Do you really know?
Episodes
What is reproductive health?
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is reproductive health? Thanks for asking! September 26, 2021, was World Contraception Day. The event was first held in 2007 by ten internatio...
[RERUN] What are LGBT-free zones?
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are LGBT-free zones? Thanks for asking! Monday September 27th, three Polish regions scrap anti-LGBT resolutions. The European Parliament declare...
What is Lagom?
02 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Lagom? Thanks for asking! The Swedish term lagom is one of those words that doesn’t have an exact equivalent in English, yet it has caught ...
Who are Oasis?
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who are Oasis? Thanks for asking! On August 10th 1996, Oasis drew over 250,000 fans to their gigs on two consecutive nights at Knebworth Park. ...
What is the Aukus alliance?
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Aukus alliance? Thanks for asking! On September 16th, Australia announced it had signed a strategic pact with the United States and Uni...
What is the Britney Spears conservatorship case?
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Britney Spears conservatorship case? Thanks for asking! Ardent fans and onlookers alike have probably noticed the diva’s disappearance ...
[RERUN] What is the baby bust?
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the baby bust? Thanks for asking! The United Kingdom is facing a particularly low birth rate recorded. The phenomenon could have significant ...
What is mucosal immunity?
25 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is mucosal immunity? Thanks for asking! It was announced last week that Covid booster vaccines would soon be available to millions of people a...
What are Butler Cafés?
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are Butler Cafés? Thanks for asking! In recent months, an interesting trend has been catching on in China. An increasing number of women are pa...
What is last chance tourism?
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is last chance tourism? Thanks for asking! Last chance tourism is a travel trend whereby tourists increasingly seek to experience the world’...
What is toxic positivity?
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is toxic positivity? Thanks for asking! “Good vibes only”, “everything happens for a reason”, “When life gives you lemons.”...You’...
[RERUN] What is 5G?
19 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is 5G? Thanks for asking! On Tuesday 14 September, Apple presented its new iPhone 13. With the 5G, the American company has boosted its iPhone s...
What is World Cleanup Day?
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is World Cleanup Day? Thanks for asking! World Cleanup Day is held annually on the third Saturday of September all over the world. This year i...
What is the #QuitMyJob trend?
16 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the #QuitMyJob trend? Thanks for asking! This hashtag went viral on TikTok during the summer. On social media, thousands of web users used th...
What is a Tiny House?
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a Tiny House? Thanks for asking! You may have spotted one in a park, at the edge of the woods, or in a parking lot in the middle of the count...
What is tokenism?
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is tokenism? Thanks for asking! Have you ever got the feeling a company or organisation is preaching equality, but it all feels a bit fake? We...
[RERUN] What is Operation London Bridge?
12 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Operation London Bridge? Thanks for asking! This meticulous plan had remained largely secret until now. All the details of this dreaded mom...
What is the 9/11 Museum?
11 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the 9/11 Museum? Thanks for asking! It’s been twenty years since the 9/11 attacks which shocked the entire world, killing 2977 people. As ...
What is squirting?
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is squirting? Thanks for asking! OK, so from their teenage years onwards most men get used to fluid shooting out of their genitals on a regular ...
What are Fan Tokens?
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are Fan Tokens? Thanks for asking! Even if you’re not a football fan, you can’t have missed the news of Lionel Messi’s recent transfer to ...
What is terraforming?
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is terraforming? Thanks for asking! If you’re a fan of sci-fi, the idea of terraformation should be familiar. It refers to all the techniques ...
What is a deepfake?
04 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a deepfake? Thanks for asking! “Seeing is believing”, as the old saying goes, but in this day and age, you can never quite be sure, espec...
What is empty nest syndrome?
02 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is empty nest syndrome? Thanks for asking! With the summer holiday season drawing to a close, many university students are preparing to leave ho...
What is air rage?
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is air rage? Thanks for asking! Many of us have not set foot on an aeroplane for quite some time, and the idea of being crammed alongside other ...
What are silent discos?
