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LETTERS letters@newscientist.com @newscientist newscientist
At present, it is the organisation pathological (15 September, p 24). It would be interesting to know being genetically engineered to
that gets prosecuted, so the His assertion that higher voter if any measurements of electron spread sterility in their species
taxpayers or patients end up turnouts may lead back to “a more densities for that period exist. (13 October, p 24). Couldn’t we
paying the fines. familiar political landscape” is instead engineer a mosquito not
questionable. It was contradicted Electric cars may clean to carry the plasmodium that
Shrimp’s breakout punch in the UK referendum on EU air, but choke roads causes malaria? That would still
doesn’t hold water membership, which engaged allow the species to be preserved.
3 million more voters than the From Rosemary Sharples,
From Rob Gunnett, previous general election. Penshurst, New South Wales, The editor writes:
London, UK Most of the mainstream Australia Q Engineering a mosquito that is
You describe a mantis shrimp media has acknowledged that The impact of electric cars raised immune to the malaria parasite
that “creates a force that shatters the large parts of society that by Roy Harrison focuses on may be possible and is a goal now
aquarium glass” (29 September, have not thrived under neoliberal sources of electricity to charge being pursued.
p 40). This is simply not true. economics and bewildering social their batteries (Letters, 6 October).
I’m a senior aquarium service change deserve respect, and to be But the true impact will be seen The nose knows, but
technician with over 25 years of understood on their own terms. when there is a substantial what about us?
experience, and this is one of number of them, in the
those stories that gets tossed Unexamined legacy of congestion they create. Will their From Harry Lake,
around, yet there’s no actual proof the Vietnam conflict drivers feel entitled because of Bussum, The Netherlands
of it ever happening. the lack of pollution at the point Alastair Mouat writes that the
From Ian Kennedy, of use, and make more and longer head brewer at his Edinburgh
The silent majority are Norwich, UK trips as a result? brewery could distinguish
going to the polls Andy Coghlan writes that the between the same canned beer
bombs dropped in the second Wipe out malaria, but produced at different locations
From David Cole, world war rattled the edge of keep the mosquitoes (Letters, 15 September). How does
Dunmow, Essex, UK space (6 October, p 16). he know the head brewer wasn’t
Simon Oxenham repeats the The total bomb load dropped From Christopher Clark, having them all on?
standard New Scientist suggestion on Vietnam in the mid 1960s and Houston, Texas, US
that a liberal outlook is the default early 1970s was some three times Simon Terry and Stephanie A world populated
in Western societies and that, that dropped on Europe over a Howard raise the ethics around mostly by impostors
conversely, a current propensity similar timescale. One would deliberately causing extinctions,
for conservatives to support expect a similar reduction in with the example of mosquitoes From Peter Norton, Martha’s
right-wing “populist” parties is ionosphere electron densities. that infect people with malaria Vineyard, Massachusetts, US
Catherine de Lange mentions
V. S. Ramachandran’s work on
Cotard syndrome, in which people
believe they are dead, and Capgras
syndrome, the belief that loved
ones have been replaced by
impostors (29 July 2017, p 40).
Who is to say they are wrong
and we are right?
For the record
Q The actor who plays the lawyer in
War with the Newts is Everal A. Walsh
(13 October, p 48).
Letters should be sent to:
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54 | NewScientist | 27 October 2018
