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This week’s new questions

Is jet lag worse if you go east rather than west? And why do humans have pubic hair, when other ‘hairless’ mammals like pigs and elephants manage without it

3 August 2022

Passengers waiting for the air flight at airport terminal.

Shutterstock

Is jet lag worse if you travel east rather than west? Does going with or against the rotation of Earth have an impact? Grace, Lucy and Sam Liubinskas, Sydney, Australia

DRE532 Elephant (Loxodonta africana) waving its trunk sitting in the waterhole of Gwarrie Pan, Addo Elephant Park, South Africa

Ulrich Doering/Alamy

Why do humans have pubic hair, when other “hairless” mammals, like pigs and elephants, manage without it? Jim Stone, Great Hucklow, Derbyshire, UK

To answer this question – or ask a new one – email lastword@newscientist.com.

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…

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