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are silent discos? Thanks for asking! I don’t know about you but I sure miss partying the night away. In the age of social distancing, most of...
What is the Ebola virus?
28 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Ebola virus? Thanks for asking! On August 14th, an Ebola virus case was detected in the Ivory Coast, for the first time in over a quarter...
What is a QR code?
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a QR code? Thanks for asking! QR codes have likely never been used more than in the Covid age. They’ve become ubiquitous especially since t...
What are the Paralympics?
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are the Paralympics? Thanks for asking! The Paralympic Games got underway yesterday, with 4,400 competitors in Tokyo, including 227 representi...
What is sapiosexuality?
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is sapiosexuality? Thanks for asking! What are you most attracted to when looking for someone to date? Social status? A sense of humour? Good lo...
[RERUN] What is OnlyFans?
22 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is OnlyFans? Thanks for asking! The platform OnlyFans announced on Thursday 19 August its decision to ban "all sexually explicit content" from O...
What is the Taliban offensive?
21 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Taliban offensive? Thanks for asking! The Taliban’s offensive against the Afghan government, which began back in May, accelerated dra...
What is sexsomnia?
19 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is sexsomnia? Thanks for asking!We all know someone who talks in their sleep, or occasionally sleepwalks around the house, perhaps even heading t...
What is the IPCC report?
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the IPCC report? Thanks for asking! There may still be a minority of doubters out there, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to deny t...
What is rape culture?
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is rape culture? Thanks for asking! Society generally sees rape as one of the most heinous crimes that exists. But the sociological theory of ...
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
14 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? Thanks for asking! During the Covid-19 pandemic, governments around the world have taken it on themselves to j...
What is the Covid vaccine pill?
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Covid vaccine pill? Thanks for asking! Summer 2021 has seen Covid-19 vaccine campaigns making steady progress around the world. As of t...
What is the black fungus epidemic?
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the black fungus epidemic? Thanks for asking! Since May 2021, India has been faced with an additional epidemic on top of Covid-19. It’s tha...
What is geophony?
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is geophony? Thanks for asking! Taking its name from the Greek prefix geo, as in the earth and phony as in sound, geophony could be most simply ...
What is Earth Overshoot Day?
07 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Earth Overshoot Day? Thanks for asking! July 29th saw an unwelcome landmark in the calendar as we reached Earth Overshoot Day. It might sou...
What is Godwin’s Law?
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Godwin’s Law? Thanks for asking! The events of the Holocaust are part of the compulsory curriculum in many countries across the world, espe...
What are the Puppy Blues?
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are the Puppy Blues? Thanks for asking! You’ve no doubt already heard of the baby blues, a nice-sounding euphemism for the rather unpleasant p...
What are blue zones?
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are blue zones? Thanks for asking! Humans have wondered about the secrets behind longevity since the beginning of time. Well, as it turns out, t...
What is Niksen?
31 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Niksen? Thanks for asking! Ever had one of those days when you just feel like doing nothing at all? Well, increasingly we as humans are wired...
What is Pop-It?
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Pop-It? Thanks for asking! If 2017 was the year of the hand spinner in the toy world, 2021 is the year of the Pop-It! Even if the name doesn’...
What is the Pegasus Project?
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Pegasus Project? Thanks for asking! Ever since the Snowden case of 2013, the world has gotten used to the idea that states use surveillan...
What are sonic weapons?
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are sonic weapons? Thanks for asking! In June it emerged that Greek police had acquired two long range acoustic devices, designed to discourage ...
What is the I.O.C.?
24 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the I.O.C.? Thanks for asking! Yesterday saw the Tokyo Olympic Games begin with the traditional opening ceremony. For the first time in the e...
What is the global bike shortage?
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the global bike shortage? Thanks for asking! Cycling has enjoyed a huge boom since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Local authorities ha...
What is Eswatini?
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Eswatini? Thanks for asking! Situated between South Africa and Mozambique in southern Africa, the small landlocked country of Eswatini has a ...
What is mansplaining?
