Do you really know?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing was only created in the late 20th century, but it’s since established itself as a popular and increasingly used form of therapy. EMDR is especially recommended for children and adults dealing with trauma from physical or psychological violence, such as sexual abuse. It was discovered relatively recently in 1987, but that doesn’t mean it’s an alternativ...

As summer approaches, a lot of people are hitting the gym with the goal of slimming down. Maybe you’re aiming to shed a few pounds and show off a toned figure at the beach. Naturally, the first reflex is often to hop on a treadmill or lift some weights.  But here’s the thing: while exercise is great for you, it’s not always the most effective way to lose weight. To lose fat, you have to burn more...

Seven minutes, a freight elevator, and an angle grinder, that’s all a small team of robbers needed to steal jewelry from the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery on October 19, 2025. And this isn’t unprecedented: in 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen by a museum employee and only resurfaced two years later. Faced with that kind of risk, some museums now quietly display reproductions instead of originals. Is this c...

For generations, the idea of marrying your first love, living happily ever after, and having lots of kids was considered the ultimate dream. But for Gen Z and younger generations, that vision is shifting. New ways of "making a family" are emerging—like living long-term with friends, co-parenting without being romantically involved, and even entering into a lavender marriage. A lavender marriage is...

The question asked in the title of today’s episode might seem a little strange. After all, we all sit the same way on the toilet, right? Straight up with our knees at a 90-degree angle. But in fact that might not be the best for our digestive system.  Stomach doctors, also known as gastroenterologists, suggest that this position can actually make it harder to go. And that’s not the only reason why...

According to estimations from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals charity, UK households are home to around 11 million pet cats. Cats have long been an integral part of human culture, and that has given rise to certain beliefs and superstitions. That’s particularly true when it comes to black cats, who have been associated with bad luck and misfortune for centuries. The association between bl...

What is rewilding? Over the history of life on planet Earth, there have been five mass extinction events, due to changing sea temperatures, volcano eruptions and the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. And now experts fear a sixth mass extinction is underway, this time directly linked to human activity. According to a study published in Biological Review in January 2022, 10% of the plane...

Positive thinking is the attitude of seeing the bright side of things and expecting the best possible outcome. It doesn’t mean ignoring reality or denying problems, but rather approaching them with optimism and confidence. Positive thinking can help you cope with stress, improve your mood, boost your self-esteem, and even enhance your physical and mental health. According to a study that followed...

What are subliminals? If you listen to some people out there, they’ll tell you you can improve your self-esteem, change your eye colour, or become a mermaid simply by viewing or listening to certain clips on Youtube. Sounds far-fetched right? Well, the idea is based on subliminal messaging, so let’s discuss how realistic it is. It’s important to distinguish between audio and visual subliminals. Th...

What is poverty porn? 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. Despite the film’s massive success, there were debates about whether it was poverty porn. Some suggested director Danny Boyle created it for a white audience looking for images of deprivation in a faraway setting....

Whether you’re the one being left or the one doing the leaving, a breakup always presents certain challenges. It’s pretty common to try to learn from the relationship that’s ended, in order to move forwards in a positive way. And those takeaways can help us gain perspective and avoid making the same mistakes in the future.  But when that kind of rumination becomes excessive and persists with time,...

All week long, we’re looking into 10 new terms and concepts that are certain to be on everyone’s lips in 2023! It’s nearly 11 months since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, and the war has reached somewhat of a stalemate. Many observers expected a swift Russian victory, no doubt including Vladimir Putin himself, but Ukrainian resistance proved fierce. Over the summer, Ukraine launched a cou...

Have you ever seen perfumes advertised as containing pheromones and therefore increasing your sexual attractiveness or libido? Sounds too good to be true, right? According to Healthline.com, pheromones are "chemical substances that are secreted outside of the body in fluids like urine and sweat." The portal explains that they’re produced by a wide range of animals and plants, but that it’s still n...

To celebrate International Women's Day, which falls on March 8th, Bababam is replaying Do You Really Know episodes which look at the struggle against inequalities between women and men. All week long, refresh your knowledge about ideas and concepts which promote female empowerment. What is the postpartum period? Many people wrongly assume that all women immediately find their feet after having a b...

We all know them and use them; so today let’s celebrate them. World Emoji Day falls on 17th July. Yes that’s right, a day has been set aside for honouring the little pictograms we use to brighten up our digital messaging exchanges. You can find them in emails, messaging apps, and on social media. Everywhere really. But we’re so used to them that we don’t really think about who created them to star...

According to a 2022 study by Direct Line life insurance, 71% of British adults fail to get the recommended 7 to 9 hours sleep per night. Many people struggle with getting to sleep, and if you use Tiktok, you may well have seen clips of people talking about methods for overcoming that problem. Brain tapping, as found on TikTok, actually combines two techniques. The first one was invented by Jim Don...

You may have heard that our ears and noses never stop growing, you may even have found yourself wondering if your ears are indeed bigger than they used to be. But there might be an answer, a study published in the British Medical Journal in 1993 took a very serious look at the question. The scientists measured the earlobes of 206 volunteers aged between 30 and 93. The result: the lobes lengthened...

It's back to school! DYRK is dedicating a special week to sport. Because moving and doing regular physical activity is important for our physical and mental health! Listen again to our episodes about sport! In the last 12 months, we’ve all spent more time at home than we expected. As a result, our use of computers or smartphones has increased to the point where many of us spend almost all day gazi...

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? Don’t they need a restaurant in order to prepare delivery food? So a...

What is art nouveau and how did it flourish around the turn of the 20th century? This aesthetic movement dominated many artistic fields in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was influenced by nature and used trademark organic shapes and sinuous lines, moving away from previous limits to create new kinds of design objects. Let’s take a few minutes to reflect on where art nouveau came from,...

The menopause is the period in a woman’s life when she stops ovulating and having periods, due to lower hormone levels in the body. Despite the fact that it can last 10 years or more and all women go through it, the topic has long been something of a taboo and even seen as an illness.  Western medicine only really started paying attention to it in the 18th century. Medical journals and psychiatric...

What is reality shifting? This trend took off among teenagers on both sides of the Atlantic during the first round of lockdowns last year. It found its home on TikTok, all starting out with the #ShiftingRealities hashtag, which went from 170 million views to over a billion in just a few months. Shifting implies moving one’s own consciousness to another alternative reality. It could be very similar...

Why is Elvis known as the King? Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic hit UK cinemas on 24nd June 2022, starring Austin Butler as the King of rock and roll himself, and Tom Hanks as his controversial manager Colonel Tom Parker. Let’s look back at how Elvis became a global superstar from the 1950s through to the late 70s. Elvis Presley earned his reputation as the King for a seemingly endless list of...

It’s common to feel a little anxiety on a Sunday evening as your relaxing weekend draws to a close and you start thinking about your return to the office the following morning. Indeed, a YouGovAmerica survey published in 2021 found that 58% of workers said Monday was their least favourite day of the week. With that in mind, American startup founder Marisa Jo Mayes created and trademarked the Bare...

Do you consider yourself a clumsy person? For some of us, accidents just seem to happen more often than for others, despite our best efforts to be more attentive and focused. We might drop and smash a glass in the kitchen or bump into things while walking along the street for example; and it can really get frustrating when that kind of thing happens over and over. And in actual fact, it’s not just...