Do you really know?

What are LGBT-free zones?

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are LGBT-free zones? Thanks for asking! Last month, the European Parliament declared the E.U. to be an LGBTIQ Freedom zone. That was in reaction...

What are NFTs?

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are NFTs? Thanks for asking! It’s one of the latest crazes in the world of blockchain. Non-fungible tokens are digital certificates of ownersh...

What is pansexuality?

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is pansexuality? Thanks for asking! More and more celebrities are talking about their sexuality. Just two weeks ago, Demi Lovato talked about b...

What is soft power?

10 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is soft power? Thanks for asking! There was a time where the only way to impose power was through violence and war. But for a few decades now, t...

What is Covax?

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Covax? Thanks for asking! Described as the “biggest worldwide rollout of vaccines in the history of humanity”. the Covax scheme is part o...

What is the Suez Canal?

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Suez Canal? Thanks for asking!   On March 23rd, the Ever Given container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic in both dir...

What is a ghost kitchen?

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is a ghost kitchen? Thanks for asking! For many of us, it’s been a long time since we last set foot in a pub or restaurant. We’ve become mor...

What is the precautionary principle?

03 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the precautionary principle? Thanks for asking!  While over 50% of people in the UK have received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, the...

What is poverty porn?

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is poverty porn? Thanks for asking! Poverty porn is a provocative term of criticism which looks at how poor people and their living situations a...

What is Stop Asian Hate?

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Stop Asian Hate? Thanks for asking! On March 16th, a series of shootings in Atlanta caused eight deaths. The murders took place at three diff...

Who is Ousmane Sonko?

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Who is Ousmane Sonko? Thanks for asking!   Since early March, Senegal has seen a series of violent protests, a rare event in a country known for its ...

What is Generation Covid?

27 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Generation Covid? Thanks for asking!  In social sciences, a generation refers to a group of the population whose members are around the same...

What are HFCs?

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are HFCs? Thanks for asking! Fridges, freezers and air conditioning. In cooling our individual homes, humans are heating up our collective home ...

What is eye yoga?

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is eye yoga? Thanks for asking! In the last 12 months, we’ve all spent more time at home than we expected. As a result, our use of computers o...

What is a test concert?

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is a test concert? Thanks for asking!  Living through a pandemic has seen many of our favourite pastimes turn from harmless fun to high-risk ac...

What is euthanasia?

20 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is euthanasia? Thanks for asking! Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a person’s life in order to relieve their suffering. The pract...

What is the baby bust?

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the baby bust? Thanks for asking!   You’ve almost certainly heard of the baby boom, which saw birth rates soar in many countries following ...

What is period poverty?

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is period poverty? Thanks for asking! Menstrual hygiene products are an essential expense, but many women on low incomes find that the cost is o...

What is newspeak?

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is newspeak? Thanks for asking! Lockdown, patient zero, social distancing and PCR tests - the last year has seen the emergence of many new terms...

What is the three-finger salute?

13 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the three-finger salute? Thanks for asking! Since the start of February, protesters in Myanmar have been pictured making a three-finger gestu...

What is class-passing?

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is class-passing? Thanks for asking! Everybody loves a rags-to-riches story, but the reality is social mobility is far from easy. Class-passers ...

What is the Matilda Effect?

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Matilda Effect? Thanks for asking! Imagine humanity only using half the brains at its disposal to solve the many scientific challenges it...

What is cyclothymia?

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is cyclothymia? Thanks for asking! The term cyclothymia was coined in the late 19th century by German psychiatrist Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum. It desc...

What is long COVID?

06 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is long COVID? Thanks for asking! Even months after infection, some Covid-19 patients have continued to suffer from symptoms such as extreme fat...

What is Clubhouse?

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Clubhouse? Thanks for asking! Clubhouse is a 100% audio social networking app. It’s suddenly everywhere, having accrued 2 million users des...

What is a nasal spray vaccine?

