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This week’s new questions

Does the drag from loose hair slow down elite athletes? And what happens to a photon after it hits the retina of my eye?

24 August 2022

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

Eilish McColgan of Scotland celebrates victory in the Women’s 10,000m final

Ryan Browne/Shutterstock

At the recent Commonwealth Games, I was struck by how many runners with long hair had tied it in a ponytail. When fractions of a second can decide a race, surely looser hair is a drag?

Helen Read,

Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, UK

An image of a human retina taken during an eye exam

Gregory Adams/Getty Images

What happens to a photon after it hits the retina of my eye?

Adam Eri,

Vienna, Austria

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…

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