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Applying the same logic that gave rise to the big bang theory to the apparent slowdown in the accelerating expansion of the cosmos argues for a cyclical universe, in which expansion gives way to progressive contraction, and ultimately to an inconceivably dense, atom-like singularity of the sort that led to the big bang ( 22 …

The techniques involved in the futuristic "nose job" you imagined could have better uses than smell augmentation. Implanting programmed stem cells and reconnecting neurons could restore normal function to all sorts of organs, eliminating diabetes, paralysis, anosmia, blindness, hearing loss and more. Increased neuroplasticity could help with stroke, dementia and intellectual training. The nose job …

It is suggested that rewilding with large herbivores could sequester a lot of carbon in soil. But does this work long-term? I worry that soil contains a host of bacteria that love to degrade carbon to carbon dioxide. And ruminant herbivores, among the rewilding animals suggested, emit a lot of methane. ( 29 March, p …

Finally, an acknowledgement of the power of nature to absorb/build carbon – but will we allow it to? Growing in monocultures at the expense of everything else poses the greatest threat to biodiversity, food and water security and resilience to flood, fire and drought. If we stop and devote all farmland to sustainable practices, all …

I have been reading with amusement the discussion on how to cook the perfect boiled egg. Â鶹´«Ã½ put the matter to bed for me when the Last Word ( 13 June 1998) published a formula from reader Charles Williams for this. It went as follows: Cooking time = (m (2/3) ) × /c, where …

Surely additional years at school or in higher education wouldn't be the sole means of building the cognitive reserve now regarded as a means of postponing the onset of dementia. A number of trades requiring an apprenticeship and continual accumulation of technical skills and know-how, perhaps over an entire lifetime of employment, could be equally …

I was particularly struck by the idea in Laura Spinney's article that some folk myths may date back as far as 60,000 years when, it is believed, a few Homo sapiens individuals made their way out of Africa. I have often wondered whether the tale of Moses crossing the Red Sea had its origins in …

Brian Horton makes a good point about the need for versatility within a single robot design, but there is no reason a specifically human form is needed for this. A quadruped with a many-armed torso, or some sort of tentacled octopoid design, could serve just as well. As could a robot composed of reconfigurable jointed …

I have a theory that the oldest computer code is found in the program on which our simulated universe runs. Glitches caused by incompatible code lead to some unexplained events commented on in your pages. Minor glitches include mislaying 95 per cent of the universe and incompatibility of relativity and quantum physics. Major ones include …

When iron and sulphur occur in "reduced form", they have gained electrons ( 29 March, p 18 ).