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CONVERSATION
YOUR OPINIONS ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS
railway stations. So much
so that I gave up going on
overseas holidays in
favour of quiet walks in
the local countryside
where one can see more
animals than people.
Elena Holden, via emailSome individuals have
anxiety, such as
agoraphobia, where there
is avoidance of these
types of crowds and
situations. That can
undoubtedly contribute to
social isolation. However,
becoming a full-blown
hikikomori would be a
rather severe reaction
to that.
Dr Alan TeoFinding solace
in nature
The Horizons interview
with Dr Alan Teo
(February, p24) about
hikikomori and social
isolation was interesting.
My question is, could it
be a reaction of some
more sensitive individuals
to the overcrowding that
we constantly experience,
especially in cities?
I have no desire to be in
social isolation and I
prefer to communicate in
person rather than by
phone, but I find it
increasingly difficult to
cope with crowded
environments such as
shopping centres andLong trip
Stuart Clark’s article about the
effects of mining the Moon ( January,
p76) made for interesting reading,
but didn’t address the fundamental
problem of the economics.
If I could find a petrol station
where I could fill my car for 20p a
litre, how far would it be worth
driving to fill up? Similarly, if there
were easily accessible supplies of
lanthanum on the Moon, how
expensive would it have to be on
Earth before it was worth the
expense of getting to the Moon,
mining it and bringing it back?
Alan Blackwood, Stalybridge, via emailThe brief answer is that a lot of what
will be mined on the Moon will stay
on the Moon. It will be used to help
make the lunar base. As you
correctly state, the transportation
costs back to Earth would be
enormous – at least initially.
If the Moon settlement becomes
more established and travel
between the Earth and the Moon
becomes more commonplace, then
we may see some return of material
along with astronauts and that may
pave the way to more commercial
operations. It would be similar to the
way in which
commercial
companies are now
launching satellites
for profit, where
once it was thought
to be too expensive
to turn into an
economically viable
business.
Dr Stuart Clark,
BBC Science Focus
contributorDeadly serious
In the Christmas issue, I read about
the possibility of having babies
without pregnancy (p56) and that
death could be reversible (p57).
These concepts taken together could
raise a distinctly difficult scenario in
the future.
Given the current population
growth potential, could we
ultimately reach a point where
a future birth can only be justified
by a death?
K Cherry, Nuneaton, via emailOn the fly
Your photograph of the dead fly’s
unhappy encounter with the
Cordyceps fungus (January, p6)
should never have been published in
a family magazine. The shock of it
sent me into a dead faint, from which
I recovered only after the
administration of smelling salts
and a necessarily generous glass of
medicinal whisky.
I shall probably need counselling,
but I am sure that, one day, I shall
eventually recover from this
horrifying experience.
Leo Kelly, New Zealand, via emailLETTER OF THE MONTH
WRITE IN AND WIN!
The writer of next issue’s Letter Of
The Month wins a pair of Skullcandy
Push True Wireless Earbuds.
Boasting water-resistance and 12
hours of battery, they also feature
push controls on the buds, so you
can leave your phone in your
pocket. skullcandy.co.ukWORTH
£99.What, this one?
Oh... sorry, Leo