Letters archive

Ever since humans walked out of Africa, migration has taken place. However, when the land is already occupied – and the stronger group makes no attempt to treat the other with compassion, tolerance and respect – long-term problems arise. The Indigenous peoples of North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, among others, bear witness …

On the subject of acne, rather than lotions or medicines, I find the easiest way to improve skin is to exercise for about 30 minutes non-stop and work up a good sweat. Then sit in a steam room for as long as you can with a bottle of water for rehydration. My skin improves in …

You report that ancient Europe before any real human influence was full of savannah, grazed by elephants, along with a suggestion that if conservationists want to restore the ancient forest biome, we should recreate the processes that led to this landscape. However, is this Eemian interglacial landscape an appropriate or realistic biome model for conservation? …

In your review of Ben Goldfarb's book on wildlife-traffic conflicts, the figure of 2 billion new road vehicles by 2030 was depressing. Sadly, the mindset seems to be business as usual with the excuse that it will be "green". Everyone having their own car and the road capacity to use it is unsustainable, no matter …

Your feature traces the history of hominid art, but quickly dispatches the creations of the bowerbird as not art. I think it is a mistake to be so dismissive ( 18 November, p 32 and Leader ). On Valentine's Day some years ago, I watched a pair of carrion crows outside my window. The male …

It is sad that you believe science should be used to rule out the possibility of art, writing that "claims that an artefact was intended as a work of art should be treated with caution, considering all alternative possibilities". Wouldn't it be more exciting to consider that something can be both artistic and functional? The …

The rooster that wasn't alarmed by its own reflection in a mirror may not be exhibiting self-awareness so much as "not-other awareness". Any species that drinks from still water will be presented with a natural mirror, and it will need to know that the reflection it sees isn't a foe to be fled from every …

"The secret life of oases" was a terrific insight into Australia's artesian springs and others around the world. Where I live on the coast, it is anything but a desert, yet we have extensive coastal dune fields. Rain here soaks right through to bedrock, spreading and emerging at low points in the dune profile ( …

The progress in South Australia on renewable energy is fantastic. But it would be useful to get away from lithium-based batteries for grid storage. This would decrease the demand and hence the price of this metal, reducing further the cost of electric cars to consumers ( 28 October, p 36 ).

Graham Lawton writes that "coal ash alone contains an estimated 288,000 tonnes of lithium, enough to supply the US market for 130 years". But just switching UK cars to lithium batteries would require 50,000 tonnes of lithium, and switching the whole world would require 40 times as much ( 18 November, p 22 ).