Do you really know?

You’ve no doubt already heard of TikTok, the short video app of choice for teens and young adults. Well in the last few weeks a new trend has really taken off, and it’s known as BookTok. The idea is simple: recommend books to your Tiktok followers using the hashtag #BookTok.

It’s really catching on and has even led to the emergence of literature enthusiast communities on the platform. The hashtag has been used millions of times since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Is it a new form of literary review then? What kinds of books are covered? So is there such a thing as Booktokers now then? Has the trend been having any other positive effects? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What are zombie fires?
What are sleep streams?
What are molecular scissors?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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32 years ago today, Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing, saw unprecedented student protests. As night fell on June 3rd 1989, the Chinese military entered the square with a number of tanks and opened fire on the unarmed crowd.

The number of deaths is estimated between 1,000 and 2,000, in what became known internationally as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Thus ended seven weeks worth of pro-democracy and anti-corruption protests.

One particular image is shared every time the month of June comes around. It’s that of a lone man blocking the path of the Chinese army tanks. It really highlights the imbalance of force between the military and the peaceful student protesters. This anonymous man became a symbol of anti-violence and the struggle for freedom throughout the world. The whole world was shocked and the Chinese government was universally condemned.

How did we get to such a drastic situation? Are you saying the massacre put a stop to a series of social movements? Why is this period of Chinese history so poorly known? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What are zombie fires?
What are sleep streams?
What are molecular scissors?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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The Indian variant known as B.1.617 is causing concern in Europe, particularly due to a steep rise in infections since early May. It recently spread into the United Kingdom, where it is currently taking over as the dominant variant. As a result, Germany reclassified the UK as a virus variant region on May 23rd.

Travel between the UK and Germany is therefore strictly limited for the time being, meaning only German citizens or residents are allowed to enter the country. Even then, whether arriving by train, car or plane, they are also subject to a two week isolation period, which can’t be shortened even by testing negative.

For now, four main variants are still circulating in Europe: the Indian, South African, Brazilian and British variants. With summer just around the corner, the situation is being monitored closely as these variants are more contagious and virulent.

I thought the UK’s health situation was going much better! Is Germany the only country to have put in place restrictions against visitors from the UK?Could the Indian variant have an impact on summer holiday plans in Europe? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What are zombie fires?
What are sleep streams?
What are molecular scissors?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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Believe it or not, some fires are able to smolder for months underneath snow, even when their flames have been extinguished above ground.

Researchers and forest rangers have been aware of the existence of these zombie fires in the Arctic Circle for many years now. But a study published in Nature magazine on May 19th revealed the full extent of the issue. It turns out the threat they pose to boreal forests and the climate as a whole is greater than we previously knew.

How can a fire resist cold and ice? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What are molecular scissors?
What is the fertility cliff?
What is phantosmia?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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How do you like the idea of going to sleep and waking up richer? Sounds pretty sweet, huh? Well believe it or not, sleep streams have actually become a big trend among influencers on streaming platform Twitch. They film themselves asleep, set challenges and go through sleep marathons in interactive formats. Meanwhile, viewers try to annoy the streamer or wake them up by playing videos and sending text-to-speech messages. That’s right, sleep streams are the latest weird way of making money online!

How did this become a thing? What’s the point of staring into a laptop or smartphone screen watching someone sleep? And even worse, paying for it?! In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What are molecular scissors?
What is the fertility cliff?
What is phantosmia?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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When we think about genetically-edited plants, animals and even humans, we might wonder whether it’s the stuff of dreams or nightmares. But it’s close to reality, thanks to a gene editing technique, Crispr-Cas9, also known as molecular scissors. There are a number of potential health and environmental benefits.The concept made headlines for the first time in late 2018. Chinese researcher He Jiankui took to Youtube to announce the birth of genetically-edited twin girls who were supposedly immune to HIV due to the use of molecular scissors. The international scientific community was outraged at He’s failure to follow safety protocols and the researcher ended up in prison. However, the amount of research on molecular scissors has been on the rise for several years now. The CRISPR CAS 9 technique was developed in 2012 by two researchers: Jennifer Doudna from the USA and Emmanuelle Charpentier from France. It ended up being so revolutionary that the pair won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2020.

What’s so revolutionary about molecular scissors? What’s the point of it all? Are we talking about GMOs? Aren’t those dangerous? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is the fertility cliff?
What is phantosmia?
What is the urban exodus?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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The ability of a woman to get pregnant and give birth doesn’t last forever. 35 has traditionally been seen as a fertility cliff, a kind of cut-off point after which it becomes much more difficult to have a child. Women in their early 30s and even late 20s often feel under pressure from their families or society, like they are losing a race against their biological clock. But recent research findings have led many to call the reasoning behind this threshold into question.

So where did the idea of 35 being a fertility cliff come from? What’s the latest information in this area then? What conclusions should we draw from all this? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What is phantosmia?
What is the urban exodus?
What is Bollywood?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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The symptoms and after-effects of Covid-19 vary hugely between people and can be very incapacitating. We’ve already discussed anosmia, the loss of the sense of smell, in a past episode. But some people also report strange and unpleasant odours, that no-one else around can smell. The medical term for these olfactory hallucinations is phantosmia, coming from the Greek “phanto” for ghost and “osmia” for smell. That’s right, hallucinations aren’t always visual!

