
Why do carnivorous quadrupeds like cheetahs or dogs sit on their haunches, but herbivorous ones like sheep don’t?
Shelley Hinsley
Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, UK

Is the order of mathematical operations, given the acronym BODMAS, universal or does it break down in the quantum world?
Carl Parker
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 lastword@newscientist.com
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