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In researching infant consciousness, has anyone sought input from people who were themselves recently babies? I no longer have direct memories of being a baby, but do recall as a 4- or 5-year-old, reviewing my infancy, including my cot and pram. I would have been a willing interviewee. Moreover, until about age 10, I had …

You reported a study providing evidence of the origins of the Yamna culture that spread across Europe. One contention for which there is no evidence, however, is that the expansion of this cultural group involved carts pulled by horses. There is no evidence for the use of horses as draught animals in the areas concerned …

Isn't it more likely that the possible pauses in the evolution of the universe discussed in your look at a new cosmological model are for installing software updates( 15 February, p 30 )?

The idea that robots can be any shape, so there is no need for them to take a humanoid form, is fine for single-task robots. But to expand on the argument you mention, a driverless car won't be able to vacuum my floors, and my robovac can't wash the dishes. In fact, my robovac can't …

For many people, one of the biggest impacts of improved quantum computers will be the ability of these machines to factor multiples of large prime numbers, the basis of RSA cryptography. This and related cryptography approaches are the bedrock of internet banking and commerce. When a functional quantum computer emerges, this bedrock will turn to …

Such is the power of the nocebo effect, it is arguably a mistake to read a list of possible negative side effects when you have to take a medication. When I had a covid-19 vaccine, I saw a wall poster listing possible side effects and advised the nurses it wasn't necessarily a good idea to …

Inspired by a reader's claim his cat possibly possesses theory of mind, I decided to test my own pet ( Letters, 25 January ). The experiment: I stand in front of a (full-length) mirror with Samson, a highly demanding 5-year-old Siamese cat, comfortably tucked under my arm. To attract his attention in the mirror, I …

Ed Regis's piece on outlandish proposals for space travel reminded me of an idea that rarely seems to get a mention. Instead of sending 100,000 people, send 100 million sperm and eggs. Not only do they require few resources on the voyage, which allows for a smaller ship, they would also provide far more genetic …

What can explain atmospheric carbon dioxide at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii increasing by a record-breaking 3.58 parts per million in 2024? As well as forest fires and our failure to stop burning fossil fuels, I suggest the oceans, hitherto a big sink for taking up CO 2 from the atmosphere, have become saturated …

As well as bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses, any microbiome list should include protists, such as Blastocystis species. Although normally classed as parasites, a 2024 study linked the presence of these in the human gut with improved health outcomes, including fewer metabolic abnormalities ( 8 February, p 30 ).