Do you really know?

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...

What is Operation London Bridge?

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is Operation London Bridge? Thanks for asking!  The recent passing of Prince Philip at the age of 99 has served as a reminder that even Her Maj...

What is a lateral flow test?

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is a lateral flow test? Thanks for asking! The number of new Covid-19 cases in the UK continues to drop as its vaccination campaign advances. Th...

What is vegetarianism?

17 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is vegetarianism? Thanks for asking! We’ve probably all eaten a meat-free dish at some point over the last few months, but that on its own doe...

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...