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The universe is abnormal, in that measurements of most things don't fit a normal curve, where the mean (average) and the median (typical) are the same. So your editorial's claim that it is "unfair" that bigger countries win more medals is irrelevant. Perhaps a metric such as medals per million people would be better ( …

Scanning "The smarter way to a fitter you", I discovered a comprehensive account of most aspects of exercise. However, apart from home-based game playing and pedometer measures, there was no mention of domestic work ( 27 July, p 32 ). There seemed to be a theme of avoiding boredom in exercise pursuits, and maybe that …

When I read that the American Academy of Pediatrics was recommending weight-loss medication for children aged 12 and up, my moral stance on this initially made me cringe. However, after completing the article, I support this idea despite reading contradictory advice from the US Preventive Services Task Force, which cites insufficient evidence and suggests long-term …

From From Paul Whiteley, Bittaford, Devon, UK I read with horror about plans to create an AI model of Alan Turing, effectively putting words into the mouth of someone long dead. ( 17 August, p 21 ) We will never know what goes on inside the mind of a genius – that is what sets …

Matthew Sparkes is too cautious in opposing an AI recreation of Alan Turing. A tour of Bletchley Park where he worked pays homage to those clever and dedicated code breakers who reduced the length of the second world war by two years, but it can be a little dry. A chatbot conversation with an interactive …

It seems to me that NASA may be giving too little consideration to the nightmare scenario that de-orbiting the International Space Station could injure people on Earth. I would like to suggest that simply separating the 16 pressurised modules that make up the station and de-orbiting each separately would greatly reduce the overall risk.( 10 …

For a glorious finale for the ISS, adapt it for a Mars return mission. We could ensure there is adequate accommodation for five to six crew members, attach a thruster rocket and fuel, put general supplies in pods and add a lander for crew to visit the surface once in Mars orbit. They could then …

It seems highly problematic to allow the ISS to partially burn up in our atmosphere and then crash on Earth, once it is no longer deemed viable for science. The danger, pollution and disruption created, not to mention the waste, would be absurd considering there may be a better option: why not strap on engines …

Bryn Glover mentions the idea of weights being lifted in order to store energy, suggesting putting a falling-weight system in every house, lifted by energy from solar panels and allowed to fall during the night to provide heat and light. Such an arrangement could indeed provide light, but definitely not heat. It turns out that …

Global heating is causing me a certain amount of inconvenience. I avoid flying, use public transport, recycle plastic and so on. However, if I am living in a simulation, a suggestion that several readers have raised recently, why should I bother? Whoever or whatever created the simulation can always program a better world next time. …