There is no such thing as a natural disaster
Michael Paine wants to refer to extreme weather-related events as “climate disasters”, rather than natural ones. Such disasters have never been natural, whether related to climate or geology (Letters, 24 February).
That idea has been widely accepted in disasters research for at least 50 years. Disasters that emerge from a (natural) hazard event are the product of economic, political and social processes. Now, we must also contend with “natural” hazards that are also not entirely natural since a proportion of many can be attributed to global warming. This only reinforces the idea that they aren’t natural, and that “climate disasters” are related to the way society makes people vulnerable and exposed to climate change.
On editing livestock to make 'greener' meat (1)
I sympathise with your leader concerning the reduction of meat-eating’s environmental impact. If people can’t be persuaded to reduce their consumption then anything we can do to improve its efficiency that isn’t detrimental to animal welfare is welcome (Leader, 2 March).
But the argument in the last paragraph, that it may be better that customers don’t know the provenance of their food, should be anathema to a science publication, surely? Haven’t we had enough of governments and commerce trying to hide what is in whatever they are selling us?
On editing livestock to make 'greener' meat (2)
You discuss manipulating animal genes to bolster meat production to allow people to keep eating what they are used to, noting that meat is a big factor in two of the greatest problems we face: global warming and biodiversity loss.
We face a third major problem: our wilful failure to acknowledge the biological fact that we are one animal among many and that every animal slaughtered is someone. As for biodiversity, there appears to be a desire to preserve various uncommon animals in some sort of species theme park while killing billions of others unlucky enough to be plentiful. And for what? A fleeting taste, a shoe? Our ethical blindness and obsession with doing whatever we want at the expense of others may well return us to the dust.
No veggie burger needs to be ultra-processed
Jenny Chapman makes some good points in focusing on nutrition, but why does any vegetarian food have to be ultra-processed? Caution over some margarines (those developed for profit more than for health) was warranted when the damage caused by trans fats came to light. Like most people I know, I will happily eat a veggie burger with tasty, distinct pieces of bean, mushroom and so on, but an artificial-tasting slab of mush has me reaching for a cauliflower steak (24 February, p 21).
Brain's complexity is a treasure of nature (1)
In comparing the complexity of the Crescent Nebula with the human brain, there may be a danger that we focus on the complexity of the structures, rather than the complexity of the outputs they produce. When evaluating the human brain in terms of output, it is hard to ignore the significance of consciousness. While this shouldn’t lead us to conclude that the brain is the most complex thing in the universe, it does make it a treasure of nature (24 February, p 32).
Brain's complexity is a treasure of nature (2)
You ponder whether the human brain is the most complex object in the known universe. Without a brain there is no known universe, so the converse is more empirical: the universe is the most complex object in the human brain.
If skin is so important, be careful what you put on it (1)
If we know that the skin is the largest organ of the human body, that it acts as a protective barrier to the ravages of our environment and is a first line of defence against infections, why do millions of people cover that organ daily with a range of chemicals and microplastics(2 March, p 32)?
I began to research ingredients in most of my “beauty products” about 10 years ago, and binned most of them. I now only use natural versions from reliable companies. What I put on my skin is absorbed into my body. If you created something containing the chemicals in some beauty products and told people to apply it to other organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, they would think you had lost the plot!
If skin is so important, be careful what you put on it (2)
Given the burgeoning awareness of various types of barrier protection provided by the skin, and the possibilities of assisting this in many ways, has there been no study into the impact that may be caused by tattoos? Indeed, might it be that what you put on your skin isn’t as important as what you (don’t) put in it?
Equality in civility is the only way
I agree with most of what Kirsty Sedgman wrote on how manners can be used to suppress others. As well as being mindful of the horrors of the past that she described, I’m old enough to remember having to sing the full version of All Things Bright and Beautiful at church and in school (9 March, p 21).
The verse now generally omitted had the lines, “The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate. God made them high or lowly and ordered their estate”. Workers were expected to doff their caps to the gentry.
“Knowing your place” and “respecting your betters” were a way of life drilled into us from a very early age. My mother’s respect for our family doctor almost amounted to veneration and I only began to question it when I started to mix with rackety medical students at university.
I still value civility as a way to oil the wheels of society, but only when it is extended to everyone.
Quantum computers are good for nothing
The only use of quantum computers is to absorb vast amounts of research money and effort for no practical benefit whatsoever. Can I have my $5 million now please(9 March, p 10)?