Do you really know?

What are cookies? Thanks for asking! Most of us probably associate them with annoying pop-ups, but HTTP cookies actually do a lot of good for our web browsing experience too. Cookies are small pieces of data which are stored on our computers as soon as we visit a website. There are many kinds, and they are usually totally inoffensive, but some can end up being rather intrusive, causing privacy con...

What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone? Thanks for asking!   It’s just over 35 years since the worst nuclear disaster in history. On April 26th 1986, reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. Following the accident, an exclusion zone of around 1,000m2 was established by the Soviet army.  It covers the areas most affected by radioactive contamination, including the city Prypiat...

What is the Escazu Agreement? Thanks for asking!   Ratified on April 22nd 2021, the Escazu Agreement is a historic treaty set to affect one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. It’s Latin America’s first ever environmental treaty, and the first in the world specifically designed to protect defenders of the environment. It was first signed by 24 countries, then ratified by 12 national government...

What is the insider-outsider theory? Thanks for asking! The insider-outsider theory is a New Keynesian economic model which developed in the 1980s, explaining certain disparities in the job market. Insiders are those who already have a job in a company, most of the time a permanent contract and having undergone expensive training. Meanwhile, outsiders are those with unstable jobs or unemployed. Th...

What is stalkerware? Thanks for asking! We’ve probably all jokingly referred to social media stalking when looking at an ex’s profile or checking out what a future colleague looks like. But online stalking can reach serious levels, particularly through the use of monitoring stalkerware. These apps are installed on smartphones, making use of functions like key logging, automated screenshots and GPS...

Who is Alexei Navalny? Thanks for asking! In late March 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny began a hunger strike in his prison cell. A few weeks later he was transferred to a prison hospital, with his allies declaring he was “close to dying”.  Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Moscow, St Petersburg and over 40 other cities. Police arrested over 1700 people. At the same tim...

What is chemsex? Thanks for asking! Chemsex is the practice of taking synthetic drugs or psychoactive products to spice up sexual activity. Participants are predominantly gay men, who claim these illegal drugs remove inhibitions, while also boosting performance and pleasure. Chemsex often involves unprotected and anonymous sex between multiple partners. Parties can last for several consecutive day...

What are Covid toes? Thanks for asking! So-called Covid toes are a symptom observed by doctors since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, consisting of swollen, purplish toes. For a while we suspected it to be a symptom of virus infection, but as it turns out, it may be quite the opposite. As early as April 2020, dermatologists noticed a curious trend. Numerous patients were coming for appointments...

What is Helium-3? Thanks for asking! Helium-3 is a helium isotope which contains two protons and a neutron. It dates back to the earliest days of the universe and formed in the mantle of planet Earth. However, humans only discovered it in 1934.  It is a pretty unique gas, with rare and valuable properties. For example, it can reduce temperatures to nearly absolute zero, which could be useful in cr...

What were the Troubles? Thanks for asking! It’s been 23 years since the Good Friday peace agreement put an end to The Troubles, a decades-long period of violence which saw 3,500 people die. Nevertheless, in recent weeks riots broke out in loyalist areas of Northern Ireland’s major cities, including Derry and Belfast. Gangs of youths attacked police, injuring scores of officers in the worst violenc...

What is Operation London Bridge? Thanks for asking!  The recent passing of Prince Philip at the age of 99 has served as a reminder that even Her Majesty the Queen won’t be around forever. Queen Elizabeth II has reigned over the United Kingdom and Commonwealth since February 6th 1952, longer than any other British monarch.  Believe it or not, extensive protocol is already in place for the day when...

What is a lateral flow test? Thanks for asking! The number of new Covid-19 cases in the UK continues to drop as its vaccination campaign advances. The economy is beginning to reopen with lockdown measures gradually easing. But it’s not all roses unfortunately. The South African variant of concern, which may be vaccine-resistant to some extent, has arrived in the country. The government is now expa...

