In a medical crisis,who will speak for you? Here’s how people plan ahead

It can happen in instant. When you can’t make decisions about your own medical treatment,who steps into your shoes? And how do doctors know what you want (and don’t want)?

  • Nick Newling andFelicity Lewis

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What does being ‘fit’ actually mean? We took the test to find out

How can you tell if you’re (technically) fit – and what difference does it make to your life?

  • Jackson Graham andFelicity Lewis
Why Do People Queue For Brunch

Explaining modern mysteries:How the Herald answers your curly questions

Explainer editor Felicity Lewis reveals how her team tackles the questions you want answered – and some you hadn’t thought to ask.

  • Bevan Shields andFelicity Lewis
“How may I help you?” Felicity Lewis in 1988.

‘Glamour in a packet’:How I learned stockings were the tip of a nylon iceberg

Gossamer fine,in colours like ‘alabaster’ and ‘chateau’ – pantyhose meant different things to different women,and it was my job to help them find the perfect pair.

  • Felicity Lewis

Where did Santa come from? Was pudding really served with meat? Everything you wanted to know about Christmas

In this Explainer from our archive,we go behind the tinsel,to a cornucopia of customs and layers of legend in the festive season.

  • Jackson Graham andFelicity Lewis

‘The dead know things’:The spooky history of Halloween

Halloween is an American thing,right? Not exactly. In this Explainer from our archives,we explore how the celebration went from ancient rites to actual riots to (mostly) wholesome fun for all the family.

  • Jackson Graham andFelicity Lewis
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Glen Boyle:“Every cancer is different – so there’s our first problem.”

Why is cancer so hard to cure?

Some 50,000 Australians will die from cancer this year,despite big breakthroughs in treatments. What makes cancer so very tough to treat?

  • Kate Aubusson,Jackson Graham andFelicity Lewis
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Ancient rituals,modern twists:how the coronation worked

Old rituals and modern flourishes will come together in this coronation ceremony. There’s a story behind every robe and sceptre – and a special bit that none of us will see. We explain.

  • Rob Harris andFelicity Lewis
cable explainer

A dozen undersea cables connect Australia to the internet. What happens if they get hacked – or cut?

Hundreds of undersea cables link up the worldwide web,with about a dozen connected to Australia. How does this little-known network work – and what happens if it’s sabotaged?

  • Sherryn Groch andFelicity Lewis
David Knoff at St Ali cafe in South Melbourne.

‘Like finishing a marathon,only to be told it’s an ultra-marathon’

David Knoff’s team had nearly come to the end of their year in Antarctica when the knock-on effects of the pandemic hit.

  • Felicity Lewis