Researchers pinpoint when babies develop sense of humour

Babies take at least one month to appreciate humour, according to a new study. In a global study of about 700 children, researchers at the University of Bristol found that the earliest reported age that children appreciate humour was about four weeks, and that about half of babies find things funny by the age of two months. Dr Elena Hoicka, associate professor at the university, said: “Our results highlight that humour is a complex, developing process.”

Human-sized dog needs forever home

A dog the size of a human who has been in a rescue centre for most of his life is looking for a home this Christmas. Basher, a two-year-old mastiff, weighs in at 9st 4lbs and measures almost 6ft tall when standing up. He is facing his second Christmas in kennels. Helen Jones, the animal centre manager at RSPCA Cornwall, said: “Basher was rescued in January 2020, so has spent almost two years waiting to find his forever home.” The RSPCA said Basher would be best suited to an adult-only home, where there are no cats or any other dogs.

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Man builds Taj Mahal replica for his wife

A 52-year-old businessman in India has built a scaled-down replica of the Taj Mahal as a home for his wife of 27 years. Anand Prakash Chouksey constructed what he called his “monument of love” in the city of Burhanpur in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. He told the BBC it was “a gift for my wife but also for the town and its people”. Back in 2013, a retired government official in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh also built a replica of the Taj Mahal, in memory of his wife.