What is vegetarianism? Thanks for asking! We’ve probably all eaten a meat-free dish at some point over the last few months, but that on its own doesn’t necessarily make a person veggie. Nevertheless, vegetarianism is becoming more and more popular among young people. It’s often about much more than simply taking meat out of your diet. A lot of vegetarians see it as a form of activism which can hel...

What are LGBT-free zones? Thanks for asking! Last month, the European Parliament declared the E.U. to be an LGBTIQ Freedom zone. That was in reaction to the increasing number of LGBT-free zones in Poland, which have been making headlines for the last two years. Poland has gained a reputation as the worst EU country for LGBT rights. If we look back to early 2019, the liberal mayor of Warsaw had ann...

What are NFTs? Thanks for asking! It’s one of the latest crazes in the world of blockchain. Non-fungible tokens are digital certificates of ownership, which state who owns a piece of virtual crypto-art. That’s right, you can now buy collectible digital art, like memes, GIFs, videos and even tweets, all thanks to NFTs. NFTs emerged in 2017, as part of the Ethereum cryptocurrency blockchain. You’ve...

What is pansexuality? Thanks for asking! More and more celebrities are talking about their sexuality. Just two weeks ago, Demi Lovato talked about being pansexual during an interview with Joe Rogan. According to Kim Rice, who wrote the Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality in 2015, pansexuality can be defined as sexual, emotional, romantic or spiritual attraction for other people, regardless of their bi...

What is soft power? Thanks for asking! There was a time where the only way to impose power was through violence and war. But for a few decades now, the power of a country or group is also affected by its soft power. By that we mean its ability to influence other parts of the world by spreading its cultural model. Soft power can be held by states, but also by international institutions, NGOs, busin...

What is Covax? Thanks for asking! Described as the “biggest worldwide rollout of vaccines in the history of humanity”. the Covax scheme is part of the international battle against Covid-19, with the aim of ensuring people all around the world have access to vaccines, especially in poorer countries. This global initiative is led by the World Health Organisation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the C...

What is the Suez Canal? Thanks for asking!   On March 23rd, the Ever Given container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in both directions. Such a blockage had never occurred before and it took six days for salvage crews to free the 220,000-ton cargo ship.  Over 400 ships were forced to queue, waiting for Ever Given to be moved. Shipping data suggested the obstruction was holding...

What is a ghost kitchen? Thanks for asking! For many of us, it’s been a long time since we last set foot in a pub or restaurant. We’ve become more accustomed than ever before to navigating our favourite food delivery apps until we find something that catches our fancy. But do we actually know how and where our meals are prepared? Ghost kitchens, or dark kitchens as they are also known, have really...

What is the precautionary principle? Thanks for asking!  While over 50% of people in the UK have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, the EU is lagging far behind at 16%. Just two days ago, the World Health Organisation described the rollout in Europe as being “unacceptably slow”. The delays are down to several factors, one of which is the precautionary principle. In mid-March, 18 count...

What is poverty porn? Thanks for asking! Poverty porn is a provocative term of criticism which looks at how poor people and their living situations are portrayed in films, on television or on social media. The term became more widespread after the release of Slumdog Millionaire in the late 2000s. The Oscar-winning film tells the story of a young boy who grew up in the slums of Mumbai and is close...

What is Stop Asian Hate? Thanks for asking! On March 16th, a series of shootings in Atlanta caused eight deaths. The murders took place at three different spas, and six of the deceased victims were Asian women.  The 21-year-old perpetrator claims to have been motivated by shame at his own sexual addiction, rather than specifically targeting the Asian community. But some believe the killings should...

Who is Ousmane Sonko? Thanks for asking!   Since early March, Senegal has seen a series of violent protests, a rare event in a country known for its political stability. Behind it all is the arrest of one man - Ousmane Sonko. The 46 year old MP is the main opponent of President Macky Sall and came third in 2019’s presidential election. Sonko is the leader of the PASTEF political party, and identif...

What is Generation Covid? Thanks for asking!  In social sciences, a generation refers to a group of the population whose members are around the same age and have hence lived through the same era. Think the baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials… and now Generation Covid! While they may be significantly less at risk of serious illness from Covid-19, young people are bearing the brunt of the pandem...