Do you really know?
Episodes
What is zumping?
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is zumping? Thanks for asking! Zumping is one of many new words to be invented since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. It refers to the pr...
What are corona bonds?
16 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are corona bonds? Thanks for asking! A political crisis is currently emerging in Europe, and it’s down to Corona bonds. The term is derived f...
What is tocilizumab?
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is tocilizumab? Thanks for asking! Tocilizumab is a prescription drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients in over 100 countries. It’s...
What is mass testing?
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is mass testing? Thanks for asking! The benefit of screening for diseases is to enable early diagnosis when a person is asymptomatic. That’s t...
What is an FFP2 mask?
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is an FFP2 mask? Thanks for asking! You likely hadn’t heard of FFP2 masks in pre-COVID-19 days, but they are in huge demand right now. The FF...
What is social distancing?
09 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is social distancing? Thanks for asking! The term social distancing refers to measures taken to reduce physical contact between people to a mini...
What is herd immunity?
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is herd immunity? Thanks for asking! Also known as community immunity, herd immunity is an indirect form of protection against an infectious di...
What is the World Health Organization?
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the World Health Organization? Thanks for asking! The World Health Organization is a United Nations agency that is responsible for internati...
What are tracking apps?
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are tracking apps? Thanks for asking! Exceptional times call for exceptional measures, as they say. Tracking apps are now being used by governm...
What is care work?
02 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is care work? Thanks for asking! This subcategory of the workforce includes jobs that provide services to other people. Despite doing work that...
What is a lockdown?
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is a lockdown? Thanks for asking! It’s estimated that up to 50% of the world’s population has been under some form of lockdown since the be...
What is HouseParty?
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is HouseParty? Thanks for asking HouseParty is a video chat app that was created in the United States in 2016 and became particularly popular am...
What are neobanks?
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are neobanks? Neobanks are 100% digital. They run exclusively through mobile apps, with no brick-and-mortar premises. They offer customers a use...
What is chloroquine?
25 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is chloroquine? Thanks for asking! Chloroquine is a prescription drug which has been used for many decades to treat malaria. It’s included on...
What are conlangers?
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are conlangers? Thanks for asking ! A conlanger is a person who creates one or more constructed languages. These are different to most language...
What is anthropomorphism?
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is anthropomorphism? Anthropomorphism means transferring human forms or emotions onto animals and other non-human entities. It has its origins i...
What is Misophonia?
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is Misophonia? You probably won’t find it on autocorrect or spell check, but misophonia is a condition which affects up to 15% of adults. The ...
What are dark patterns?
18 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are dark patterns? A dark pattern is an online interface which has been designed to trick visitors into performing certain actions against their...
What is instant-runoff voting?
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is instant-runoff voting? Also known as the alternative vote, instant runoff voting is an election method in which voters rank candidates by ord...
What is telehealth?
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is telehealth? Telehealth refers to remote health services which are provided using technology. While the technologies have been around for deca...
What are desert locusts?
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are desert locusts? Desert locusts are a type of insect which have been threatening agricultural production in Africa, Asia and the Middle East ...
What is male contraception?
11 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is male contraception? We’ve all heard of the pill and the coil for women, but did you know that male contraceptives also exist? The obvious e...
What is OK Boomer ?
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is OK Boomer? OK Boomer is an internet-born phrase which surfaced in 2019 to highlight the generational gap between certain people of different ...
What is cruelty free?
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is cruelty free? Cruelty free is a label for products which don’t cause harm to animals. This kind of guarantee is designed to reassure consum...
What is...no, who is Alan Smithee?
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is...no, who is Alan Smithee? Alan Smithee is perhaps Hollywood’s least talented director! Let me explain… It’s not uncommon for director...
What is the Blob?
04 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Blob? The blob is a nickname for Physarum Polycephalum, a slime mold that can detect and digest food, move around and procreate. It’s u...
What is a digital detox?
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is a digital detox? A digital detox is a period of time when a person chooses to limit their use of computers and mobile devices. The aim is to ...
What are hikikomori?