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is a nasal spray vaccine? Thanks for asking! We’re all familiar with how traditional vaccines work. We get injected with a virus, or a weakene...

What is quantum technology?

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is quantum technology? Thanks for asking! Quantum technologies are tools which use the physical properties of tiny particles like ions or photon...

What is the social credit system?

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the social credit system? Thanks for asking!  With a population of 1.4 billion inhabitants and a surface area 39 times larger than that of t...

What is 'Oumuamua?

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is 'Oumuamua? Thanks for asking! In 2017, ‘Oumuamua became the first interstellar object to be detected passing through our solar system. The ...

What is critical thinking?

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is critical thinking? Thanks for asking! Critical thinking is the intellectual process of evaluating information, thinking clearly and rationall...

What is the postpartum period?

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the postpartum period? Thanks for asking!   Many people wrongly assume that all women immediately find their feet after having a baby. In rea...

What is ketamine?

20 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is ketamine? Thanks for asking! Ketamine is a psychoactive drug, which is known for being both a horse tranquiliser horse and a party drug for r...

What is burnout?

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is burnout? Thanks for asking!   In January 2021, the European Parliament approved a “right to disconnect” policy which passed relatively un...

What is dyspareunia?

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is dyspareunia? Thanks for asking! Most people associate sex with pleasure but research suggests that 60% of women have already experienced pain...

What is Pancake Day?

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Pancake Day? Thanks for asking! Feeling hungry? It’s Pancake Day tomorrow, which means you’ve still got time to choose your favourite top...

What is an antiviral mask?

13 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is an antiviral mask? Thanks for asking! Since the turn of the year, the threat of new coronavirus variants has emerged. As a result, many are q...

What is the Gamestop short squeeze?

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Gamestop short squeeze? Thanks for asking! You may have seen headlines about it in recent weeks, and it’s certainly one of the financia...

What is a coup d’etat?

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is a coup d’etat? Thanks for asking! Just last week, Myanmar underwent its fourth coup d’état in 63 years, ten years after becoming a democ...

What is Diogenes Syndrome?

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Diogenes Syndrome? Thanks for asking! Diogenes Syndrome is a behavioural disorder which mainly affects older adults. It’s also known as sen...

What is the sixth dose?

06 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the sixth dose? Thanks for asking! From the outset, each vial of the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was supposed to contain five doses....

What is sensory processing sensitivity?

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is sensory processing sensitivity? Thanks for asking! “Why are you being so sensitive?” “Stop overreacting”. It’s common to hear peopl...

What is enbyphobia?

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is enbyphobia? Thanks for asking! This term first appeared in LGBT+ circles; if you’re wondering what an “enby” is, just say it slower: N ...

What is ASMR?

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is ASMR? Thanks for asking! ASMR is short for autonomous sensory meridian response. It refers to the pleasant tingling sensations some people fe...

What is VOC202012/01?

30 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is VOC202012/01? Thanks for asking!   It might seem like a random series of letters and numbers, but bear with us and you’ll soon understand. ...

What is Wikipedia?

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Wikipedia? Thanks for asking! On January 15th 2021, Wikipedia turned 20 years old, believe it or not.  Wow, thanks for making me feel old! ...

What is Parler?

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Parler? Thanks for asking! Since the start of the year, a previously little known social network has been making international headlines. De...

What is Signal?

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Signal? Thanks for asking! Maybe you’re among the millions of new users to have recently downloaded messaging app Signal. Just like Whatsap...

What is bardcore?

23 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is bardcore? Thanks for asking! Prithee, a maiden doth serenade from afar! What enchanting melody be this? Fear not, Shakira didn’t rip-off a...

What is compersion?

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is compersion? Thanks for asking! You won’t find the term compersion in the dictionary, but it could be defined as the pleasure derived from s...

What is Inauguration Day?

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Inauguration Day? Thanks for asking! Today is Inauguration Day, and Joe Biden is to be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, f...

