Do you really know?

It’s known that to beat the heat and avoid dehydration, we need to drink plenty of water. But while some reach for a hot cuppa, others swear by ice-cold beverages, and while this may give you an instant feeling of chill it's sadly just fleeting. The reason being is that our bodies work hard to keep our core temperature steady at around 37°C. So while a cold drink might feel refreshing, it actually...

You know how sometimes you might indulge in a bit too much junk food, or maybe the kids aren’t acing their tests, or perhaps you’re navigating the single life? Hold up—before you start to worry, there’s a seemingly scientific explanation for all of it, and it points to one place: our brains. Neuroscience has become the go-to for decoding life’s issues, spanning medicine, economics, politics, and e...

These tiny insects, which reproduce at an astonishing rate, often invade our kitchens. They are particularly attracted to damp areas, stagnant water, organic waste, and ripe fruit—especially in warm weather. Fruit flies, or midges, can lay up to 100 eggs a day. While studies indicate that flies can carry bacteria, viruses, and parasites, the midges in our homes are generally harmless. They can tra...

We’ve all gotten frustrated after squashing the tenth mosquito ruining a beautiful summer evening — especially after days of relentless itching. Mosquitoes are a global nuisance. In tropical regions, they’re more than just annoying: they can transmit serious diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus. But despite all the efforts, these tiny insects continue to thrive — and buzz in our ear...

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, our mouths host no fewer than 700 species of microbes, including “germs like bacteria, fungus and more”. Some are helpful in producing vitamins, or aiding in digestion, for example, but others can cause problems like bad breath. Because many of these microbes live on the tongue, recent years have seen increased use of oral hygiene devi...

Kissing on the lips feels so natural… and yet, it’s far from universal. In some cultures, romantic kissing doesn’t even exist! So why, in our society, has kissing become such a strong symbol of love and passion? It turns out, kissing might be one of the oldest gestures in the human playbook. For decades, historians pointed to ancient Indian texts, the Vedas, written around 1500 BCE, as the earlies...

Greying hair can be triggered for a number of reasons, genetics; some people’s hair turns grey earlier than others. Stress, a recent study in mice showed that stress can cause stem cells to leave the hair follicle and migrate to other parts of the body, leaving no cells to produce melanin. Some Illnesses like thyroid disease and of course ageing. But could the days of grey hair be over? Possibly. ...

All week long we're looking at the 10 words that will be on everyone's lips in 2023. Every year, linguists at Oxford University choose a Word of the Year and in 2022, they allowed the public to vote on the winner for the first time. The 340,000 English speakers who voted were given three choices: metaverse, the #IStandWith hashtag and, drumroll please, the eventual runaway winner…Goblin Mode. The...

Members of Gen Z, when you were kids, you might well have had grand plans for your twenties – owning a house, landing a job, getting hitched, and having kids. But where are you now?  Are you a keen saver eyeing up homeownership, perhaps abiding by some of the methods we've talked about in the past on Do You Really Know?, like loud budgeting, cash stuffing or the 50/30/20 method? Or do you feel pow...

According to the Daily Mail, the “seven year itch” in relationships is now a thing of the past. The average relationship length is just two years and nine months, according to a UK survey from 2014.  Since the late 20th century, long-lasting relationships have tended to be the exception rather than the norm. It’s a trend that has fascinated researchers, with many carrying out studies in search of...

Each year, International Beer Day is celebrated on the first Friday of August. As you may know, beer is produced using only four ingredients: water, hops, malt and yeast, through a process called fermentation. Of course beer is harmful in excessive quantities, but don’t let that give you any misconceptions about fermented foods. Generally speaking, they play an important role in boosting gut healt...

Surely nothing affects taste other than what you actually put in your mouth, right?! Well actually no, that’s not true - at least according to a study published in December 2022 in Food Quality and Preference. The researchers behind that found that the colour of our dishware might influence our perception of taste. And it’s not the first study of its kind; I’m going to tell you about other similar...

The British Expat Report 2024 from money transfer specialists Currencies Direct found that 23% of UK adults are considering moving abroad in the next five years. The most popular reasons cited for wanting to do so were to pursue a better quality of life, the cost of living crisis and (of course!) the weather. But if you identify as LGBT, an additional consideration is of course finding a country w...

ollowing the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, her son Prince Charles became King at the age of 73. He inherited the many titles that his mother carried throughout her 70-year reign, one of which is the “Defender of the Faith”. That refers to his role as the supreme governor of the Church of England. In 2009, the Church of England stated it had over 26 million baptised members account...

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...

Polycystic ovary syndrome, also called PCOS, is related to hormonal imbalances in women’s bodies. It’s the leading cause of fertility problems in women and affects one in ten women of childbearing age in the UK, according to the NHS. Despite that, there is very little awareness about the condition. The most important thing there is to know about PCOS is that it leads to excessive production of and...

If you’re a nervous flyer thinking ahead to your next flight, you may have wondered whether it's possible to predict whether you'll encounter any turbulence. Air travel has come under the spotlight in recent weeks, with a number of high profile incidents of flights being hit by turbulence, including one which saw a 71 year old British man in his seventies tragically die from a heart attack. What c...

According to the NHS, around 1 in 3 people in the UK are affected by insomnia, and it’s particularly common in older adults. Many people turn to medication like benzodiazepines in an attempt to address their insomnia. Now these generally help, at least to begin with, but they tend to bring less restorative sleep. And if no other changes are made to daily habits, there’s a good chance the insomnia...

Most of us are familiar with the idea that you need to take 10 thousand steps per day to stay healthy but getting to this magic number is not that easy. The 10,000-step target first became popular in Japan in the 1960s. A clockmaker capitalising on people's new interest in fitness following the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games made a pedometer with a name that, when written in Japanese characters, resembl...

There are plenty of ways to get the attention of someone you're crushing on. It might come very naturally to some, but for others, flirting can be an intimidating proposition. Have you ever wondered if someone is flirting with you, because of their somewhat ambiguous approach? Well, they may have been micro-flirting, a technique that dating experts say is used by shy men in particular. And there a...

You might be familiar with the expression ‘you make your own luck’ or with the idea of thinking positively to create a positive outcome - some people refer to it as ‘manifesting’. But now, a new trend on the social media platform TikTok has taken it one step further with what has been dubbed ‘lucky girl syndrome’. Essentially you tell yourself that everything just works out for you and that you ar...

Now if you’ve never heard the word fap before, let me spell it out to you. It’s basically an onomatopoeic slang term for male masturbation. According to Business Insider, the term first appeared in a web comic called Sexy Losers in 1999, to indicate the sound of a male character masturbating. An Urban Dictionary definition for the term was then added in 2002, and usage grew from the 2000s onwards....

We've all been there - it's late, you're exhausted, but sleep just won't come. You toss and turn, check the clock every few minutes, and the longer you're awake, the more anxious you feel about how little rest you're going to get. Morning comes, and even though you're barely functioning, you drag yourself out of bed, grab a coffee, and stumble through the day in a fog. And it’s not just your imagi...

Every year, an average of four planes and twenty boats vanish in this notorious area. Straddling the line between legend and reality, the Bermuda Triangle has inspired countless adventure novels and films, continuing to captivate the public’s imagination. This vast region spans approximately 500,000 square kilometres, situated between Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Bermuda archipelago. How did the...

Have you ever been deeply moved when experiencing or witnessing a moment of powerful human connection? It might be the unexpected urge to hug a stranger at a music concert, for example, or a touching moment at an important life event like a birth, wedding or funeral. Well without realising it you’ve been experiencing an inspirational feeling known as “kama muta”. It’s been described by the Guardia...