Do you really know?

Jurassic World Dominion concludes the storyline which first started out in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, from 1993 onwards. Reviews of the latest film have so far been poor, but that won’t take anything away from the legendary franchise’s legacy. Let’s look back at some of the main talking points and secrets behind Jurassic Park. The first two Jurasic Park films, both directed by Steven Spie...

The term is a bit of a mouthful in more ways than one, but eatertainment has been growing rapidly in recent years. Of course, it’s the contraction of “eat” and “entertainment”, and refers to when eating out is more than just a meal; it has a unique entertainment aspect too. A cinema that allows visitors to enjoy a meal during a film showing, or an indoor mini-golf course which you can play on whil...

Rumours about Meta starting to charge for its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram have been circulating for a long time now, and finally it has become a reality. On 19th February, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the creation of a $11.99 per month subscription for web users, which rises to $14.99 on Android and iOS devices. Rest assured, free access will still be available as it has always...

In the UK you can only buy vapes or e-cigarettes if you are over 18, but the bright packaging, fruit flavors and affordable prices attracts teenagers who often use disposable single-use products like Elf and Geek bars. Now  campaigners are calling for tighter restrictions on vapes to bring them more into line with cigarettes.  The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in En...

At 230 metres in diameter and 100 feet deep, it’s fair to describe the Darvaza Gas crater in Turkmenistan as colossal. This geological marvel is nicknamed the Door to Hell, and it's not the dimensions alone that make it unique. The crater has been spurting flames for half a century now, burning continuously ever since its formation in 1971. It’s actually become the Central Asian country’s biggest...

The term goose bumps appeared way back in the 17th century, and describes the well-known phenomenon which shows up when we’re cold, scared or simply feeling strong emotions. For example, going out underdressed in winter, hearing the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard, or watching a horror film. Yes, indeed it can seem rather odd, but just like everything our bodies do, there’s a very logical exp...

It’s been just over a year now since Vladimir Putin sent Russian forces in to invade Ukraine. Since then, Russia has also intensified a long-standing disinformation war via traditional and digital media outlets. It wants to restore what it says is the truth, in the face of attacks from the West. For example, Russians are forbidden from referring to the Ukraine conflict as a “war”. Instead they mus...

As 2021 draws to close, let’s discuss a word which has become more and more widespread in the United States at the end of the year. This contemptible practice was called out by young woman Megan Mapes on TikTok in October 2021. She had herself been a victim of hogging in an American college. The sexist and fat phobic ritual has caught on in some fraternities in the US. Male students compete to hav...

Have you ever really wanted to have a night out, but felt you just couldn’t justify spending all that money? I magine you could hit up your city’s biggest nightlife venues, courtesy of the local authorities. Well that’s becoming a reality for young people in the German capital of Berlin. Residents aged 18-23 have until the end of February to sign up for the new “Jugendkulturkarte”. It comes loaded...

According to UK charity The Men’s Health Forum, two thirds of all men are affected by male pattern baldness in their lifetime. That won’t be a surprise to anyone, but would you have guessed that an estimated 50% of women also experience noticeable hair loss according to the Cleveland Clinic. We actually have around 100,000 hair follicles on our head, of which we lose between 50 and 100 every day,...

In 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 found to be "unascertained but consistent with inhalation of aerosol” and although it is not co...

Also known as plantar warts, verrucas are usually found on the soles of the feet, but can sometimes be seen between the toes or on the heels too. You may remember catching one at your school swimming lessons as a child. Verrucas have a reputation for being a nuisance. Firstly, let’s face it, like all kinds of warts they’re pretty unsightly. They look like small, rough, thickened skin. But that’s n...

Whether it’s pizza, chocolate, ice cream or French fries, you’ve no doubt noticed that your favourite guilty pleasure food just seems to be so addictive! You start eating and you just can’t stop. Why is that then? Actually, it’s because of their high sugar, fat or salt content. Unfortunately, some highly processed foods contain a combination of all three. That can lead to a dopamine surge, which i...

In January 2023, Prince Harry published his memoirs, in the form of an autobiography entitled "Spare". The book led to a lot of controversy, particularly regarding the relationship between Harry and his brother William, the future King of England. A number of observers have suggested that Prince Harry suffers from second child syndrome. For example, behavioural expert Abdullah Boulad was quoted by...

Period underwear came out in 2013 but has increased in popularity, largely as they claim to be better for the environment and easy to use. However, in January 2023 Thinx, a leading US manufacturer of period underwear who branded themself as a sustainable alternative to single-use menstrual products has just settled a lawsuit regarding the presence of PFAs, also known as “forever chemicals.” Now pe...

Voluntourism is the practice of volunteering one’s labour to a charitable cause in a developing country, in return for a soul-cleansing, perspective-changing, CV-bolstering experience. Perhaps a bit cynical? But with good reason.  Whilst it could be a mutually beneficial redistribution of wealth from the developed world to the developing, voluntourism harbours a dark and exploitative underworld. I...

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...

The feeling of hunger can be difficult to explain sometimes, especially if you feel like you've eaten as much as you usually do. As a result, we often end up either snacking or putting up with a rumbling tummy for hours on end. Even if we manage to resist snacking, the risk is that when it gets to meal time we end up eating twice as much as usual! Feelings of hunger can also lead to a drop in ener...

According to Healthline.com, the human body has around 5 million hair follicles. Now you might not have guessed, but that figure is around the same for both men and women. And our body hair has a lot of important functions. It helps regulate body temperature by keeping us warm or retaining sweat to cool us down. It also protects sensitive parts of our bodies from infection, like the eyes and genit...

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...

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 associatio...

On the 3rd of February 2023, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, to discuss Ukraine's European path and the accession process. The EU has a mutual defence clause, which guarantees protection for any member state coming under attack on its own territory. Since the start...

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...

Do you remember how as a kid, it would always seem like an eternity waiting for Christmas or your birthday to come around? But having reached adulthood, it seems like the years just fly by. It’s a funny thing, but as we get older, time simply seems to go by quicker. Of course in reality the passage of time doesn’t change at all. But it’s been established that our perception of time passing is alte...

Gary Chapman is the author of The Five Love Languages, a book first published in 1992 that outlines how people express and experience love. He argues that romantic miscommunications come about due to people expressing love to one another using different “languages”, and therefore struggle to understand one another. But, if you understand your own love language, you can ask for what you need and be...