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It seems possible that all animals with brains need to sleep and dream or, like us, they would presumably lose touch with reality. Perhaps the same is true of artificial intelligence? Researchers might like to build in periods of enforced inactivity or who knows what AI might do ( 16/23 December 2023, p 44 ).

The collapse of national income for states reliant on coal, oil and gas production and export could lead to frightening scenarios ( 9 December 2023, p 11 ). The problem of climate refugees fleeing countries or areas such as Pacific islands due to devastating climate change impacts are very likely to be compounded by many …

I fear Stuart Clark is being over-optimistic in saying that "we" could take refuge on a gas giant's moon when our sun becomes a red giant ( 16/23 December 2023, p 60 ). Creating suitable habitation and transporting people and materials will be prohibitively expensive and it is very probable that the only people who …

Regarding the potential future of artificial intelligence, if there ever needs to be a ban or control on further development, who will action it? We have already seen the US, European Union and UK governments incapable of understanding, let alone controlling, simple social media ( 16/23 December 2023, p 56 ). Control reminiscent of Nineteen …

Given the disappearance of ice from polar regions due to global warming, how can anyone justify towing icebergs away? ( 16/23 December 2023, p 54 )

Although the COP28 summit recognised that the planet is warming due to emissions of greenhouse gases, which inevitably leads to rising sea levels, there was no recognition that the melting of snow and ice greatly reduces the reflection of solar energy back into space, known as Earth's albedo. This allows more of the sun's heat …

On reading your story on negative emissions technology, it struck me that this could have been almost any article written about fusion reactors over the past 50 years, but with the words "nuclear fusion" replaced with "carbon dioxide removal". If the latter happens, it will be great, but the feeling remains that it may always …

Tom Reimchen says we shouldn't claim the human brain is "the most complicated structure in the known universe". I agree, if it is put like that. It would seem very reasonable, however, to claim that it is "the most complicated known structure in the universe" ( Letters, 16/23 December 2023 ).

Collapse of our techno-civilisation, built on fossil fuels, would have dire and permanent implications for future technology. Where will survivors find coal or tin to dig out by a pit and ladder, or oil you can drill down tens of metres to tap? Such low-hanging fruit to fuel a rebirth of advanced civilisation is long …

S8 can be measured via gravitational weak lensing ( 16/23 December 2023, p 8 ). In our look at an animal milk bank ( 16/23 December 2023, p 58 ), Vlad the two-toed sloth was a faecal donor, while rhinos have a fibrous diet.