Today I Learned

Every parent worries about their child’s future employment prospects. But if you have a child who is neurodivergent, such as a child with autism, ADHD, or Down Syndrome, these concerns become even more marked and urgent. In today’s show, we answer parent Samantha Yong’s question: How do I prepare my neurodivergent child for employment in adulthood? Ivy Philip, the founder of EmployAble, explores w...

The 44th ASEAN (short for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit is underway, so we thought it would be a great time to do a deep dive on ASEAN, especially since Malaysia is set to take the Chairmanship next year. The idea for this conversation came from one of our listeners, Aaron Iskandar, who wanted to know more about ASEAN’s role in promoting economic and security cooperation among...

Ageing anxiety is the fear of growing old and what might come with it, from illness to losing your lustre for life. It’s a fear that has irked Soraya Carol, one of our listeners, who recently turned 60. We take a closer look at this fear, and hear from Soraya to understand where she’s coming from. Then, we speak to our gerontologist Lily Fu, on the best practices to living well in one’s older year...

Do you find yourself tearing up when someone else is crying, even if you don’t know why? We delve into why tears can make people uneasy, the cultural stigma surrounding crying, and how reactions differ between men and women. Plus, we discuss those who seldom cry and how tears became a sign of weakness, and something you should grow out of. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s well-known that some animals, like the axolotl and the salamander possess remarkable regenerative abilities. Humans, however, don’t possess this ability, unless you’re a fictional superhero character like Deadpool. That's what Timothy Tuan, one of our listeners, brought up when he asked us about whether humans can regenerate one day. We explore the reasons why we cannot regrow our limbs and o...

It’s Sexual Health Awareness Month, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to learn about sex. Our listener, Lily, has questions about how a young person like herself, can find out more about sexual health, and relationships. And it makes sense, because when you're young, learning about sex can be confusing, embarrassing or even taboo. So who do we turn to when we need to learn about the birds a...

As Merdeka approaches, we examine the man who was Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj, our first Prime Minister, and founding father of Malaya and Malaysia. We reminisce about Tunku's remarkable life and enduring legacy with Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr Hj Shad Saleem Faruqi (Holder of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Chair, University of Malaya, Trustee, Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman) and Johan Rozali-Wathooth (Tr...

If you’ve watched the Planet of the Apes series, you’ve probably wondered: What would happen if apes decided to gang up on humans? Would we stand a chance against them? If apes ever learn to speak, are we absolutely done for? Some even say the apes have entered the stone age. How much longer do we have until they decide to club us in the head and take the world for their own? And if they hypotheti...

Learning languages can be a daunting task, especially when you’re expected to be a master of three or more. But what if we can merge our languages to become one? We first speak to Declan Goh, who was the one who asked this question, with the hopes that a unified language would help him learn more effectively in classes. Then, we explore the idea of a unified language, and also the intricacies invo...

What is the profound connection between Indigenous people and their land? What is the difference between Orang Asal and Orang Asli? We speak to Dr Welyne Jeffrey Jehom, an anthropologist from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Universiti Malaya about these cultural ties and the challenges these communities face. Image Credit: Shahjehan, Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Why are Malayan Tigers so special? Why are there so few of them left in the wild? What led to their decline? Why aren't efforts to protect them working? What would happen if there are no more Malayan Tigers left in the wild? This Global Tiger Day, we explore these questions and more with conservationist Lau Ching Fong, who is also the Acting Director of the Perak State Parks Corporation. Image Cre...

Gaming has often been associated with myths and stereotypes like fostering laziness, promoting violence, and leading to social isolation. Our listener Jon, an avid gamer in his 60s, wants to challenge these assumptions. Can gaming actually improve our memory, spatial awareness, and alertness? In this episode of Today I Learned, we debunk these myths and explore the nuanced impacts of gaming on our...

Do you love using emojis to convey the emotions behind your words but find that not everyone actually gets what you’re trying to say? Why do people interpret emojis differently? On this episode of Today I Learned, linguistic student, Grace Tan, presents these questions to us. So we dive into the world of emojis to find out how they’ve evolved as a language and whether the miscommunications are wor...

In this episode, we explore a question from Nicole Cheok, a parent, who wants the answer to a perennial parenting question: how can we support our children and give them tremendous amounts of love and support… without raising someone who’s spoiled? Tan Cheng Yi, an educational psychologist, gives her take, as we field questions from listeners as well. Image Credit: japansainlook, Shutterstock See...

Whether you're a columnist for a newspaper, a film critic, a nonfiction writer or just enjoy writing casually, improving your creative writing skills is essential for achieving success. So, how do you do it? Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do we take turns when talking to one another? On the surface, it seems quite basic. Of course, we shouldn’t be talking over each other. But did you know that this seemingly basic thing we do every single day in all our conversations requires tremendous precision? Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine pursuing a romantic interest while harbouring deep-seated insecurities or fear of intimacy, leading to self-sabotaging behaviours such as overanalyzing, pushing or creating unnecessary drama in the relationship. This is an example of self-sabotaging. But why do people self-sabotage? Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hope is that feeling of wanting something to happen or to be true. It is the spark that keeps us going through tough times. But what is the deeper importance of hope? We speak to Dr Eugene Tee, Associate Professor in Psychology. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour Day is celebrated on the 1st of May every year. But why do we observe Labour Day? What is its history?  We speak to Audi Ali, who’s a labour rights activist and a writer for Jentayu. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine this. Your partner seems a bit distant or quiet for a day or two. Instead of considering that your partner might be stressed or busy, your immediate thought is "They're probably cheating on me! Our relationship is doomed, and I'll never find love again!" That’s called catastrophizing. But what exactly is it and how do we overcome it? Image Credit: metamorworks, Shutterstock See omnystudio....

It is becoming increasingly common for us to receive a call from an unknown number telling us that we have a package stuck somewhere or a WhatsApp message offering the best salaries and investment plans. You engage, go down the rabbit hole and then lose tens of thousands of ringgit, as they turned out to be scams.  But how do scams work and how do we spot a scam? See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Think of the scene from Harry Potter where Harry makes Ron think that he has spiked his drink with the liquid luck potion. Ron then goes on to play the best game of Quidditch he’s ever played, only for Harry to later reveal that he didn’t actually put anything in Ron’s drink. Ron played well because he thought his drink contained the liquid luck potion.  This is called The Placebo Effect. But...

It is estimated that there are more than 7000 languages in the world. Some languages are going extinct, some are growing in popularity, some are spoken in many regions around the world, and some are considered more niche. So, how are languages formed and how do they evolve and travel? Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bank Negara Malaysia, or BNM, is the central bank of Malaysia. We often hear about its pivotal role in Malaysia's economy, in monitoring and perhaps even managing currency exchange rates and OPRs. But what exactly is Bank Negara Malaysia? What are its powers and limitations? Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia has been listed as the 5th happiest country (or 5th best mental well-being) in the world according to a report by the Global Mind Project. But are we really doing that well? We spoke to Dr Eugene Tee about the difference between happiness and well-being, why Malaysia ranked so highly and more. Image credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.