Being able to understand and manage emotions is key to health and happiness. For some, like me, that comes easier with animalsI like people. I really do. In fact, some of my best friends are people. However, most of my best friends are animals and if I had to choose between spending time with people or spending time with animals, I’d choose animals. I simply find them easier, and quite often...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsCan you help: What is the most dangerous food in the world?What, if any, are the evolutionary purpose of toenails?Gerard MarksSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue...

Pioneering Bristol study blames the solid-fuel burners in people’s homes for breaches of World Health Organisation guidelinesLike many parts of the country, Bristol has experienced a huge rise in the number of houses installing wood burners over the past decade. But as they have proliferated, mainly in the wealthier parts of the city where many Victorian and Georgian houses have been renovated,...