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This week’s new questions

When I die what happens to my microbiome? And does space really smell like an overdone barbecue, as astronaut Tim Peake has said?

2C166J1 Silhouette of a human with skin flora,microorganisms which naturally colonize the human skin - 3d illustration

When I die, what happens to my microbiome?

Bill Smith,

Doylestown, Pennsylvania, US

2HJT7F4 Cluster of stars. Starfield. Nebula. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

Does space really smell like an overdone barbecue, as astronaut Tim Peake has said? And can the molecules carrying the smell exist in sufficient quantities in a near vacuum?

Anne Downer,

Bristol, UK

To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.

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