What is Blue Monday?

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Blue Monday? Thanks for asking!   Sorry to start the week with bad news but today is Blue Monday, often cited as the most depressing day of t...

What are bionic soldiers?

16 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are bionic soldiers? Thanks for asking! Bionic soldiers have been making headlines since early December, when a French military ethics committee...

What is induced lactation?

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is induced lactation? Thanks for asking! Induced lactation refers to the production of breast milk in non-gestational parents. That’s right, a...

What is a Bullshit job?

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is a Bullshit job? Thanks for asking! Back in 2013, anthropology professor David Graeber penned an essay in radical magazine Strike, criticising...

What is Pornhub?

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Pornhub? Thanks for asking! With over 3 billion visits per month, it’s the 10th most popular website worldwide. Don’t act all innocent; i...

What are tiny forests?

09 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are tiny forests? Thanks for asking! Over the last few years, citizens have been planting tiny forests in towns and country settings. There are ...

What is hygge?

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is hygge? Thanks for asking! Picture this: you’re indoors, in front of a warm fireplace, with a plaid rug over your legs, sipping a cup of tea...

What are New Year’s Resolutions?

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What are New Year’s Resolutions? Thanks for asking! Well here we are in 2021. Many are glad to see the back of 2020, now looking forward optimistic...

What is breaking?

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is breaking? Thanks for asking! In early December, the IOC officially announced it was adding breaking to the list of Olympic sports for the Par...

What is the cosmic calendar?

02 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the cosmic calendar? Thanks for asking! OK, so you’re looking for a new calendar on which to mark family birthdays, Covid-19 dependent holi...

What is an immunity passport?

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is an immunity passport? Thanks for asking! After testing and vaccination in 2020, the immunity passport is likely to be one of next year’s Co...

What is vlogmas?

30 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is vlogmas? Thanks for asking! Well, there you have it, Christmas 2020 has come and gone faster than you can say “socially distanced celebrati...

What is a black hole?

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is a black hole? Thanks for asking! The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three scientists for their breakthroughs in understanding one...

What is Western Sahara?

26 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Western Sahara? Thanks for asking!   On December 10th, US President Donald Trump recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western...

What is Furoshiki?

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Furoshiki? Thanks for asking! In case you haven’t noticed, it’s Christmas Eve today, which means it’s time for the annual custom of las...

What are the Christmas Blues?

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are the Christmas Blues? Thanks for asking! Ho, ho, ho, Christmas time is here! For many people, the holiday season brings to mind decorations, ...

What is low tech?

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is low tech? Thanks for asking! In the struggle against climate change, politicians are getting behind technological innovation. But some expert...

What is gender dysphoria?

19 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is gender dysphoria? Thanks for asking!    Gender dysphoria describes the unease that people can feel when there is a mismatch between their bi...

What is The Cartel Project?

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is The Cartel Project? Thanks for asking!   In early December, the Forbidden Stories consortium unveiled The Cartel Project, which continues and...

What is an mRNA vaccine?

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is an mRNA vaccine? Thanks for asking! The first two COVID-19 vaccines to pass clinical trials have a significant point in common. They are both...

What is Fast Fashion?

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Fast Fashion? Thanks for asking! Fast fashion is to fashion what fast food is to dining. That is to say a poor-quality imitation, which every...

What is microwork?

12 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is microwork? Thanks for asking! Microwork is paid work which usually involves short and repetitive tasks carried out on a smartphone or compute...

What is retrospective contact tracing?

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is retrospective contact tracing? Thanks for asking! Vaccine is the word on everyone’s lips right now when talking about COVID-19. While makin...

What is the Iranian nuclear program?

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Iranian nuclear program? Thanks for asking!   On November 27th, nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was shot dead a few miles away from ...

What is cultured meat?

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is cultured meat? Thanks for asking! The world’s ever-growing human population is eating meat in greater quantities than ever before. Yet at t...

