32 | New Scientist | 11 June 2022
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Editor’s pick
On the gender gap
in STEM subjects
21 May, p 27
From Rachael Padman,
Dalham, Suffolk, UK
Maria Rossini writes that ingrained
attitudes limit girls’ engagement
in science, technology, engineering
and maths (STEM) at school. It seems
to me an unstated assumption that
these subjects are where the power
lies, so we need more women in
STEM to ensure that power and
influence are shared more equitably.
I have seen proponents of this
view fall back on the argument that
women are sufficiently different
from men that they find other
subjects more attractive than STEM-
as-it-is, and that therefore STEM
needs to change. These people
will also say that school textbooks
need to distort the history of under-
representation of women in these
fields to give greater prominence
to contributions by women.
Perhaps it is more to do with an
over-representation of men. At my
university, men avoid history of art
like the plague. Is that a problem?
In the life sciences, women are quite
well represented and several recent
Nobel prizes are a tribute to that.
Perhaps it is time for a much more
nuanced look at the different areas
within STEM, to see why men and
women make different choices.
We could also ask whether
that actually matters so much.Attitudes of privileged can
be economically irrational
14 May, p 18
From Sam Edge,
Ringwood, Hampshire, UK
The finding that privileged people,
like me and probably many of your
readers, would rather not deploy
policies to promote resource
equality, even if those policies
have a neutral or positive effect on
their own access to resources, such
as jobs or money, is unsurprising.
The point of being privileged
isn’t entirely to do with comfort –otherwise, why would some well-
off people strive for more wealth
when it doesn’t improve quality of
life? The point of privilege is more
to do with the knowledge that one
is a member of a minority group,
in a better position than the
majority. The more exclusive the
group, the higher the satisfaction.
To have something that others
don’t, regardless of its utility, is
known as a positional good. The
reality of such things is why most
economic theories that rely upon
individuals acting in their own
best interests are inherently futile.Could concrete help slow
the loss of Antarctic ice?
14 May, p 23
From Jim McHardy, Clydebank,
West Dunbartonshire, UK
You report that groundwater
beneath Antarctic ice can impact
its flow to the ocean, perhaps
causing faster movement and
break-up of the ice sheet.
That being the case, it may be
worth injecting a coarse concrete
mix through a drill hole in the side
of a small glacier. I imagine this
could cause roughening of the
bedrock under the ice.
By doing this to a narrow glacier,
I speculate that any slowing effect
would be more noticeable, and
could offer at least a temporary
solution to some glacial melting.
If the method works, it could be
extended to larger glaciers.When is a demon
not a demon?
21 May, p 15
From Timothy Mead,
St Keverne, Cornwall, UK
The version of “Maxwell’s demon”
that you covered, which seemingly
defeats the second law of
thermodynamics to create aperpetual engine, appears to be
no more than a simulation of life,
which itself is no more than the
local defeat of entropy. The means
are different, the situation is the
same. And the energy powering it
has to come from somewhere.Go for a full ban on
large, polluting vehicles
7 May, p 27
From Kimon Roussopoulos,
Cambridge, UK
Andrew Simms’s call for a ban on
adverts for SUVs in his comment
article shows a paucity of
ambition. Given the nature
of the climate emergency, surely
it is better to actually ban these
vehicles and their like, at least
for the vast majority who have
no real need for them.Don’t insulate with old
clothes and empty plastics
Letters, 14 May
From Glenn Pure,
Canberra, Australia
Barry Cash asks whether recycled
clothing and plastic containers
could be used for home insulation.
My simple response is: don’t
go there. The materials mentioned
are usually highly flammable.
Worse, they are likely to generate
toxic fumes when burned. Due
to this, I would be very surprised
if building regulations allow
the use of such materials.Could there be ways to
save the bird brain lab?
21 May, p 14
From Richard Turner,
Beverley, East Yorkshire, UK
I was very sad to read that the
Comparative Cognition Lab in
Cambridge, UK, which studies the
intelligence of corvids, may close.Could there be a way to save
the day? Maybe crowdfunding
for a documentary about the
work carried out there, or even
the chance to visit the centre?
In addition, if there were any
experiments relating to corvid
intelligence that people could
carry out in their gardens,
they might be willing to pay
for instructions or the chance
to send results back to the lab.You are right, Australian
mammals get a bad rap
14 May, p 27
From Mark Nelson, Hobart,
Tasmania, Australia
Jack Ashby is spot on in his
observation of dismissive
attitudes towards native
Australian mammals.
As an example of this, I
remember an interview with
the daughter of the owner
of Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart,
Tasmania, who overheard the
disappointment in a local’s voice
on seeing the last living thylacine,
or Tasmanian tiger – “Oh, it’s only
a Tasmanian animal” – before
rushing off to see the more
“interesting” exotic animals.
This is even more poignant
given that the unique thylacine
was hunted to extinction to
preserve the rarest of non-native
Australian animals, the sheep!Sweet tips for growing
your own sweetcorn
30 April, p 51
From Michael Allen,
Ottawa, Canada
Clare Wilson gives useful tips
on growing sweetcorn. It is
worth pointing out that each
plant, though it might be up
to 2 metres high, will usually
yield only one ear of corn.
When I first started growing
it, I thought I must be doing
something wrong, so asked
some farmers about it. They said
that is just the way it is – one ear
per plant. So you need to grow
enough plants to allow for that. ❚Want to get in touch?
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