Do you really know?

It’s great to be remembered by friends, colleagues, and family at Christmas, but despite people’s best intentions, they don't always get you what you want. So now the festive season is over and the wrapping is off it might be time to take some of those gifts back rather than let them gather dust in a cupboard.  If you bought something, in-store or online and it is faulty then by law you can get a...

Almost all kids are afraid of the dark, and sometimes that fear even lingers into adulthood. It's a shame really because, contrary to what you might think, darkness is actually not our enemy but a friend when it comes to drifting off to dreamland. Being exposed to light at night can have negative consequences on person’s health in the long-term. That’s according to a study by researchers at Northw...

Did you know that each of us has a truly unique body odour, which is influenced by a mix of genetic, hormonal, age-related, environmental, and lifestyle factor? And your diet plays a role in shaping your natural scent. Some foods have their own noticeably strong odours, like garlic or onions for example, and can in turn cause us to sweat more. The same goes for spices and chili, which makes sense...

Christmas is seen as a season of joy, but it can also be a testing time for many people, whether it’s mentally, emotionally, physically or financially. And 2022 may be worse than most years in that respect. Most of the population are feeling additional pressure due to the cost-of-living crisis, and Christmas tends to be an expensive time. Furthermore, upsetting news stories have been dominating he...

According to the UK’s Department for Education, girls still make up fewer students choosing A-level maths and physics and even fewer go on to study engineering or computer science at university. Yet these subjects often lead to some of the best-paid jobs. So, does this mean girls just aren’t as good at maths? So, what’s behind that shift? So what can be done to change that? In under 3 minutes, we...

Faecal transplant, also known as faecal microbiota transplantation or FMT, is the transfer of stool from a healthy donor to a patient with a disease. The idea is to restore the balance of bacteria in the gut, which can be disrupted by factors such as antibiotics, diet, or infection but it could potentially help with a range of problems from irritable bowel syndrome to Alzheimer’s.  Why is faecal t...

If there are any teenagers out there listening in, chances are you have faced an acne breakout at some point in the recent past, or perhaps you're even going through that now. Rest assured, that was the case for many of us adults too when we were your age, and for some people, acne continues to be a nuisance into adulthood. It’s tied to a number of factors including hormonal shifts, genetics, life...

You have surely felt butterflies in your stomach before a big event or had a ‘gut’ feeling about something. You might even say you need to ‘digest’ some big news. Our stomach is sometimes dubbed the ‘second brain’ and it's more than just a metaphor.   The term gained traction in the West in 1999, thanks to Dr. Michael Gershon’s book “The Second Brain.” However, the concept isn’t new. Ayurvedic med...

After clocking out, who doesn’t crave a hearty meal after a hard day's work? But here’s the thing: your dinner choices could be tipping the scales. You’ve likely heard the old saying, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” And yes, that pauper’s plate might skip the starches. Why? How so? So, can you cozy up with carbs at night? In under 3 minutes, we answer yo...

In September 2025, Dutch production company Xicoia caused quite the stir in Hollywood. At the Zueich film festival they unveiled Tilly Norwood: the world’s first non-human actress, created entirely by AI. The Guardian described Norwood as an “uncanny fusion of Gal Gadot, Ana de Armas and High School Musical-era Vanessa Hudgens”, and a panel was told she has “attracted the attention of multiple tal...

In the Western world, we celebrate Christmas on December 25th to honour the birth of Jesus, a tradition dating back to around the year 300 AD. But well before that, various cultures had been marking the end of the year as a symbol of life's renewal. Over time, Christmas has transcended its origins and found unique expressions in different corners of the globe, from Brazil and Ethiopia to Japan and...

Getting restorative sleep and putting an end to back pain are both good reasons to opt for quality bedding. And if another reason was needed: on average, we spend 7-9 hours in bed every night and around a third of our lives sleeping in total. The problem is it can sometimes be like diving into a sea of options when it comes to mattresses. The most common type is the foam mattress, which adapts to...