What is impostor syndrome?

05 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is impostor syndrome? Thanks for asking! Impostor syndrome is a psychological phenomenon which causes many high achievers to feel like frauds wh...

What are minks?

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are minks? Thanks for asking! After the pangolin, another kind of animal is getting increased attention due to Covid-19. That’s right, we’re...

What is a mixtape?

02 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is a mixtape? Thanks for asking! Not as long as a studio album, but longer than an EP, a mixtape is a collection of music from one or more artis...

What is the circular economy?

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is the circular economy? Thanks for asking! The circular economy is an economic system where all resources are continually used and nothing is w...

What is a unicorn?

28 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is a unicorn? Thanks for asking! A unicorn is a privately-owned start up company valued at over $1bn when launched on the stock market. That’s...

What is Tourette’s Syndrome?

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Tourette’s Syndrome? Thanks for asking! Tourette’s syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder which usually begins in childhood. It’s es...

What is Cluster 5?

25 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Cluster 5? Thanks for asking!   At the start of November, the World Health Organisation announced that six countries had reported COVID-19 ca...

What are microplastics?

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are microplastics? Thanks for asking! There are tiny fragments of plastic pretty much everywhere in the ocean, in the ground and inside animals,...

What is cultural appropriation?

21 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is cultural appropriation? Thanks for asking!  Think of Katy Perry in her video for This Is How We Do, Madonna in a traditional Berber outfit a...

What is Big Pharma?

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Big Pharma? Thanks for asking! At a time when the whole world is waiting for an effective COVID-19 vaccine, do citizens really trust the comp...

Who are the Grey Wolves?

18 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Who are the Grey Wolves? Thanks for asking! The Grey Wolves are a Turkish ultranationalist organisation which has come under the spotlight in several...

What is food play?

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is food play? Thanks for asking! In a sexual context, food play is a form of fetichism, where participants are aroused by the use of food in an ...

What is Baby Shark?

14 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Baby Shark? Thanks for asking! On November 2nd, Baby Shark made internet history by becoming the most-viewed YouTube video of all time, with ...

What is carbon neutrality?

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is carbon neutrality? Thanks for asking! All over the world, states are committing to reaching carbon neutrality in coming decades. That means a...

What is Islamism?

11 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is Islamism? Thanks for asking!   A spate of terrorist attacks have been carried out across Europe in recent weeks, most notably in France and A...

What is a non-essential shop?

09 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is a non-essential shop? Thanks for asking! Many countries in Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing a second wave of the covid-19...

What are Incels?

07 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are Incels? Thanks for asking! Incel is a portmanteau word which is short for “involuntary celibate”. These people are single despite themse...

What is blasphemy?

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is blasphemy? Thanks for asking! An act of blasphemy is an insult or offence committed towards a deity. Blasphemy is often a sensitive subject, ...

What is mental health?

04 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is mental health? Thanks for asking! New lockdown measures are due to come into effect across England this week, following Boris Johnson’s ann...

What is antimicrobial resistance?

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is antimicrobial resistance? Thanks for asking! Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR for short, refers to how bacteria are able to become resistant ...

What is K-Pop?

31 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is K-Pop? Thanks for asking! On October 15th, Big Hit Entertainment debuted on the Korean stock exchange. If you’re not familiar with the comp...

What is the Electoral College?

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Electoral College? Thanks for asking! In the United States, the President isn’t actually directly elected by citizens. That responsibil...

What is synthetic DNA?

28 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is synthetic DNA? Thanks for asking! Humanity is faced with the complex issue of how to store and archive all the digital data it produces. Some...

What is tax evasion?

26 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is tax evasion? Thanks for asking!  Tax evasion refers to individuals, corporations, or trusts using illegal means to avoid paying tax. This co...

What is a think tank?

24 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is a think tank? Thanks for asking! A think tank is a private group of experts who conduct research and develop proposals for governments. There...