Do you really know?

During the extended holiday feasts, it's common to let loose a little, perhaps mixing different kinds of alcohol. You might start out with a glass of champagne, then movie to wine or beer, and end the meal with a digestif. That’s despite the widespread belief that combining alcohol types can worsen the unpleasant aftermath of a hangover and all the symptoms that brings, like nausea, headaches, deh...

You may have heard of AI art generators, tools that use artificial intelligence to create images based on language prompts. For example, you can type “a picture of Elmo from Sesame Street in the style of Pablo Picasso”. These tools are fun and impressive, but they also pose a serious threat to artists who share their work online. AI art generators rely on large datasets of existing images to learn...

We all know the classic tale: a man from humble beginnings works tirelessly, overcomes adversity, and rises to the top. It’s the famous myth of the self-made man, but where did it  come from? Today, this narrative is everywhere. Many of the world’s top executives cultivate the image that they built their empires from the ground up. Even the 47th President of the United States leans into this myth....

Discussions of sexism are commonplace in public discourse. And despite government policies aimed to ensure equality between women and men, the problem persists. Even if in your immediate environment, sexism seems to be gone for good, you may be thinking of sexism in its classical sense. Experts say that more discreet forms remain, and benevolent sexism is one of them. Can a form of prejudice reall...

Young people have much less of an appetite for sex these days, it seems. The phenomenon has been labelled a “sex recession” in the media and terms like “puriteens” have emerged to describe sex-shy youngsters.  Studies have backed up the idea of a sex recession too. One published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior journal in November 2021 found that the proportion of adolescents reporting no sexual...

When sitting, some of us cross our legs at the knee, while others do so at the ankle. According to a study published in Neuropsychologia in 1994, 62% of people cross their right leg over the left, 26% do the opposite, and 12% have no preference. Sitting with your legs crossed can be comfortable as it helps relieve weight on the buttocks and reduces excessive arching of the back. Doing it occasiona...

On September 6th, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a 96-word statement in which he referred to “climate breakdown” having begun. It was in response to a report from the World Meteorological Organization, which highlighted the impact of record-breaking heatwaves across the globe this summer.  June, July, and August 2023 are the hottest three-month period ever recorded. The WMO says th...

Humans have long been intrigued by the idea of achieving eternal life, and wondered whether it could ever become possible thanks to medical and technological advances. But in the case of some individuals it seems that it may even be randomly bestowed upon them. Let’s take South Korean man Shin Hyo Myung for example. Ever since he appeared on eNews24 in 2013, he’s been used to being the centre of a...

Every year in May, film stars and fans flock to the French city of Cannes for a 10-day celebration of cinema, or as it’s referred to in the host country, “the seventh art”. This year though, the festival the festival will take place from May 13th to 24th 2025. Already at the time of recording there have been a number of attention-grabbing moments, including a hero’s welcome for Tom Cruise, who rec...

Ever cringe after listening to a voice note you just sent—wondering how your voice could possibly sound that high-pitched or nasal? You’re not imagining it, and you’re definitely not alone. The phenomenon is called voice confrontation, and it comes down to how we hear ourselves differently than everyone else. When you speak, you hear your voice through both air and bone conduction, which makes it...

Coffee purists tend to look down on the likes of the latte, cappuccino and mocha, suggesting that only black coffee is the real deal. They often double down by saying that drinking coffee with milk causes bloating and messes with digestion. But a recent study from the University of Copenhagen found that it might actually be beneficial for our health, after all. How so? Is the link proven then? It...

Data published by YouGov in August 2022 showed that as of the previous month, Britons were using a whopping £3.5bn worth of overdrafted funds from their bank accounts. Each month, between 25% and 30% of people dip into their overdrafts, generally just for a few days leading up to payday. It’s hardly surprising with the ongoing cost of living crisis and energy bills rising rapidly. If you’re one of...

