Do you really know?

What is Dugnad? Norway has placed 8th in the recently released 2021 edition of the World Happiness Report. In preceding years, the country had ranked fifth and third in the annual publication from the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Along with Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands, this country of 5 million people is well-known for its quality of life. Furtherm...

What is de-extinction? The process of de-extinction is all about bringing extinct species back to life. It became known in the 2010s, thanks to an ambitious plan from American geneticist George Church, who dreamed of resurrecting the woolly mammoth, an animal which has been extinct for 3700 years. Fast forward to the 2020s and Church’s bioscience startup Colossal is now eding closer towards making...

What is negationism? Historical negationism refers to the practice of manipulating historical records to deny that certain events happened, or distort the narrative around them. The term is relatively recent, having been coined by French historian Henry Rousso in 1987, relating to Holocaust Denial. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazi regime during the Second World War. Holocaust denial is c...

What are happy hormones? A recent scientific brief from the World Health Organisation, explained that anxiety and depression had increased by 25% worldwide over the first year of the Covid 19 pandemic. The massive rise was mostly down to social isolation and multiple stress factors like fear of infection and financial worries. It’s important to know that we can actually control our mood to some ex...

From 2nd to 8th May 2022, it's time to unplug for the annual Screen Free Week celebration. All around the world, people are encouraged to limit their screen time and turn their devices off in favour of other activities. Do You Really Know is rerunning a series of episodes dedicated to the digital world and its impact on our lives. What is a sedentary lifestyle? A sedentary lifestyle is one which i...

What is erectile dysfunction? As many as six in ten men have experienced erection problems over the course of their life. And that proportion has been on the rise in the last fifteen years, according to a study released by IFOP in April 2019. It’s also known as impotence, and is a big health taboo among men. Erectile dysfunction is often linked to cardiovascular risk factors, so it’s important to...

From 2nd to 8th May 2022, it's time to unplug for the annual Screen Free Week celebration. All around the world, people are encouraged to limit their screen time and turn their devices off in favour of other activities. Do You Really Know is rerunning a series of episodes dedicated to the digital world and its impact on our lives. What is CryptoParty? The internet has become a massive part of our...

Who are Arcade Fire?   We, the new album from Arcade Fire, was released today, 6th May 2022. Let’s take the opportunity to talk about the renowned Canadian indie rock band. Their story may have started out as a family affair, when the band formed in Montreal in the early 2000s. But with time, they worked their way up to gaining international recognition as one of the best bands in the world. What...

From 2nd to 8th May 2022, it's time to unplug for the annual Screen Free Week celebration. All around the world, people are encouraged to limit their screen time and turn their devices off in favour of other activities. Do You Really Know is rerunning a series of episodes dedicated to the digital world and its impact on our lives. What is computer vision syndrome? From our smartphone screens first...

Who are Rammstein? Even if guitar riffs and guttural vocals aren’t really your thing, the name Rammstein must ring a bill. The band are the most listened to German musical artists in the world, and an institution in mainstream industrial metal. In under three decades, they’ve sold 35 million albums and it seems like it’s not over yet. As of 29th April 2022, Rammstein are back with their eighth stu...

Who was Marilyn Monroe? To mark 60 years since the Hollywood icon’s death, Netflix has released The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes. The documentary uses archival content and previously unseen interviews to shed further light on the story of Monroe, a woman whose life and death continue to fascinate to this day. Was she destined to be a star from a young age? Was Marilyn Monroe really...

From 2nd to 8th May 2022, it's time to unplug for the annual Screen Free Week celebration. All around the world, people are encouraged to limit their screen time and turn their devices off in favour of other activities. Do You Really Know is rerunning a series of episodes dedicated to the digital world and its impact on our lives. What is captology? Getting internet users’ attention and influencin...

What is Frontex? The end of last week saw the resignation of Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri. It’s not the first time the European Border and Coast Guard Agency has made headlines for the wrong reasons. This time it’s relating to complicity in illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers. An investigation report is expected soon and its French head Leggeri decided to jump before being pushed, after initia...