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is mansplaining? Thanks for asking! Have you ever noticed a man explaining something to a woman in a supremely confident way which suggests he a...
What is the digital divide?
17 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the digital divide? Thanks for asking! Whether you’re a regular Do You Really Know? listener or just tuning in for the first time, the fact...
What is Hungary’s anti-LGBT law?
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Hungary’s anti-LGBT law? Thanks for asking! Exactly a week ago, Hungary’s controversial anti-LGBT law came into effect. It contains amend...
What is space tourism?
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is space tourism? Thanks for asking! Just over a week ago, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos stepped down from his position as the company’s CEO to fo...
What is Ocean Viking?
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Ocean Viking? Thanks for asking! The Ocean Viking humanitarian vessel now has well over 500 survivors on board, located in waters between Ita...
What is the orgasm gap?
10 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the orgasm gap? Thanks for asking! July 31st is National Orgasm Day in a number of Western countries, including the UK, US, Australia and Can...
Who is Quentin Tarantino?
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who is Quentin Tarantino? Thanks for asking! What’s your favourite Tarantino film? Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, Inglorious Bastards...
What is a heat dome?
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a heat dome? Thanks for asking! The Pacific north-west is typically a mild region when it comes to weather. But in late June, Western Canad...
What is the Olympic flame?
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Olympic flame? Thanks for asking! As Japan prepares to host the delayed 2020 Olympics, let’s look at one of the Games’ iconic symbols...
What is the glass ceiling?
03 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the glass ceiling? Thanks for asking! When talking about diversity and inclusion, the glass ceiling refers to an invisible barrier stopping t...
What is the offside rule?
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the offside rule? Thanks for asking! Now, now, let’s not get carried away. England may have beaten old rivals Germany on Tuesday evening to...
What is Auroville?
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Auroville? Thanks for asking! Imagine a world without politics, religion or nationality. Well, Auroville is perhaps as close as you’ll come...
What is Straight Edge?
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Straight Edge? Thanks for asking! The music you’re listening to comes from 1980s American hardcore punk band Minor Threat and it’s called...
What is Oceanix City?
26 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Oceanix City? Thanks for asking! It might sound like a theme park or the latest sci-fi comic series, but Oceanix City is actually a futuristi...
What is zythology?
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is zythology? Thanks for asking! With bars and pubs open for business again, there’s plenty more opportunity for each of us to discover our ...
What is the Tigray Region?
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Tigray Region? Thanks for asking! On June 11th, the USA and European Union issued a joint call to end what they described as a “humanit...
What is coliving?
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is coliving? Thanks for asking! Born in the 2000s on the West Coast of the US, coliving is an emerging form of residential community living. Gen...
What is polyandry?
19 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is polyandry? Thanks for asking! When we talk about polygamy, we often automatically think of its most common and accepted form, which is known ...
What is the Global Minimum Tax?
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the global minimum tax? Thanks for asking! At the end of last week, finance ministers from the G7 countries met in London and formally endo...
What is sea snot?
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is sea snot? Thanks for asking! In the last few weeks, a thick and foul-smelling foam known as mucilage has appeared in the Marmara Sea on Turke...
Who is Bo Burnham?
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who is Bo Burnham? Thanks for asking! Five years after Bo Burnham’s last comedy special, he released Inside on Netflix on May 30th. To mark the...
What is the Smurfette Principle?
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Smurfette Principle? Thanks for asking! Does that ring a bell? How many of you spent hours in front of the Smurfs as children? We’re su...
What are sensitivity readers?
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are sensitivity readers? Thanks for asking! The role of sensitivity reader first appeared in the United States. Authors and publishing houses re...
What is live shopping?
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is live shopping? Thanks for asking! Technological disruption and the Covid-19 pandemic have combined to bring on new trends, one of which is li...
What is Friends?
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Friends? Thanks for asking! On May 27th, all eyes were on HBO Max, who aired a Friends reunion special, 17 years after the sitcom’s 236th a...
What is BookTok?