Does that mean I could mistake one smell for another? Can phantosmia be linked to conditions other than Covid-19? And is it treatable? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is Bollywood?
What is the Doomsday Glacier?
What is Resident Evil?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the lives of almost everyone around the globe. City dwellers have had to adapt their daily lives to a new organisation and work-life balance. Many have chosen to leave their urban homes behind in favour of a calmer life in the suburbs or countryside. This has been described as an urban exodus, although there is some debate as to what extent this will last when the pandemic ends.

Are we talking about a Moses and the Israelites kind of mass exodus? Should we expect the urban exodus to last in the long run? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What is Bollywood?
What is the Doomsday Glacier?
What is Resident Evil?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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If you’re a Westerner, you’ve almost certainly heard of Bollywood, but there’s also a decent chance you’ve never actually watched a Bollywood film! If Hollywood is the stronghold of American cinema, Bollywood is an even more generic term used to describe the Hindi-language film industry in India, in particular the city of Mumbai.

The label is a portmanteau of Bombay, Mumbai’s former name, and Hollywood. There is debate about who exactly coined the term, which emerged in the 1970s. Some records suggest it was first used by a gossip column in the Indian magazine Cineblitz.

You should be warned that the term is relatively rarely used in India. Many see it as derogatory or patronising, having been adopted as a blanket term by Westerners. It also excludes films produced in other Indian languages like Tamil or Bengali.

So what exactly does a Bollywood film look like then? Is it as popular as American cinema? What are the latest trends in Bollywood cinema? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What is the Doomsday Glacier?
What is Resident Evil?
What is the andropause?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is melting rapidly and risks breaking up completely. For nearly a quarter of a century, climate scientists have been observing it closely and have nicknamed it the Doomsday Glacier due to its instability and potential impact on the future of the planet. Thwaites Glacier is more than 1km deep and has a surface area of 74,000 m2, larger than all of England. It’s more than 1,000 miles away from the closest research base, making it remote even for Antarctica.

The speed at which the glacier is melting has increased due to currents of warm water flowing underneath it, wearing away at its base. A study published last month by Gothenburg University researchers showed that the quantity of warm water, measured for the first time using a robotic unmanned submarine, was far higher than previously thought.

How long ago did the glacier start melting? What will happen if the glacier disappears? I bet it isn’t the only glacier in the world that’s causing concern... In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is Resident Evil?
What is the andropause?
What is parcopresis?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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May 7th saw the release of Resident Evil: Village; the eighth instalment in one of video gaming’s most epic series. Originally released under the name Biohazard in Japan, Resident Evil was far from being the first horror video game in history, but it’s definitely become the most influential over the years.

How did Resident Evil achieve such success? What was so unique about the first edition? Has Resident Evil been as consistent since its early days? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is captology?
What is broken heart syndrome?
What are cookies?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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We’ve all heard of the menopause which occurs in women in middle age. But there is much less awareness around changes in male sex hormones which are linked to ageing and have been described as the andropause.The word comes from the Greek “andros”, meaning man, and “pausis”, meaning end. It generally arrives very gradually and is characterised by low testosterone levels in men.

So is the andropause a myth or reality? And what are its symptoms? What should a man do if he feels like he is undergoing the andropause? Could it be compared to the menopause in women then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is captology?
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What are cookies?

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Ever needed to go to the loo but held it in, due to a lack of privacy, or fear of noise and smells? The social taboo around pooping is known as parcopresis or shy bowel syndrome. It’s an anxiety disorder which can have significant health consequences as well as interfering with a person’s daily routine. Public toilets have been closed for much of the last year, due to Covid lockdowns and restrictions. This has had an impact on bathroom habits for all of us. Without access to outdoor bathrooms, nearly half of us have experienced difficulty in relieving ourselves over the last twelve months.

Well no-one wants to be heard pooping at their partner’s place or in the office do they? Who is most affected by parcopresis then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is broken heart syndrome?
What are cookies?
What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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Getting internet users’ attention and influencing their online behaviour is a massive priority for Big Tech companies in this day and age. Behind their practices is captology, a term invented in 1996 by American researcher BJ Fogg. It might make you think of the word “capture” at first, but it actually comes from the initials of “Computers As Persuasive Technologies”. The idea was to study the link between digital tool design and the resulting impact on individuals’ behaviour.

Captology has often been cited as a source of inspiration for Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. To such an extent that its definition has evolved to describe all kinds of techniques used by internet giants to grab users’ attention, and make them addicted.

Coronavirus lockdowns haven’t helped and the stats are there to back it up. A global study by analytics company App Annie found the average daily time spent using a smartphone in 2020 was 4 hours and 10 minutes.

That’s crazy! So what are the secrets behind captology then? Is captology dangerous then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What is broken heart syndrome?
What are cookies?
What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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The idea of a broken heart may make you think of a cartoon, an emoji or a bad break-up from your past. But broken heart syndrome is a real physical condition, which is also known as Tako-tsubo.

