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Mhairi Aitken does well to argue against claims of sentient artificial intelligence independently bringing about humanity's doom, but, like so much discussion around AI, there is no mention of the most dire threat ( 1 July, p 21 ). Throughout history, censorious, authoritarian and surveillance-obsessed governments have always found their abilities limited by what percentage …

The role of money as an enabler to other emergent forces in the rise of civilisations is underplayed ( 1 July, p 32 ). History shows that once in power, the rich get richer. Access to goods, services, information and even the environment is now monetised, controlled and manipulated by elites acting largely in their …

Graham Lawton makes some good points about food security clashes with conservation, but isn't food waste the simplest target for a solution? In 2013, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers report Global Food: Waste not, want not said that over 30 per cent of food never reaches shops or markets ( 1 July, p 22 ).

Livestock farming – intensive or otherwise – is a very inefficient way to put calories on people's plates and has a huge carbon footprint. The farmers in the UK I know are incredibly hard-working and astute business people. How they farm is governed by the grant system. They would quickly react to changes in the, …

James Wong warns against using coffee grounds on gardens. For over 15 years, I have been putting a light dusting of coffee grounds around newly planted seedlings. This very effectively repels slugs and snails, presumably because the tiny granules get stuck to their bodies and they find it really uncomfortable. I haven't noticed any deterioration …

Could civilisation have been kick-started by an infectious agent? Toxoplasma , carried by cats, causes mice to lose their fear of felines. Some studies indicate this parasite may be connected to behavioural effects in humans. Is it possible that a microbe emerged 10,000 years ago that changed our behaviour in a way that created civilisation?

Thank you for your timely, urgent and compelling leader on net zero, in which you conclude that we must cut emissions now and fast to avoid climate tragedy. Where better to start than with the cessation of the generation of cryptocurrency? The immediate end of mining cryptocurrency that relies on "proof of work", and that …

It is with dismay that I read Sadiq Khan's commentary, in which he says that he had no idea of the scale of air pollution's impact on health until he was diagnosed with asthma. When we vote for our representatives, we expect them to know about these issues and do something about them. They shouldn't …

I don't understand why there is so much worry about weightlessness during space travel. Getting to the moon takes just a few days, and for longer trips there is a solution. Tie two space capsules together with a tether 2 kilometres long and set the whole turning, like a gaucho's bolas, at a rate of …

I have never been so incensed or upset than by your editorial hailing the $10-billion James Webb Space Telescope's findings of distant galaxies. How can the cost be justified when, under our feet, Earth's ecosystems are being destroyed by human actions ( Leader, 17 June ).