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This week’s new questions

Why did crocodiles, turtles, lizards and birds survive the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction event but non-avian dinosaurs didn’t? And if Earth was flat, how would gravity work?

4 December 2024

J7JGYD Cuban Rock Iguana, Cyclura nubila, Jardines de la Reina, Cuba

WaterFrame/Alamy

Why did crocodiles, turtles, lizards and birds survive the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction event, but non-avian dinosaurs didn’t?

Fred Zemke,

Grover Beach, California, US

2B74MKJ 3D Illustration Rendering. Flat earth theory with atmosphere, sun, moon and glass cover. Ancient mythology belief in plane globe in form of disk.

Oscar Collica/Alamy

If Earth was flat, how would gravity manifest?

Terence Partridge,

San Jose, California, US

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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