I don’t know about you, but ever since I can remember – from my early teens – I have been bemused about the endless rituals we humans perform; and even more so about what can and can’t be said about ...

You’re reading Open Questions, Joshua Rothman’s weekly column exploring what it means to be human. Take your young kid with you as you commute through Penn Station and you’ll find that you have a lot ...

Jamie Q. Roberts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...