Читатели New Scientist обмениваются научными ответами на вопросы о повседневных явлениях

If we could collect every hair that has ever grown on my 19-year-old cat and lay them end to end, how long a line would they make? Marthinus Roos Elgin, Moray, UK What is it that makes creases form when you wash or wear clothes, and how and why does ironing remove them? Thomas Riley London, UK Last Word is New Scientist’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 [email protected] answer this question – or ask a new one – email [email protected]. Advertisement 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. The use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude) to write either questions or answers is forbidden, and any submissions found to have been written using AI tools will be withdrawn.