Yet another reason to put ocean mining on hold (1)
It is rare to see a study influence both the news and political agenda so quickly as the finding of “dark oxygen” production by polymetallic nodules in the deep sea (27 July, p8).
This research represents yet another reason why there must be a precautionary pause on deep-sea mining, a point made at recent International Seabed Authority meetings in Jamaica. Delegates from Belgium, Costa Rica and Panama, backed by scientists, took to the floor to highlight the significance of the discovery.
More countries have joined the call for a precautionary pause. We can only hope that the UK government, among others, is listening and will also be prepared to speak out on the world stage against this destructive industry.
Yet another reason to put ocean mining on hold (2)
While there are those who suspect contamination in the finding of oxygen production in seabed metallic nodules, I agree with Paul Dando at the Marine Biological Association that mining should be shelved until we understand the ecology of these places.
There may be another reason for caution. You outlined research (12 August 2023, p 16) that indicates seabed metals may catalyse a reaction at low temperatures that locks away as much as 4 million tonnes of carbon each year.
Population isn't really a factor in fairness of sport
Having read your leader on inequalities in sport, I would say that it is a statistical inevitability, rather than unfairness, that a country with a large population will (all things being equal) have more sports stars than one with a small population. This is the same for any field of endeavour. Is it a problem that there are more scientists from the US than from Monaco? Clearly not (Leader, 3 August).
Can artificial intelligence predict its own trajectory?
You report artificial intelligence’s ability to predict dangerous tipping points in complex systems, such as stock markets. Will it predict and tell us when it is going to take over and unleash our own weapons on us, or create new viruses leading to the extinction of most human life(3 August, p 18)?
Two reasons humans are different to other animals
When considering what makes us human, there is a different way of looking at things. Clearly the journey from non-human apes to us is a continuum, but there are two features that seem undeniably human. We are the only species to truly harness energy other than from what we eat. The second, somewhat more shameful, marker is that we are the only species to produce waste that by and large isn’t useful to another species in some way (3 August, p 32).
Darkening of ice could hasten current collapse
When it comes to ice melt changing currents in the Atlantic Ocean that help keep northern Europe relatively mild, there is another factor at work beyond rising temperatures. Wildfires in North America are burning at ever-increasing rates. Much of the ash and soot is deposited on the Greenland ice sheet, changing its albedo and vastly increasing solar absorption and therefore melt (20 July, p 8).
For more on climate impacts in the oceans, see page 32.
Getting hands on with some Stone Age cooking
Hands-on experiments to understand Neanderthal food preparation reminded me of my time working with a class of reluctant 14 and 15-year-olds. We were studying early “man”, including flint tools. I acquired some large flint nodules and the students could try making simple tools 鈥� harder than it looked 鈥� then use them in various ways (3 August, p 20).
This included creating sparks to light a fire, cutting pieces from a chicken breast and cooking them as kebab sticks over a fire they had made. The main impact was giving an appreciation of the knowledge and skill early humans must have had to survive and prosper.
You've just invented a new genre of writing
I have been reading 快猫短视频 for decades and love it deeply 鈥� but in Rowan Hooper’s Future Chronicles, I have found one of the most imaginative and creative approaches to writing in years. The mix of science and speculative fiction is a new genre: “futurism science reportage”. It brilliantly paints a positive and hopeful picture. Bravo(20 July, p 22)!
For more Future Chronicles, see page 22.
Take the long route to the photocopier
I was heartened to read that the benefits of exercise start at low levels. I was once involved in monitoring the exercise people get while doing normal office duties. It often amounts to as much or more than they get in their free time, so office design and practice could significantly improve health. Mobility around the workplace would need to be encouraged. In one typical case, we calculated energy expenditure lost due to intra-office email communication compared with face-to-face meetings, amounting to 13 per cent of the daily total (27 July, p 34 ).
Anti-ageing downsides could be monumental
It seems premature to say that the downsides of anti-ageing therapies are a price worth paying. If they include a population explosion that turns out to be the last straw for an already overburdened planet, I suspect that the people alive at that time would disagree (Leader, 6 July).
For the record
In the UK, around 60 per cent of 6-year-olds are moderately to strenuously active for an hour a day, but that drops as they age 鈥� by 2.5 minutes per day each year (27 July, p 42).
A helium II ion involves the removal of a single electron (3 August, p 36).