Ever wonder whether gold is really the “safe haven” everyone says it is? With so much talk of inflation, market crashes, and economic uncertainty, it’s no surprise investors often turn to precious metals. Gold has captivated humanity for thousands of years—and for good reason. It holds its value, is easy to trade globally, and isn’t tied to any single currency or economy. But it’s not all glitter:...

Surprising as it may seem, balance is more important than you might think. In September of 2022 the British Journal of Sports Medicine published the results of a ten year study which involved more than 1,700 middle-aged participants. They concluded that not being able to balance was associated with an almost twofold increase in risk of death.  Volunteers were asked to stand on one leg with their a...

As we enter 2023, we’re desperately looking for ways to combat human-induced climate change. It’s a worthy cause, but it’s clear that some irreversible effects have already happened, and that will continue for some time.  So it would be foolish not to prepare for the reality of living on a planet which has undergone significant warming. There’s relatively little known about how our bodies will rea...

“You’re hot and you’re cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up then you're down.”  So goes Katy Perry’s hit single Hot n Cold back in 2008, talking about a romantic relationship which is unstable due to one of the partner’s mood swings. Maybe you yourself have been with someone like that in the past. They would shower you with attention one day, only to ghost you the...

When it comes to news about the environment, it can feel like everything is doom and gloom. But we recently discussed how some people’s climate anxiety has turned into climate optimism of late, and that’s a trend that could continue this year. One piece of good news relates to depletion of the ozone layer. You may well have heard of the so-called “hole” in the ozone layer. Well, the name is a litt...

First there were screw top wines, then wine in boxes and now the latest alternative is wine in cans. Although it’s still relatively niche, it's a fast growing market, making up around 10 % of overall wine sales in the US according to the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida. Glass bottles, according to a 2014 study by the Wine Institute, an industry association...

Charles Darwin once wrote that “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge”, and real-life situations which reflect that are all too common. To cite just one prominent example, in January 1995, American men MacArthur Wheeler and Clifton Earl Johnson were arrested after carrying out coordinated bank robberies in the state of Pennsylvania. Incredibly, they didn’t bother wearing...

Scandi lifestyle trends have been all the rage for a number of years now. Regular listeners may remember we’ve talked about Hygge and lagom on the show in the past. Well here’s another one from Sweden. Fika is basically a short break with friends, family or colleagues sharing a moment together while enjoying a hot beverage. On the face of it, the concept might sound pretty mundane, but it’s a real...

Today, we’re talking about a new phenomenon that affects social interactions. Phubbing is something we've all likely experienced or done ourselves at some point. The term is a portmanteau of "phone" and "snubbing", and refers to the act of looking at your phone instead of paying attention to someone else in a social situation. It’s becoming increasingly common as our reliance on our mobile devices...

It might seem like just a loud (and annoying) habit, but snoring can sometimes be a sign of deeper health issues—including sleep apnea, stroke risk, and even long-term brain damage. In this episode, we break down why snoring happens, what it means for your health, and what evidence-based tips can actually help you or your partner stop. Why do some people snore more than others? Can snoring really...

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, with an average of 98 million cups consumed in the UK every day, according to the British Coffee Association. In moderation, there are plenty of benefits to be gained from drinking coffee, but there can also be some negative side effects, in particular due to its caffeine content. Decaf is an alternative, but is it really healthier? Our bodies...

As summer heats up, deodorant becomes a faithful ally. But this product can be very dangerous. On May 2022 a 14 year old girl, Giorgia Green, died from inhaling deodorant. The teenager, who was on the autistic spectrum, liked to spray deodorant on her blankets as she found the smell comforting. "The smell of it gave her a certain sense of relaxation," said her father. Sadly her cause of death was...

Gold has dazzled humans for thousands of years—but does that ancient allure make it a smart place to put your money today? In this episode, we dig into the facts: why gold is seen as a safe haven during economic crises, how it can diversify your investment portfolio, and what hidden risks come with it—like price volatility, storage costs, and lack of income. We also bust the myths around “get-rich...