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are hikikomori? A hikikomori is a reclusive person who withdraws from society and lives in their own home all the time. This isolation phenomeno...
What are GINKs?
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are GINKs? The acronym GINKs stands for “Green Inclinations - No Kids”, referring to those who consciously decide to forego having children ...
What is revenge porn?
28 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is revenge porn? Revenge porn is the intentional sharing of private sexual content, without the consent of the person in that content. It could ...
What is a sedentary lifestyle?
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is a sedentary lifestyle? A sedentary lifestyle is one which involves little or no physical activity. It’s one of the major global health issu...
What is CBD?
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is CBD? CBD is short for Cannabidiol, which is one of the chemical components found in cannabis. Not being psychoactive, CBD is legal in many co...
What is a narcissistic pervert?
22 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is a narcissistic pervert? It seems like we hear about narcissistic perverts pretty often these days. They are charming manipulators who often t...
What is Flygskam?
21 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is Flygskam? Flygskam is a Swedish neologism, which literally translates into English as “flight shame”. Confronted with the high level of p...
What is Asperger Syndrome?
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is Asperger Syndrome? Asperger Syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, characterised by difficulties in social interactions and restricted inte...
What is the Halo Effect?
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Halo Effect? The Halo Effect is a form of cognitive bias, whereby we base our overall opinion of a person on a single characteristic. It’...
What is a power nap?
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is a power nap? A power nap is a short sleep which is long enough to give an energy boost, but not so long that you enter deep sleep. The term w...
What is Deep Learning?
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is Deep Learning? Deep learning is a machine learning method based on artificial intelligence. With deep learning, machines are able to learn by...
What is a pension fund?
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is a pension fund? A pension fund is a retirement scheme created by a company or public employer in order to save money for its employees. Belon...
What is 5G?
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is 5G? 5G is the fifth and newest generation of mobile connectivity. Its commercial rollout has already begun, with the four major US carriers h...
What is blue light?
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is blue light? Blue light is a type of high-energy visible light, with a wavelength between 400 and 450 nanometers. It is emitted by many source...
What is the Green New Deal?
07 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Green New Deal? The Green New Deal is a proposed package of legislation in the United States, designed to tackle climate change. It was i...
What is Stendhal syndrome?
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is Stendhal syndrome? Stendhal’s syndrome is a rare and unusual psychological disorder. It’s a psychosomatic condition whereby certain peopl...
What is solastalgia?
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is solastalgia? Solastalgia is the distress we feel when our local environment is transformed, mainly due to climate change. These transformatio...
What is computer vision syndrome?
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is computer vision syndrome? From our smartphone screens first thing in the morning to an evening spent in front of the TV, electronic visual di...
What is berberine?
29 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is berberine? Berberine is a natural alkaloid, which means it’s an active compound of plant origin. It’s found in a lot of dietary supplemen...
What is conversion therapy?
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is conversion therapy? Conversion therapy, also known as homotherapy, is a pseudoscientific practice that seeks to convert homosexuals to hetero...
What is digital sobriety?
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is digital sobriety? Digital sobriety is all about reducing the ecological footprint of our daily digital lifestyles. That’s right, using your...
What is slashing?
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is slashing? Don’t worry, there’s nothing barbaric about this kind of slashing. In fact, the origin comes from the forward slash symbol we a...
What is batch cooking?
22 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is batch cooking? Batch cooking is a technique of preparing meals in large quantities, to be stored for consumption over several days. Generally...
What is aquaponics?
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is aquaponics? OK, from the start I can tell you aquaponics isn’t related to aquabike, aquagym or any other Sunday morning aquatic activities....
What is serotonin?
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is serotonin? Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is widely associated with feelings of happiness and well-being, although it does have other ...
What is Google Stadia?
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is Google Stadia? Stadia is the name of the cloud gaming service launched by Google in late 2019. The American tech company observed the high le...
What is the Mozart Effect?
15 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Mozart Effect? What if listening to 10 minutes of Mozart could increase your IQ? That’s exactly what Frances Raucher and her Californi...
What is freeganism?
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is freeganism? Freeganism is a portmanteau word made up of the words “free” and “veganism”. As you may already know, vegans reject anima...
