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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
When we eat ice cream on a hot day, does it cool us down or do the calories in it warm us up?
Julian Goodkin
London, UK
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When I open my dishwasher, everything is dry except the plastic items, which remain covered with water droplets. Why is this?
Robert Fizek
via email
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