Tim Boddy
Last Word is Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s long-running series in which readers give scientific answers to each other’s questions, ranging from the minutiae of everyday life to absurd astronomical hypotheticals. To answer a question or ask a new one, email lastword@newscientist.com
What difference would it have made to our species’ technological development if glass wasn’t transparent?
Justin Baker,
Elsternwick, Victoria, Australia
BublikHaus/Shutterstock
Can you reheat food without additionally cooking it? Is there a threshold temperature that begins the re-cooking process?
David Bloomquist,
Venice, Florida, US
To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.
Questions should…
