When I caught nits when I was younger, I remember trying to get rid of them by combing and chemicals. This was time consuming and, sometimes, uncomfortable. Wouldn't it be simpler just to drown them? If you can drown Headlice, how long would it take?

I was having a discussion with my mates about what would happen if you filled a swimming pool with jelly and jumped in.

Some of the group believe you would sit happily on the surface. Others, myself included, reckon you would sink, and risk drowning as the jelly collapsed around you.

We wouldn't want anybody to be harmed, so we don't recommend experimenting to find out. But do any New Scientist readers have a theoretical answer to the question?

Ross, Bristol, UK