiency, illustrates the fallacy of relying on logic alone ( 8 January, p 44 ). While the example of continually increasing internet usage cancelling out any efficiency gains does have logic behind it, this isn't the case for all …

As a Californian who, over the years, has seen earthquake, fire and flooding damage, I see a super-sized problem with the idea of supergrids for electrical supply ( 1 January, p 8 ). A single fit of nature, be it extreme winds or a sizeable earthquake, could take down an entire solar farm in one …

Dave Smith, Alnwick, Northumberland, UK Reader Geoff Harding points to the opportunity of storing carbon by regrowing trees in the Amazon ( Letters, 8 January ). Sadly, the November winds that knocked down many trees here in Northumberland illustrate the problem with such offsetting: it may be merely temporary. One option could be to use …

David Strachan,Llanbister, Powys, UK If Occam's razor is the best tool in seeking simpler answers to the question of how life and the universe work ( 18/25 December, p 70 ), as Johnjoe McFadden says, is it time to apply it to 11-dimensional string theory and some other opaque and complex ideas in quantum physics?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people with covid-19 to self-isolate for five days after testing positive or from the day their symptoms start ( 15 January, p 9 ).

David Ludwig says it makes more sense to argue that a teenager's growth spurt causes increased eating than that increased eating causes the growth spurt ( 8 January, p 21 ). Similarly, he says, obesity due to intrinsic factors may lead to excess energy intake, rather than vice versa. I have often thought that nobody …

As your report on the pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) shows, this is already killing millions of people around the world ( 29 January, p 20 ). Without coordinated international projects, the problem is only going to worsen. The serious consequences of AMR have long been known, but the problem has yet to be tackled …

With regard to lowering the impact of high energy prices on consumers, remember that we want to cut the use of fossil fuels, so policies to alleviate this problem shouldn't promote energy use ( 15 January, p 20 ). If direct payments are made to consumers, they shouldn't be linked to energy consumption – people …

According to renewable power group Octopus Energy , "all energy sources in the UK, from wind to solar to fossil fuels, are being sold based on the high price of gas imports – the higher price of 'brown' electrons artificially putting up the price of 'green' ones as well". However, about 40 per cent of …