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Letters archive

Join the conversation in New Scientist'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


19 April 2023

Maybe our big bang was just the best of the bunch

From Mike Lawrence, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK

You report the hunt for possible black holes that predate the big bang, which could be evidence for repeated big bangs and a type of cyclical universe. Perhaps our own big bang is just one of many in a larger cosmos, but has been particularly successful in balancing inflation and gravitational collapse, expanding for so …

19 April 2023

Prepare yourselves for a serving of quantum gravy (1)

From Roger Morgan, Presteigne, Powys, UK

Thank you for the guide to the mysteries of the quantum realm( 8 April, p 36 ). The chef at my local garden centre restaurant and I often deliberate on such matters across the counter, and last week we were discussing the relationship between quantum uncertainty and the basis of free will. The next server …

19 April 2023

Prepare yourselves for a serving of quantum gravy (2)

From Alastair Cardno, Burley in Wharfedale, West Yorkshire, UK

Many thanks for the really clear guide to the quantum world. It was helpful to see all the key aspects and relationships together. Despite being a regular reader, some things were new to me, such as that gluons travel at the speed of light. The section on how forces work was also very useful. Plus, …

19 April 2023

Another way to make things just right for life

From Spencer Weart, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, US

Thomas Hertog recalls his and Stephen Hawking's subtle explanation for why physical laws and parameters are "just right for life", positing that they initially varied randomly over time. There is, however, a simpler explanation: that physics varies randomly over space. To be sure, the variations must be gradual over enormous distances. But in a sufficiently …

19 April 2023

Only the young ones can save us now

From Geoff Harding, Sydney, Australia

A sustainable population without overconsumption has been advocated for decades, but with minimal effect. With significant pressure now exerted through the IPCC and environmentalists to change destructive lifestyles and industries, there is a chance that warnings may finally take effect. Tragically, it is likely that few people in high-income countries over 40, with set lifestyles …

19 April 2023

On the drive to get us to ditch our gas boilers

From David Le Maistre, Horley, Surrey, UK

I question the UK government pushing for us to ditch modern gas boilers to heat homes before the power system is truly green. The efficiency of my gas boiler is about 95 per cent, whereas if I use grid electricity to heat my home, the efficiency of a gas turbine to generate it is around …

19 April 2023

Less is more when it comes to the sweetness of cakes

From Martin Whittle, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK

I am unconvinced that biscuits and cakes made with a 2:1 ratio of sugar to fat are naturally "irresistible". For years, we have made cakes at home using half or less than half the sugar recommended by standard recipes. Other flavours aren't overpowered and the resulting taste is more complex and interesting. Shop-bought cakes now …

19 April 2023

Yet more explanations for the strange cave hand art (1)

From Susan Goodman, Jerusalem, Israel

The claim that hand stencils in Gargas cave, France, show a sign language is very unlikely – there is a more plausible explanation( 18 March p 38 ). One of the illustrations includes the anatomically tricky gesture of an extended little finger and an extended adjacent ring finger, while the next two fingers are folded …

19 April 2023

Yet more explanations for the strange cave hand art (2)

From Kaisa Saarenmaa, Helsinki, Finland

The jury is still out concerning the meaning of the ancient hand stencils with missing or stunted fingers found in caves. I would like to suggest a new interpretation. Previously, it has been shown that cave art is usually located in the most resonant parts of the cave. Could these stencils be an early form …

Issue no. 3435 published 22 April 2023