Q. Is there anything more tedious than wiping down groceries? Ok, yes. But..ugh. Lockdown life introduced us to new and perfectly awful household chores to add to the list. As a rule, what type of housework do people despise the most? . A. Earlier this year, YouGov surveyed 1775 US

Q. Who are some well-known historic figures with unusual to alarming animal friends? . A. Audrey Hepburn’s Fawn In the 1959 film ‘Green Mansions’, Audrey Hepburn plays Rima, a ‘Bird Girl’ who lives in the forest. Green Mansions was less than a hit, but in the film – and in

Q. What are some striking jobs from days gone by? . A. Barber Surgeon Yes. They did both. A little snip here, a little snip there. Barber surgeons were particularly active with soldiers in the Middle Ages. Some believe that the red and white swirl of the barber’s pole symbolizes

Q. Are there any signature scents from your childhood that you haven’t smelled for years? Do you think those scent memories will sit strong in your brain, or will the fragrant details start to fade? . A. First, we can start by exploring which smells people most frequently associate with

Q. Remember, back in the day, when it was safe to go out for cocktails, mocktails, and bar snacks with friends? How is it that some people order up a storm, then manage to make themselves scarce when it’s their turn to buy the next round for the table? .

Q. But who would you rather talk to at a party: the one who ate the marshmallow, or the one who let it be? . A. At this point, we’re all marshmallow-savvy. Let’s move it to the world of candy. Tony and Steve share a secret vice: they are both

Q. Stop and smell the roses. Those chocolate chip cookies smell like home. We’re not surprised to hear of scents that trigger memories and make us happy. But are scents associated more broadly with different emotions? . A. We can start with this.. Please complete these sentences as quickly as

Q. How is it that some people are so good at mimicking day to day sounds – popping corks, robot vacuums, espresso machines, car alarms? . A. We have certainly heard remarkable mimicry in our animal friends. As we see in the David Attenborough-narrated video below, the incredible lyre bird

Q. As our attention moves to the world of lifelike robots, we owe a nod back to those who spend their days and weeks crafting old school mannequin heads. Who does that? . A. Their eyes fix on nosy visitors. Given their torsoless state, some of these display heads look

Q. We English speakers say some strange things. Which of our expressions are most likely to get lost in translation? . A. As we prattle on, it’s easy to forget how many baffling idioms we use in our complicated language. What must those new to English think when we drop off-topic,