91É«ÇéƬ

In engineering, cynicism is a very practical way to approach big challenges. You must assume that anything that can go wrong will go wrong and proceed accordingly. Only after everything that can go wrong has gone wrong and you have cleaned up the mess can you get on with making things go right ( 17 …

I was delighted to find that moderate consumption of caffeine is good for Homo sapiens . It may not be for some other species: I was once told of experiments on the use of waste pulp from coffee berry processing as cattle feed in Mexico in the 1970s. Although this was full of apparently useful …

From 27 July, p 28

You report the growing impact of emissions from food production on the climate. The only way to avoid this kind of damage is for every person to limit their meat intake to less than 200 grams per week. This is a fraction of what many people now eat. We do need dietary vitamin B 12 …

Research shows we shouldn't slam on the brakes at a red light, but rather start slowing down before, in order to cut emissions. But it depends. When I come around a corner and see a red light ahead of me and no cars between me and it, I don't brake – I push the clutch …

The more I learn in New Scientist about the physical, mental and emotional abilities of animals, the more it strikes me that the only thing that makes us distinctly human is our almost limitless capacity for self-delusion ( 3 August, p 32 )

You report that a blob of jelly can play the game Pong thanks to a basic memory. To me, this implies some form of synthetic cognition, especially since the polymer used utilises ion transport, the same "technology" employed throughout the human body, including the brain ( 31 August, p 13 ). This and similar experiments …

A reader's suggestion of encouraging healthy mobility in an office by designing a necessity for longer walks seems innovative, but surely stores such as IKEA have been doing this for decades. However, the health gain of being shunted past acres of bedding and lighting to get to a dinner plate might be negated by the …

I applaud Michael Crowe for calling out "so-called AI". Maybe I am not alone after all in finding the current crop of AI assistants like a pack of over-eager office boys getting under my feet and clamouring to tie my shoelaces ( Letters, 31 August ). Ironically, I find myself torn between the temptation to …

Many possible factors are outlined that might lie behind a seemingly unstoppable rise in poor mental health among young people. Issues around climate change, lockdowns, smartphones and social media are all suggested as possible causes. Greater awareness and openness around mental health could also contribute ( 24 August, p 14 ). Worryingly, there is no …