A lot of people are reluctant to go out in the cold during the winter season. It's a real shame, as there are many ways in which you can protect yourself from low or even sub-zero temperatures. You've probably been told it a million times since you were a kid, but it bears repeating: you need to wrap up warm! The clothes you wear outdoors trap warm air inside. A good starting point is wearing a co...

According to The Sun, scientists say that “the average person in the UK now consumes more than eight kilograms of chemical additives every year.” Of course with that being an average figure, it can shoot up even further for those who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods.  If you’ve ever looked closely at ingredients lists on the packaging of food you buy in your supermarket, you’ll have noticed the...

If you believe the marketing slogans printed on their packaging, light or reduced-calorie food products offer you the same enjoyment but with fewer calories. It seems like a no-brainer, right?! In order for a product to be labelled as “light” (with either “-ght” or “-te” at the end), current rules in the UK state that it must be “at least 30% lower in one typical value (calories or fat) than that...

Sniffling, sneezing, itchy eyes, asthma flare-ups, and even sleep disruptions. If you're wondering why you're dealing with all the telltale signs of hay fever smack in the middle of December, you might just be grappling with what's commonly known as the Christmas tree syndrome. In a nutshell, it's a seasonal allergy triggered by the presence of mould in the needles and trunk of the tree. The cosy...

In the days of yore, clothes were scrubbed with soap, brushes, and sheer elbow grease. But today, laundry detergents have revolutionized the way we clean our garments. These modern marvels remove stains without requiring Herculean effort. But navigating the overwhelming array of choices in the detergent aisle can be overwhelming.  The French consumer magazine 60 millions de consommateurs carried o...

Panto, short for pantomime, has become a staple of British Christmas celebrations but surprisingly its origins are neither British or Christmassy. It has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was celebrated in December and involved dressing up as the opposite gender, swapping roles, and having a lot of fun. The word ‘pantomime’ comes from the Latin ‘pantomimus’, which means...

Antibiotics are critical to modern medicine, and have saved millions of lives since first being introduced in the mid-20th century. However, there are drawbacks to prescribing antibiotics when they’re not actually required. Of course there’s the issue of antibiotic resistance, which is seen as a major threat to human health. And there are also unwanted side effects of antibiotic use to take into a...

he last two and a half years have caused a lot of us to reassess our priorities in life. Are we really living our lives to the full? Are there new experiences that we should be trying out? Within that context, an alternative nomadic lifestyle called vanlife has seen a resurgence.  It’s been around since the 1960s, when hippies would travel across the United States in vans. But social media has mad...

According to a study published in the Scientific Reports journal in 2017, the holiday season sees a peak in sex-related searches on Google and Twitter. The researchers behind the study also identified an increase in birth rates in late September, in other words nine months after Christmas of the previous year. So the evidence is there: for many of us, sexual desire increases at Christmas time. The...

We all know staying hydrated is crucial for feeling fit and healthy. The general recommendation is to drink between 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day. But let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to stick to that. Ideally, you shouldn’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water because thirst signals that your body has already lost about half a litre of water. But you might be surprised to learn that you...

According to data from Writer Buddy, Character. Ai ranks as the second most used AI tool behind ChatGPT. It received 3.8 billion visits in the twelve months following its launch in September 2022.  Now, if you’re not familiar with the service, users can create their own chatbots based on famous figures like Albert Einstein or Elon Musk, fictional characters, or custom-created avatars. Some people...

Body positivity, once the rallying cry for self-acceptance and diversity, championed the idea that all bodies deserve recognition. Born online and amplified by social media, it pushed back against the narrow beauty standards long set by fashion and advertising. But in 2025, there’s a sense that the tide may be turning perhaps even back toward a pre-body positivity mindset. So, how did this movemen...

John Lewis has released its annual Christmas advert; entitled ‘The Beginner.’ It follows the progress of a middle aged man as he slowly, painfully and determinedly learns how to skateboard. The montage ends by revealing that he is doing all this to make his foster daughter feel welcome when she comes to stay with them for Christmas. It's touching and, for all but the most cold hearted, brings a te...