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Last Word is ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ’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 lastword@newscientist.com

When we eat ice cream on a hot day, does it cool us down or do the calories in it warm us up?

Julian Goodkin

London, UK

When I open my dishwasher, everything is dry except the plastic items, which remain covered with water droplets. Why is this?

Robert Fizek

via email

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

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