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Last Word is Â鶹´«Ã½’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
Greed has contributed to massive wealth inequality. What are its evolutionary and psychological bases? What good is greed?
Jane Monroe
Arcata, California, US
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Is it possible for a planet to orbit a binary star system in a figure of eight? And is it possible for such an orbit to be stable?
Keith Marshall
London, UK
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