7 May 2022 | New Scientist | 55Answers
Quick quiz #150
Answers1 Wally Schirra
2 The Glasgow Coma Scale
3 Imago, or imaginal stage
4 Kaolin
5 Georges CuvierCryptic crossword
#82 AnswersACROSS 1 Sagacity, 5 Drab,
8 Irate, 9 Kidneys, 11 Extract,
12 Raise, 13 Tartar, 15 Clam up,
18 Blast, 19 Recedes, 21 Freesia,
22 Innie, 23 Tote, 24 CinnabarDOWN 1 Snidest, 2 Graft,
3 Coelacanths, 4 Ta k e t o ,
6 Rhenium, 7 Baste,
10 Dereliction, 14 Reagent,
16 Pasteur, 17 Armani,
18 Befit, 20 Deneb#165 Land for rent
SolutionJoining the centres of the four
circles gives a square with sides
of 10 metres.As can be seen in the diagram
below, the three quarter-circles b,
c and d in the square correspond
to the three quarter-circles B, C
and D outside the square, in the
area enclosed in red.This means that the total area
outlined in red fits exactly inside
the square and is therefore 100
square metres.Tom Gauld
for New Scientist
your body are more likely to
be condensed water from the
humid air than perspiration.
How this affects us mentally
remains to be meaningfully
studied. It probably comes
down to personal preference
and how your mind and body
react to the thermal stress of a
dry sauna or steam room.
Whole-body heat exposure is
known to have several similarities
to exercise. Like those who prefer
high-intensity exercise to low-
intensity forms, there are also
those who prefer steam rooms
to dry saunas, and vice versa.
A lot more research needs to
be done to determine all the
benefits (and risks) of both.
The mention of “self-
flagellation” is worth further
inspection. On the contrary, most
sauna bathers in the Global Sauna
Survey indicated enjoyment,
improved sleep and stress relief
as a result of their hot activities.
Jari Laukkanen
University of Eastern Finland
Both saunas and steam rooms
may offer health benefits that
come from heating the whole
body, so the effects should be
similar for both. However, our
studies have only looked at the
effects of dry Finnish-type
saunas, where temperatures
reach around 80°C.
We have found that this type
of sauna bathing is associated with
a reduced risk of cardiovascular
disease and fatalities, as well as a
lower risk of high blood pressure
and strokes.Future archive
I want to preserve scenes from my
childhood (currently on DVDs) for
at least the next 100 years. With
technology progressing so rapidly,
what is the best format for this?
(continued)Xenia Polunin
By email
When my father died in 1997,
I offered his notebooks from
his expeditions to the Canadian
Arctic and Spitsbergen, Norway,
written in the 1930s, to the
British Museum. On receiving
them, they told me they were
so happy that he had written
in pencil because it lasts longer
than other methods of writing.Russell Fulton
Auckland, New Zealand
I have read the previous answers
with interest, but no one made the
point that using multiple methods
increases the chance of survival.
I have worked in academic
IT for nearly 50 years and seen
several disasters involving loss
of digital data from various causes.
To use an old saying: “Don’t put
all your eggs in one basket.”
Store your treasures with
several different cloud providers
and, most importantly, make
sure that someone is delegated
to keep an eye on them when
you are gone! ❚“ Self flagellation?
Most sauna bathers
reported enjoyment,
improved sleep and
stress relief as a result
of their hot activities”d
c
A
b
D
B
C