What is carbon footprint?
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is carbon footprint? A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the energy and raw material consumption of a person, ...
What is zetetic?
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is zetetic? Zetetic is the practice of giving a scientific explanation to apparently paranormal activity. In other words, zetetic is the art of ...
What is biomass?
08 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is biomass? Biomass is organic matter, mainly coming from plants or animals, used for energy production. European governments consider biomass t...
What is cyberbullying?
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying is the practice of repeatedly insulting or threatening a person online. Anyone can become a victim of cyberbully...
What is juice jacking?
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is juice jacking? Juice jacking is a type of cyber attack which involves hacking a smartphone or tablet through a public USB charging point. Ima...
What is pinkwashing?
01 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is pinkwashing? Pinkwashing is a practice used to appear LGBT-friendly for political or business gains. The choice of such a strategy by states ...
What is phage therapy?
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is phage therapy? Phage therapy refers to the use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections. While it has been used scarcely in the Wester...
What is Generation Z?
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is Generation Z? The term Generation Z refers to people born from around the end of the 1990s onwards. Like all generations, the group has its o...
What is foie gras?
25 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is foie gras? Foie gras is a French delicacy often eating during the holiday season. The words foie gras literally translate to “fatty liver”...
What is gamification in the workplace?
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is gamification in the workplace? Human beings love playing games. They stimulate our hormones, our brains and our emotions. Now, games wouldn’...
What is the keto diet?
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the keto diet? The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet which allegedly helps weight loss and fighting diseases such as diabetes, epil...
What is endometriosis?
18 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is endometriosis? Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition which affects one in ten women. The main symptom is pelvic pain, which can b...
What are skin-whitening creams?
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are skin-whitening creams? Believe it or not, the market for skin-whitening creams is rapidly expanding. Many people are using these products to...
What are bed bugs ?
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are bed bugs ? Bed bugs are insects that feed exclusively on blood. They often live on furniture or bedding and bite humans during the night. El...
What is HAARP ?
11 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is HAARP ? The acronym HAARP stands for High Frequency Auroral Research Program. It’s an American research project dedicated to analysing the ...
What is greenwashing ?
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is greenwashing ? Greenwashing is a marketing practice used by corporations to convince consumers that their business is environmentally friendl...
What is FGM ?
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is female genital mutilation ? Female genital mutilation (or FGM) is an operation whereby some or all of the external female genitalia are remov...
What is sharenting ?
06 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is sharenting ? Sharenting is a portmanteau word, made up of “sharing” and “parenting”. It’s used to refer to parents who share photos...
What is the No Bra movement ?
04 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the No Bra movement ? For women, wearing a bra to support their breasts may seem vital from puberty onwards. However, it’s claimed that bra...
What is mental load ?
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is mental load ? Mental load, or emotional labour, is a sociological concept often relating to the daily management of a household. Research has...
What is lyme disease ?
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is lyme disease ? Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease, which means it’s spread by an intermediary. It’s actually the most common of all ...
What is polyamory ?
28 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is polyamory ? Polyamory means having romantic or sexual relationships with more than one partner. It differs from the traditional model where t...
What are loot boxes ?
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are loot boxes ? Creating video games doesn’t come cheap, and neither does it bring in a whole lot of revenue. At least that’s what game pu...
What are GMOs ?
23 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are GMOs ? The acronym GMO stands for genetically modified organism. Basically, a GMO is any living thing which has had its genetic material alt...
What are e-cigarettes ?
21 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are e-cigarettes ? An e-cigarette is a vaporizer that simulates smoking without tobacco consumption. A product like this could therefore help sm...
What is body positivity ?
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is body positivity ? Body positivity has taken over social media in the last few years. The movement is based on the relationship we have with o...
What is begpacking ?
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is begpacking ? Begpacking is a portmanteau word, combining the words ‘begging’ and ‘backpacking’. It essentially means begging in order...
What is accelerationism ?
06 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is accelerationism ? Accelerationism is a radical school of thought, seeking to bring about a postcapitalist society. Accelerationists believe ...