05 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is BookTok? Thanks for asking! You’ve no doubt already heard of TikTok, the short video app of choice for teens and young adults. Well in th...
What is the Tiananmen Square Massacre?
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Tiananmen Square Massacre? Thanks for asking! 32 years ago today, Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, saw unprecedented student pro...
What is a virus variant region?
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a virus variant region? Thanks for asking! The Indian variant known as B.1.617 is causing concern in Europe, particularly due to a steep rise...
What are zombie fires?
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are zombie fires? Thanks for asking! Believe it or not, some fires are able to smolder for months underneath snow, even when their flames have b...
What are sleep streams?
29 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are sleep streams? Thanks for asking! How do you like the idea of going to sleep and waking up richer? Sounds pretty sweet, huh? Well believe it...
What are molecular scissors?
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are molecular scissors? Thanks for asking! When we think about genetically-edited plants, animals and even humans, we might wonder whether it’...
What is the fertility cliff?
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the fertility cliff? Thanks for asking! The ability of a woman to get pregnant and give birth doesn’t last forever. 35 has traditionally be...
What is phantosmia?
23 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is phantosmia? Thanks for asking! The symptoms and after-effects of Covid-19 vary hugely between people and can be very incapacitating. We’ve ...
What is the urban exodus?
22 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the urban exodus? Thanks for asking! The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the lives of almost everyone around the globe. City dwellers have ha...
What is Bollywood?
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Bollywood? Thanks for asking! If you’re a Westerner, you’ve almost certainly heard of Bollywood, but there’s also a decent chance you...
What is the Doomsday Glacier?
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Doomsday Glacier? Thanks for asking! The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is melting rapidly and risks breaking up completely. For nea...
What is Resident Evil?
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Resident Evil? Thanks for asking! May 7th saw the release of Resident Evil: Village; the eighth instalment in one of video gaming’s most ep...
What is the andropause?
15 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the andropause? Thanks for asking! We’ve all heard of the menopause which occurs in women in middle age. But there is much less awareness a...
What is parcopresis?
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is parcopresis? Thanks for asking! Ever needed to go to the loo but held it in, due to a lack of privacy, or fear of noise and smells? The socia...
What is captology?
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is captology? Thanks for asking! Getting internet users’ attention and influencing their online behaviour is a massive priority for Big Tech...
What is broken heart syndrome?
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is broken heart syndrome? Thanks for asking! The idea of a broken heart may make you think of a cartoon, an emoji or a bad break-up from your pa...
What are cookies?
08 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are cookies? Thanks for asking! Most of us probably associate them with annoying pop-ups, but HTTP cookies actually do a lot of good for our web...
What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone?
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone? Thanks for asking! It’s just over 35 years since the worst nuclear disaster in history. On April 26th 1986,...
What is the Escazu Agreement?
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Escazu Agreement? Thanks for asking! Ratified on April 22nd 2021, the Escazu Agreement is a historic treaty set to affect one of the wo...
What is the insider-outsider theory?
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the insider-outsider theory? Thanks for asking! The insider-outsider theory is a New Keynesian economic model which developed in the 1980s, e...
What is stalkerware?
01 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is stalkerware? Thanks for asking! We’ve probably all jokingly referred to social media stalking when looking at an ex’s profile or checking...
Who is Alexei Navalny?
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who is Alexei Navalny? Thanks for asking! In late March 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny began a hunger strike in his prison cell. A fe...
What is chemsex?
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is chemsex? Thanks for asking! Chemsex is the practice of taking synthetic drugs or psychoactive products to spice up sexual activity. Participa...
What are Covid toes?
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are Covid toes? Thanks for asking! So-called Covid toes are a symptom observed by doctors since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, consisting o...
What is Helium-3?
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is Helium-3? Thanks for asking! Helium-3 is a helium isotope which contains two protons and a neutron. It dates back to the earliest days of the...
What were the Troubles?
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What were the Troubles? Thanks for asking! It’s been 23 years since the Good Friday peace agreement put an end to The Troubles, a decades-long peri...