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Letter: On the history of human inventions (1)

Published 17 June 2026

From Terry Klumpp, Melbourne, Australia

In light of the piece, “Carrying the load” by Michael Marshall, I think Primo Levi’s essay “A bottle of sunshine” deserves a mention, in which he posits that the creation of vessels is the defining trait of human civilisation, representing our unique ability to isolate space and control nature (23 May, p 40).

Issue no. 3600 published 20 June 2026

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