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There is a major problem for a spacecraft travelling at relativistic speeds, as suggested in the proposal for a mission to a black hole: damage by particles in space( 16 August, p 13 ). At such speeds, any particle that a craft collided with would be like an energetic cosmic ray particle carrying kinetic energy …

Leah Crane suggests donning a spacesuit in her look at the solar system. I did do this, but that was back in 1969 to re-enact the moon landings. In my collection of How and Why Wonder Books , there was a volume about the solar system. The final page described how the sun would expand …

Future biomedical research will probably provide years of better health in older age. However, to live long enough to enjoy this, young people must be encouraged to lead extremely healthy lifestyles. The obvious requirements are a healthy diet, minimal alcohol, no drugs of addiction and a consistent exercise and strength-maintenance programme. The brain should also …

The idea that our ancient ancestors raised wolf pups as pets and then harvested them makes perfect sense, an idea proposed as a route to eventual domestication( 9 August, p 34 ). Could our ancestors have also raised juvenile ungulates for the products they would yield as adults? I can easily picture a band of …

It is a myth that public transport is the answer to traffic woes. Public transport doesn't go everywhere. It doesn't allow for the user's choice of time, route or travel companions, and the most flexible form of public transport, taxis, is also the most expensive, so public transport isn't necessarily accessible to everyone. It has …

Your look at ageing was another great article from Graham Lawton. Interesting and informative with a good dose of optimism( 16 August, p 28 ). There is an aspect of ageing that isn't generally addressed. I have witnessed a number of my female relatives age, becoming "too old" by their own reckoning. I have also …

The realisation that different kinds of noises affect different people in different ways struck a chord with me. In my work with a small non-profit that advocated for small airports, it was common for a homeowner who lived close to such an airport to be extremely bothered by the sound of a small plane flying …

Your feature describes ideas about the origin of dogs, that is, how wolves were domesticated. Why, I wonder, is there no speculation on Darwinian evolution: mutations and selection of the fittest? I like to relate an example of such domestication: a cousin of mine had a small mink farm of about 200 minks. One day, …

Rami Kaminski makes an interesting observation of a new personality type, the otrovert, yet creates a problem at the same time. I immediately recognised myself in his description and realised there is a group of other such people out there. But I also quickly realised that I can't, by definition, join this group of otroverts …

I found the article exploring the variation in chocolate flavours depending on the microbes present during the fermentation process very interesting and thought-provoking( 30 August, p 17 ). Mainly, how can I volunteer to be a chocolate taster for the recommended study extensions? Please? Pretty please? With chocolate sprinkles on top?