Inquiring minds want to know. What’s the big deal about low-carb diets? What causes muscle aches when you get the flu? How did the ancient Egyptians build the Giza Pyramids?

These are some of the 162 questions compiled in this science Q&A anthology. It’s all here: the myths, mysteries, oddities, familiar but strange, everyday to exotic. Each answer succinctly synthesizes the current state of a body of research so that you can answer the “whys” of a child in your life, captivate people at cocktail parties, or just satisfy your own inquiring mind.