Recognising animal culture is truly vital
For decades, scientists searched for a bright line separating human culture from “mere” animal behaviour. The more evidence we get, the fainter that line becomes. When we insist on judging every other species against the single yardstick of human society, we reveal more about our biases than we do about other animals(5 April, p 36).
A good take on the issue is in the 1928 writing of US naturalist Henry Beston, who said that animals “are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth”. Recognising those “other nations” and their diverse cultures isn’t sentimental, but a step towards a fuller, humbler understanding of the living world we all share.
How about an old name for autism in women and girls?
Several readers suggest coining a new name for autism in girls and women, given its differences to autism in boys and men(Letters, 3 May). May I suggest an old one: Sukhareva’s syndrome? Grunya Sukhareva’s groundbreaking work on autism took place nearly 20 years before Hans Asperger’s oft-cited work, and in the mid 1920s, she published .
Government must explain its use of AI
You raise concerns over whether UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is advised by artificial intelligence, as the government uses it to summarise documents and possibly to prepare draft briefings. Its excuse for denying your requests to tell us more 鈥� that reviewing and summarising over 13,000 prompts used to elicit AI outputs was impractical 鈥� is questionable(3 May, p 12).
The government could provide a random selection of prompts: 100 might be representative, and could be easily reviewed. This would fulfil the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act. Or another, perhaps better option would be for the government to use AI to summarise the 13,000 prompts. If it can’t do this, surely it is no good at the job it is being used for!
An easier option than a radio dish on the moon?
Your look at plans for radio telescopes and more on the far side of the moon, shielded from terrestrial electromagnetic clutter, was exciting. However, well before we commit resources to these endeavours, another short-term option is feasible. A radio telescope version of the James Webb Space Telescope, set in a synchronous lunar orbit over the far side, would yield similar data and avoid costly resources, human and robotic labour and that sticky dust encountered on the moon’s surface. Lunar orbits up to 20,000 kilometres high are possible(26 April, p 38).
Generational differences writ large in car manual
Excellent article on how every generation thinks they are smarter than the one before. I agree with all this, but was given pause for thought when I read a recent post pointing out that in 1925, car owners’ manuals advised you how to adjust the engine’s valves. In 2025, they make no mention of valves for a new generation, but they do advise you not to drink the battery acid. Good advice, I might add(19 April, p 19).
No decent climate TV, so try an opera instead
Bethan Ackerley asked for a climate change TV drama that can make a big impact. There may not be one, but there is Jonathan Dove’s new opera, Uprising, inspired by Greta Thunberg’s story. It has a tremendous impact that leaves many audiences and quite a few community chorus members crying at the end, including me when I sang in the bass section at a performance of it at Saffron Hall near Cambridge. It deserves to run and run(26 April, p 19).
I washed clothes in urine and they came out great
Never overlook human urine’s wonderful surfactant properties 鈥� the Romans certainly didn’t when it came to doing their laundry. From my experiments, any textiles steeped at ambient temperature in a solution of fresh urine and rainwater (which is naturally soft) are cleaned amazingly well. After a cold rinse cycle, I couldn’t detect any residual odour when pegging the clothes out(29 March, p 22).
Throw a handful of fresh lemon balm stems into your steeping bucket 鈥� and can anyone guess how the washing gets scented? As for disposing of the used solution: straight on the garden, of course. Its property as a wetting agent might deter, if not kill, aphids.
Post-war rationing diet was pretty healthy one
I agree with Paul Holt on the need to control for factors affecting dementia rates other than school leaving age before and after 1972. But I would be cautious before assuming that the older cohort who were born and brought up during rationing, and their mothers, were more likely to be malnourished. Many studies suggest that the UK rationed diet was healthier, with less meat, fat and sugar and more fruit and veg(Letters, 26 April).
Wave or particle? There's only one way to find out
Last year, Matt Strassler explained that particles are really a kind of wave (21 September 2024, p 32). Now, Celso Villas-Boas says that no, they are really just particles after all(3 May, p 8). Arguments are traditionally settled with a duel. Electron guns at 20 paces? Or a more modern cage fight, with the mesh replaced by diffraction slits? Or perhaps a surfing competition?
Thanks for the best fact ever for a chocolate fan
I learned from you that dark chocolate is high in fibre. That fact by itself has made this year’s subscription worth the money. I salute you, Graham Lawton, with a square of 70 per cent cacao(12 April, p 34).