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Some believe religion promises immortality. Others trust their descendants to provide it, and a few hope their works of art will earn it. However, the existence of a non-physical "soul" is fraught with problems, while physical descendants and creations can take you only so far( 21 June, p 32 ). However, according to Florian Neukart's …

Neukart writes about his idea, quantum memory matrix (QMM), and his "suspicion that the whole of cosmic history is, in some sense, baked into space" as "we know information cannot be destroyed". Could this idea perhaps ultimately lead to a "scientific" explanation of phenomena that, up to now, have been considered supernatural? We should recall …

In light of the findings of the study you mention that found 15 per cent of the global population have Lyme antibodies, it is perhaps no surprise to read that Lyme disease bacteria can persist in the body. The high seroprevalence indicates that asymptomatic people also have these antibodies. An unknown number of them won't …

Your perceptive article rightly contends that physics (and probably any area of human understanding) can't be done without metaphysics. This is because of the questions that are unavoidably raised around our view of the nature of reality. This is why I favour a return to the old term "natural philosophy" for science in its broadest …

Memories that can't be recalled, but still influence us, surely have a close neighbour in those names or words that we know we know, but can't quite bring to mind. For me, the name of a person or place can sometimes escape my grasp just as I am about to say it. That name is …

The goal of incorporating symbiosis machinery in the roots of non-legume crop plants is worth the investment, but we can never "get rid of chemical fertilisers" totally. Even if we establish bacterial symbiosis in grass crops, for example, and then apply composted animal and human manure, to be able to produce enough food to feed …

Here is another idea about how language arose. As pitch-based communication is widespread among non-human animals, could language have developed from similar-pitched Tarzan-like calls specific to a tribe, by which they could identify its members? As we became more complex, a wider repertoire of melodic vocalisations was needed. Pitched sounds could then have been differentiated …

Regarding "AI doesn't understand the word 'no' ". The AI-generated summary of trail users' comments for a particular trail in a popular hiking app said that there were ticks. But when I read through the comments myself, the only mention of ticks was that there were no ticks( 31 May, p 16 ). This result …

I live in a very bad tick region and I spend hours each day outside always worrying about getting bitten. I was shocked by the idea that anyone wouldn't want a vaccine that worked in part by giving them an unpleasant reaction to a tick bite. A choice between getting a bad disease from a …

Excellent article on ticks, and new approaches to controlling them and the diseases they spread. However, the sidebar on how to avoid them omitted a much more effective way to handle exposed clothing. Before washing, throw it in the dryer on high for at least 10 minutes. The clothes will get a lot hotter, and …