One man's hacker鈥�
In his review of Marcus Wohlsen’s book Biopunk (9 April, p 50), Jonathon Keats claimed that amateur science started in the 1960s, whereas it was actually founded by the “gentleman scientists” who established the entire scientific enterprise when it was considered fashionable to do chemical and electrical experiments at home.
Keats also seems ambivalent about do-it-yourself science. He recognises its playful element, but seems to condone the “biohacking” label, with its overtones of illegitimacy. He even says the “greater threat” from DIY bioscience is to “mainstream thinking”. Competition perhaps, but “threat”? Is an attempt to “crowdsource a cure for cancer” an attempt to “subvert academia”?
It seems more likely that it is the wealth tied up in biotech that has led to its amateur practice being labelled “hacking”.
I imagine most amateur scientists would say that the damaging applications of science have been almost exclusively perpetrated by governments and institutions, not by individuals.
Spiritual path
Markings and structures recently found in the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt have sparked much speculation (28 May, p 14).
The Egyptians had a formalised style of writing for everything of importance. If it was worth noting, they did it properly. So the first assumption, as your article says, has to be that the less formal hieroglyphs found were left by stonemasons.
They are in a small chamber at the end of a narrow tunnel emanating from a tomb. The chamber is backed by a blocking stone with a rough carved door. There is nothing strange in this structure. The ancient Egyptians believed in symbolic representation, such as doors, and that spirits could pass through solid objects.
Their rituals and votive inscriptions generally convey a deep sense of uncertainty about resurrection and anxiety about the journey to the afterlife. In that belief system it would be a nightmare to be resurrected but then set off in the wrong direction and miss out on eternal life. So a nice bit of guiding shaft could be reassuring. Once on the right path the blocking stone would not be a problem to the spirit.
There need not be another tomb beyond for the tunnel to have spiritual significance.
It can be done
In his observations on the factors influencing bicycle stability, Jerry Cain stated that crashes were “inevitable if we crossed our arms on the handlebars” (Letters, 18 June). I beg to differ.
Riding in Cambridge, UK, as an undergraduate in 1964, I experimented by moving one hand to the other side but close to the steering axis, keeping the other hand firmly in the correct place on the handlebar grip. This way I gradually learned the reversed feedback, and eventually could swap both hands completely, with barely a wobble.
However, this nearly caused a nasty accident when I showed my friend my new skill as we were cycling. His last words before hitting the ground were: “I’m sure I can do that.” Happily he forgave me and healed quickly.
It just shows the amazing adaptability of the body, given suitable training. Just don’t try it all at once!
From Steve Lockwood
I have always thought the gyroscopic effect of bicycle wheels was negligible, as suggested by your feature on the physics of bike stability (28 May, p 44).
When riding, I have never had the feeling of being “held upright” by such forces, which would also make turning difficult. Also, bikes with lightweight wheels would be less stable than ones with heavy wheels and I have never experienced any such effect.
Frame geometry has always seemed the biggest factor in stability: a well-made bike leans into corners naturally, without any apparent resistance. If you are unlucky enough to have a geometry which causes understeer or oversteer, the experience can be quite fraught.
Studley, Warwickshire, UK
There is hope
Your story “Land-grab strategy doesn’t hold water” (28 May, p 10), on the flow of virtual water between countries in the form of food imports, omitted a significant element.
As humanity continues to do more with less, we can look forward to technology that will make more efficient use of water resources. This will also diminish the connection between available water and population growth.
Waste not, want not
In your feature on “dark earths”, the waste from ancient human settlements is credited with the creation of patches of enriched forest soil (4 June, p 42). I would imagine the largest contributor in that category would be the addition of human excreta.
Such waste, incorporating energy, trace elements and minerals gathered from a wide area as part of the diet, would have enriched the midden areas. In the same way, the “night soil” collected from households before sewerage systems were introduced gave rise to the rich, dark soils of city allotments.
Some Asian societies still view human excreta as a resource, and if kept separate from water and industrial wastes, and handled to minimise risks from pathogens and parasites, it is one of the few natural resources that is not running out.
In theory
Consider this chain of reasoning. High birth rates produce high oxytocin levels across a population. This hormone has been . Low birth rates produce less oxytocin, less tribal loyalty, an openness to non-familiar others and more liberal politics.
So are developing countries, with their high-birth rates, destined to remain autocracies, while developed ones, with their low birth-rates, remain democracies? Of course not. This construction is as erroneous as evolutionary biologist Randy Thornhill’s theory of a link between infectious disease and democracy (21 May, p 34).
A strong and secure middle class, along with other complex historical factors, allowed democracy to flourish in the west. Perhaps in emerging democracies we will see other factors emerge. Whatever they are, they will reflect complex cultural, ideological, historical and political factors. It is unlikely to be a simple outcome of disease-control measures.
Endless energy
None of the descriptions of the “many worlds” theory (4 June, p 8) I have seen gives any indication of where the energy to create the infinite number of new universes comes from. The energy of the big bang seems trivial in comparison.
Any theory which posits the ongoing creation of the infinite amount of energy that would be required sounds a lot like a modern reworking of the steady state theory.
Fast food
As part of her otherwise excellent article on the origins of animal domestication (28 May, p 32), Pat Shipman wrote that the clincher for the case against domestication being solely for food was: “A domestic animal that is slaughtered for food yields little more meat than a wild one that has been hunted, yet requires more management and care.”
In fact, what really matters is the net energy balance, as defined by the difference between the energy gained from eating a certain food minus that used in obtaining it.
If you have to hunt, energy expenditure can become a serious problem, and the energy spent may exceed that in the captured prey. So managing animals can be a better option if game is scarce.
Bipolar concern
Jon Ronson asserts that bipolar disorder is a misdiagnosis in young children (4 June, p 44).
In the US, such diagnosis has caused controversy, but in the UK the problem is the ultra-conservatism of the bulk of the medical profession in failing to identify and treat bipolar, an often lethal illness, until early adulthood. By that time, for many of us the patterns of highs and lows have already become chronically established.
This is not a trivial issue, and as a genetic test comes closer for this often heritable complaint, the demand for early and effective intervention will rise.
New leaf
Peter Kahn said that we thrive in a natural environment, and that while we can adapt to environments divorced from nature, such as prison, we would not adapt well (4 June, p 32).
The obvious conclusion is that incarceration worsens mental states. This presumably would affect behaviour, with a probable impact on recidivism. Ethicists question the role and efficacy of punishment. It is clear that being removed from a natural environment adversely affects human psychological well-being. Should this influence policy on treatment of prisoners?
Virtual chat
The problem of language in interactive cinema (4 June, p 50) reminded me of David Cronenberg’s film eXistenZ. Through Jude Law’s character’s exploration of an immersive virtual world, it does a hilarious job of capturing the awkward, unnatural speech patterns of non-player characters in video games.
In order to advance the plot, characters only say what they are programmed to say in response to keywords. So these characters look, feel, and speak naturally 鈥� except that with every repetition of “Hi, I’m [character name]” after an unrecognised phrase, the widens.
For the record
鈥� In “The hardest problem” (4 June, p 36), the number of potential solutions for a 9脳9 sudoku grid should have been 6.67 脳 1021.