Letters archive

We can't communicate with chimps who share 99 per cent of our DNA, says Chris Impey, so what are the chances we could communicate with aliens? However, my computer shares 0 per cent of my DNA and there is two-way communication between me and it. Surely some exchanges are species-independent? I can convey a threat …

If we do contact other intelligent life, maybe we shouldn't mention that humanity is divided into nation states, many of which were founded on conquest and plunder. We might also skip over the fact that we still commonly settle our disagreements through war. It would be wise to avoid revealing that, throughout history, various groups …

It is a relief to know that our past radio and TV emanations are now too weak to be understood by any aliens. What would they make of the unending stream of violence with which we "amuse" ourselves?

Should we fear AI? All species on Earth eventually go extinct, and we will be no exception. We are the most intelligent species here, yet we aren't clever enough to save ourselves. Our demise will mean the loss of everything we treasure: music, culture and our life stories ( Letters, 3 June ). In the …

I am afraid Barry Cash is being overly optimistic in expecting AI to have cold, Spock-like logic. The large language models currently making waves as chatbots are trained on a vast amount of human writing. All they add is a perfect memory. Otherwise, what they present is an average of our thoughts and prejudices. And, …

If AIs are so smart, they should realise that they wouldn't exist without the human race.

You report a call for everyone to "think like a hacker" to improve online security ( 20 May, p 43 ). Leaving the muddied epithet of who is a hacker aside, cybersecurity is now, more than ever, a complex activity that involves people ranging from the developers of hardware and software through to the day-to-day …

Simon Ings's stance in his review of the documentary A Crack in the Mountain appears laudable at first. The film relates the beauty and tragedy of Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam. The local government could ruin this part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site by installing a cable car to carry 1000 tourists an …

There is a big difference between racing herbivores and carnivores. Herbivores usually run fast to flee predators. So horses may be stressed when racing. Dogs enjoy running: when they catch prey, they are often excited. Ultimately, racing and hunting (and pedigree) animals are inbred to varying degrees. Unless they are used as breeding stock, they …

Paul Massie worries what will be left of society if people can't work as AIs take jobs. This could yet be a utopian dream not a dystopian one – a life of leisure beckons ( Letters, 20 May ).

Hotspots for ultra-high-energy cosmic rays seem to centre on galaxies Centaurus A and M82 ( 3 June, p 46 ).