Â鶹´«Ã½

Last Word

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ryan Browne/Shutterstock (13048564cx) Eilish McColgan of Scotland celebrates victory in the Women's 10,000m final Commonwealth Games 2022, Day Seven, Birmingham, UK - 3 Aug 2022

Can the drag of hair tied in a pony tail slow down elite runners?

Our readers debate whether loose hair can hold top runners back - and invoke a famous cycling race

Regulars

This week’s new questions

Regulars
2GPFM5E Child in green jacket looking at rainbow over an ocean

Why do I see extra colours bands below the typical bow of a rainbow?

Regulars
Impressed young asian woman talking on phone with girlfriend while putting mascara in front of mirror at home, sharing rumors; Shutterstock ID 1793035801; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Why do we open our mouths when we put on mascara?

Regulars
Portrait of white cat with crown on head sitting on bed, Namibia.

This week’s new questions

Regulars
FTTG61 Ball of white heavy thread isolated on white

Could a word on ball of string be deciphered if the ball unravelled?

Regulars
Young african man sitting at airport lounge and sleeping, waiting for flight at airport departure area.

Is jet lag worse if you travel east rather than west?

Regulars
Male legs and hands Weed Out plant gardening in home garden; Shutterstock ID 2087550862; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

What stops us from processing weeds into tasty and edible food? Part 2

Regulars
illustrating the accelerating expansion of the universe

This week’s new questions

Regulars
This photograph is of the sky over north London on Wednesday 15th June at 8:13 am. The picture Is cropped to centre the image. The effect was not due to camera or glass of vehicle photo was taken from and looked identical to naked eye. What can have caused the contrails to end so evenly? No aircraft were immediately apparent, it did turn out to be a remarkable hot day. I am assuming my passenger?s suggestion of a glitch in the matrix leading to an incomplete sky rendering is incorrect- can you or your readers provide a more sensible explanation

Why do some contrails run in parallel and end abruptly in the sky?

When multiple planes fly through adjacent air layers that differ in humidity and temperature, this can leave evenly spaced contrails that end suddenly, say our readers

Regulars

Why do we have pubic hair but other animals, like elephants, don’t?

Regulars

Why do even numbers feel ‘right’ to me, and odd ones ‘wrong’? (Part 2)

Regulars

This week’s new questions

Regulars

What is the optimal number of holes to pierce a microwave meal’s film?

Regulars