Q. To what degree are the smells we like – and deeply dislike! – culturally unique? . A. It’s a question that interested a 2022 research team from Oxford University and Karolinska Institute. Their approach? Ask 235 people from a global sample – one that included ‘four hunter-gatherer groups and

Q. For we the excitable klutz kin, tripping is a weekly (daily?) occurrence. Left foot, right foot, a labradoodle puppy!.. splat. What kind of global lore swirls around the act of tripping? . A. We’ll get the bad vibes out of the way… i. If, when exiting the house, you

Q. I’m bored. What can I stream, skim, play, text, plan? With the magic of our omni-phones, we can instantly distract ourselves from quiet tedium and empty slog. But, could we benefit by just sinking into the boredom now and then? . A. Researchers, such as University of Central Lancashire’s

Q. ‘Let me tell you You’ve never seen anything like that library So many books, so much marble, so quiet..’ So say lyrics from the brilliant musical ‘She Loves Me’, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock, and a book by Joe Masteroff. Perhaps you, too, have new

Q. They come in with such hope – nestled in tissue, boxed with festive flourish, topped with an oversized bow. ‘How much are they going to love me?! Imagine the pride of place I’ll have in their lives.’ 5, 4, rip, 2 … ‘Wait, what was that micro-expression – a

Q. The wasps – ugh – were at peak annoying this summer. ‘I’m sorry, did you think we would just let you sit outside?’ Were those giant monsters murder hornets, or just garden variety villains fat from all the sugar water they were stealing from the hummingbirds? To combat this

Q. Chances are we’ll see plenty of Wednesday Addams out and about this Halloween. She’s an iconic character and a fantastic last minute costume choice for those of us with longish dark hair and access to a white-collared shirt. When and how did this bebraided character get her start? . A. Google

Q. We’ve been seeing a lot more pet clothes out and about the street this year – sweaters, coats, booties, bowties, tiaras. Halloween will surely up the ante. What can we expect dogs, cats, bunnies and our other fancy furry friends to be wearing October 31st? . A. The National

Q. The mystery genre is as popular as ever – top 3 in best-sellers for centuries. As the perennial favourite Agatha Christie said: “Give me a decent bottle of poison, and I’ll construct the perfect crime.” Amidst shelves and shelves of cryptonyms and creepholes, which detectives, books and authors have

Q. Snooty CEO Ned Quartermaine of the Quartermaines slipped poolside, smacked his head, and passed out. Would he wake up from the medically-induced coma that followed? Yes. Would he be himself? Of course not. When Ned’s eyes blinked open, he was his long-snuffed, 80s rocker alter ego: Eddie Quartermaine. It’s