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Reading the book review of Out of This World and Into the Next , I saw the term "terraform". The general story behind its use is: "We aren't able to keep Earth's climate under control, so we go to another planet, where we first need to get the climate under control through terraforming." Considering the …

I couldn't agree more on the need to reduce town centre traffic. In the UK, motoring bodies like the Automobile Association and Royal Automobile Club tend to resist efforts to cut car use. In Germany, the equivalent body, the ADAC, does the same. At least in Germany there is the ADFC, which pushes back on …

The compelling case to reduce car use is the exact same powerful argument to incentivise the affordable public transport needed to replace individual car use. Unfortunately, rural areas have suffered from inadequate provision for so long that it is virtually impossible to live anywhere other than an urban conurbation without a car. Once you are …

The urban car problem can be solved with app-based ride services that can hold many passengers. Individual city cars could be totally replaced, leaving suburban roads clear for walking and cycling, as well as removing parked cars. An "out-of-town" hire scheme could cover other car journeys. By relinquishing a car (or two), a local family …

Roger French asks whether anyone is working on using quantum entanglement to achieve instant communication with Mars. But entanglement can't be used to transmit a signal. All it means is that if someone on Earth measures a property of one particle and someone (or an avatar) on Mars measures that property of another particle that …

As an aside to your look at a book on hype over AI abilities, we had an unfortunate encounter with an AI that was recently introduced to health software that triages for our local doctor's office. I was referred by a pharmacist to my doctor because my eyes had developed a severe allergic reaction to …

The continuing arguments about the absorption spectrum of the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b shows the difficulty of such research. Who selects the size and contents of the set of molecular spectra against which to compare the planet's data? The original 20 molecules seems an absurdly low number. That an expansion to 92 gives different …

I take issue with the idea that we don't hear from aliens because the ability to develop interstellar communication also means an ability to develop potent weapons that lead to self-destruction( 24 May, p 21 ). Such civilisations have the potential to last longer because they can find ways to avert natural Armageddon. We know …

Game theory – the maths of strategic interactions – suggests we are unlikely to see full nuclear disarmament. Perhaps the best we can push for is the UN monitoring a reduction in stockpiles, and work to cut the dangers of automatic, hair-trigger reflex counter-attacks.

I am a writer of mainly historical novels. I scored fairly high on your imagination tests. That said, there was a time about 11 years ago when my imagination faltered after I had a haemorrhagic stroke. After a few days in intensive care, I was put on pills to reduce high blood pressure. Suddenly I …