Why do certain pieces of music evoke emotions such as joy or sadness, and do people from different cultures react in the same way? Jean AllenGrantham, Lincolnshire, UK Why do we scrunch our faces up when we taste something sour? Alexandra ThompsonLondon, UK Last Word is New Scientist’s long-running series in which readers give scientific answers to each other’s questions, ranging from the minutiae of everyday life to absurd astronomical hypotheticals.
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