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This week’s new questions

If an Earth-sized rogue planet passed through our solar system, missing the planets, how much disruption would it cause? And would it be possible for an intelligent species to develop an advanced technological civilisation without the wheel?

4 September 2024

hot Jupiter class exoplanet, gas giant planet lit by an alien sun (3d space rendering); Shutterstock ID 1150780133; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Dotted Yeti/Shutterstock

If an Earth-sized rogue planet passed through our solar system, missing the planets, how much disruption would it cause?

David McKenzie,

Launceston, Tasmania

2T7WK87 Hooper, Colorado, USA - July 21, 2023: An alien welcomes visitors to the UFO Watchtower, a unique roadside attraction in the San Luis Valley.

John M. Chase/Alamy

Would it be possible for an intelligent species to develop an advanced technological civilisation without the wheel?

Joe Roberts,

St Austell, Cornwall, UK

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

Questions should be scientific enquiries about everyday phenomena, and both questions and answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a postal address, daytime telephone number and email address.

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