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Robert Lawrence Khun's article on the landscape of consciousness certainly engaged my brain, so I came down on the side of thinking that is where my consciousness lies, therefore making it a biological problem( 25 October, p 36 ). But that still leaves a lot of questions to answer. When, at school in the 1960s, …

Just as Gödel's incompleteness theorems show that no number system can fully describe itself, it seems clear from Kuhn's excellent survey of the field that whatever consciousness is, ours cannot fully understand itself. How about we just drop the whole field and concentrate on more solvable things?

Coltan Scrivner is right that horror helps us "find meaning, connection and even growth in the face of our deepest fears". It is important that the hero escapes, as Odysseus (but not all his men) did from the Cyclops and the horrors of being locked in a dark place, ahead of being eaten. I once …

The article by Jacklin Kwan on the number of fundamental constants there are (or should be) raises an important issue that cuts to the heart of physical theory: are constants genuine features of nature, or are they artefacts of our descriptive language? It seems to me that the answer lies not in counting constants, but …

There is no doubt consciousness requires a brain, but the brain is subservient to the gut, which evolved first. If you find this difficult to accept, stop eating for more than a day and then record what your consciousness focuses on.

The two baby numbats from New South Wales are indeed "adorable". Even the adults are adorable, as my wife and I can attest from our rare roadside sighting in the Dryandra National Park in Western Australia. This gives me a neat segue into a personal observation that many people who claim to be nature lovers …

Carissa Wong mentions face rolling and facial massage as alleged ways of boosting our lymphatic system. I use an electric razor to shave each day, which seems to replicate her description of what one might do with a jade rolling pin( 25 October, p 28 ). Because I am quite vigorous with my use of …

I have for many years used chilli powder as a (not very effective) cat repellent. But some chilli powders contain salt, which kills the plants. And, except this year, the rain eventually washes it away from the paths. So the ginger bruiser next door that ignores the ultrasound just turns its nose up at me( …

Eating leafy green vegetables reduces the body's dietary acid load, meaning it makes it more alkaline (18 October, p 33).

I read James Wong's article on the use of capsaicin to deter mammals from damaging gardens with great interest. Recent development where I live has resulted in an overpopulation of eastern meadow voles. I noticed that these voles have been happy to eat the accessible parts of jalapeño peppers in the raised vegetable beds in …