From 2nd to 8th May 2022, it's time to unplug for the annual Screen Free Week celebration. All around the world, people are encouraged to limit their screen time and turn their devices off in favour of other activities. Do You Really Know is rerunning a series of episodes dedicated to the digital world and its impact on our lives. What is doomscrolling? The more bad news we hear, the more we tend...

What is Web 3.0? The future of the internet is the subject of much discussion, and there’s excitement about the emergence of Web 3.0. It has given high hopes to those who feel we need a decentralised, more transparent internet! When the internet was first developed, it took the form of websites with static ergonomy, which weren’t linked between one another. That was back in the 1990s, and research...

From 2nd to 8th May 2022, it's time to unplug for the annual Screen Free Week celebration. All around the world, people are encouraged to limit their screen time and turn their devices off in favour of other activities. Do You Really Know is rerunning a series of episodes dedicated to the digital world and its impact on our lives. What is a digital detox? A digital detox is a period of time when a...

What are the Puppy Blues? You’ve no doubt already heard of the baby blues, a nice-sounding euphemism for the rather unpleasant postpartum depression. Well, some new pet owners have started talking of puppy blues in the same way, to describe the sadness they sometimes feel after adopting a new furry companion. The puppy blues might be behind increased animal abandonment rates during the summer. Add...

What is a home exchange? If you’re the kind of person that plans ahead, you’ve probably already got your summer holidays booked months ahead of time. Nevertheless, holidays are always pricey, with Europeans spending an average budget of €1600 over the last 3 years according to Statista. For those of us who are lucky enough to be able to travel, let’s not take it for granted. It’s a privilege, whic...

What is the PKK? On 19th April, Turkey launched Operation Claw Lock, an air and ground military offensive against PKK forces, in the North of Iraq. The Turkish defence minister justified the country’s actions, saying that the PKK was planning a large-scale attack against Turkey. However, the Iraqi president Barham Salih criticised Operation Claw Lock, calling it a threat to his country’s national...

What is the Tower of Babel? The subject of today’s episode is often referred to when people aren’t able to understand one another. It’s an origin myth which comes from the book of Genesis in the Bible. Who wrote about the Tower of Babel? Did the Tower of Babel really exist? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What is the Streisand effec...

What is induced lactation? Induced lactation refers to the production of breast milk in non-gestational parents. That’s right, a woman who hasn’t ever been pregnant can still breastfeed their child using this method. Sounds complicated? Well it is, but it’s not impossible, and it can allow adoptive or surrogate mothers to breastfeed if they desire.  What about men? Could they also lactate and brea...

What is the Streisand effect? Entertainment icon Barbra Streisand celebrated her 80th birthday on 24th April 2022. The actress, director, producer and musician has been in the public eye since the age of 20 and belongs to a very select group known as EGOT winners. That means she’s won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. Her dazzling career has seen her sell over 150 million albums worldwide, a...

What is antibiotic-free meat? You may not have realised, but when you’re eating a chicken leg or steak, you may also be consuming antibiotics. That’s still the case despite a growing trend of not using antibiotics, due to the dangers posed by antibiorestistance.  Recent research by Food ID found that animals at some American livestock farms tested positive for antibiotics, despite having been labe...

What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone? It’s just over 36 years since the worst nuclear disaster in history. On April 26th 1986, reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. Following the accident, an exclusion zone of around 1,000m2 was established by the Soviet army.  It covers the areas most affected by radioactive contamination, including the city Prypiat situated 2 miles away...

What is a migraine? These pulsing headaches are known for affecting quality of life in a high number of people. They’re one of the most common disorders in the world, with the WHO suggesting at least 1 in 7 people have migraines across the world. If you’re lucky enough not to get migraines, don't underestimate how debilitating they can be for some people. They’re far from being simple headaches. W...