Why hasn’t evolution reintroduced gills in the land-based mammals that returned to the sea? John BaileyFarnborough, Hampshire, UK What is the fastest way to empty a full jug of water: tipped upside down or poured at a particular angle? Dennis LeisterRockville, Maryland, US 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.
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