Is the name Japanese because that’s where the first case was recorded? Is it like the heart having a burnout basically?! How can we recognise the symptoms?
Can broken heart syndrome affect anyone? How can we avoid becoming a victim of Takotsubo in the current situation? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone?
What is the Escazu Agreement?
What is the insider-outsider theory?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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Most of us probably associate them with annoying pop-ups, but HTTP cookies actually do a lot of good for our web browsing experience too. Cookies are small pieces of data which are stored on our computers as soon as we visit a website. There are many kinds, and they are usually totally inoffensive, but some can end up being rather intrusive, causing privacy concerns and leaving a bittersweet aftertaste!

Tell me more about where cookies come from... In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What is the Chernobyl exclusion zone?
What is the Escazu Agreement?
What is the insider-outsider theory?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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It’s just over 35 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. Built in the 1970s to house workers from the nuclear plant, it was seen as a model Soviet metropolis, but became a ghost town when its 50,000 inhabitants were evacuated.

Does the exclusion zone still exist today? So can humans go inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone nowadays? What about temporary visits? Will people be able to live in Chernobyl again one day? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is the insider-outsider theory?
What is stalkerware?
Who is Alexei Navalny?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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Ratified on April 22nd 2021, the Escazu Agreement is a historic treaty set to affect one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. It’s Latin America’s first ever environmental treaty, and the first in the world specifically designed to protect defenders of the environment. It was first signed by 24 countries, then ratified by 12 national governments so far, with the notable exceptions of Chile, Colombia and Brazil.

Where does the name come from? What’s so historic about the Escazu Agreement then? What is expected with the arrival of the Escazu agreement? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What is the insider-outsider theory?
What is stalkerware?
Who is Alexei Navalny?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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The insider-outsider theory is a New Keynesian economic model which developed in the 1980s, explaining certain disparities in the job market. Insiders are those who already have a job in a company, most of the time a permanent contract and having undergone expensive training. Meanwhile, outsiders are those with unstable jobs or unemployed. The theory considers whether, in a period of wide unemployment, companies would be better off replacing their insiders with outsiders, who would be likely to accept a lower salary. On the other hand, the resources needed to replace insiders can quickly add up. Think of severance packages, hiring processes and training for example. These labour turnover costs often end up being more expensive than the money saved by paying a lower salary.So it’s not really in a company’s best interests to fire its insiders.

Does that mean the insiders are in a position of strength then? Is there any hope for the outsiders then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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Who is Alexei Navalny?
What is chemsex?
What are Covid toes?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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We’ve probably all jokingly referred to social media stalking when looking at an ex’s profile or checking out what a future colleague looks like. But online stalking can reach serious levels, particularly through the use of monitoring stalkerware. These apps are installed on smartphones, making use of functions like key logging, automated screenshots and GPS monitoring, while the owner is blissfully unaware that their privacy is being violated.

Who even does that - the CIA?! How common is stalkerware use then? What should I do if I suspect someone of installing stalkerware on my device? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
Who is Alexei Navalny?
What is chemsex?
What are Covid toes?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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In late March 2021, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny began a hunger strike in his prison cell. A few weeks later he was transferred to a prison hospital, with his allies declaring he was “close to dying”.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Moscow, St Petersburg and over 40 other cities. Police arrested over 1700 people. At the same time, UN human rights experts called for Navalny to be evacuated from the country. They said his life was in “serious danger” due to harsh prison conditions and inadequate medical care.

What can you tell me about Navalny’s background? What’s happened to Navalny since the Novichok poisoning? Will international pressure have any impact? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What are Covid toes?
What is Helium-3?
What were the Troubles ?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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Chemsex is the practice of taking synthetic drugs or psychoactive products to spice up sexual activity. Participants are predominantly gay men, who claim these illegal drugs remove inhibitions, while also boosting performance and pleasure. Chemsex often involves unprotected and anonymous sex between multiple partners. Parties can last for several consecutive days!

Wow, that’s the first I’ve heard of this - is it a new trend? What kind of drugs are we talking about exactly? Are the drugs really that dangerous, if you know the people you’re with? How can someone beat a chemsex addiction? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What are Covid toes?
What is Helium-3?
What were the Troubles ?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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So-called Covid toes are a symptom observed by doctors since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, consisting of swollen, purplish toes. For a while we suspected it to be a symptom of virus infection, but as it turns out, it may be quite the opposite.

As early as April 2020, dermatologists noticed a curious trend. Numerous patients were coming for appointments as their toes were swollen and had changed colour. These skin eruptions looked a lot like chilblains.

At the time, the International League of Dermatological Societies stated that the symptom went away on its own most of the time, but that it could last several months.

So what’s the explanation for this odd symptom then? Could it be due to lockdown measures and people having a sedentary lifestyle? Can there really be a link between toes and immunity?! In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What were the Troubles ?
What is Operation London Bridge?
What is a lateral flow test?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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Helium-3 is a helium isotope which contains two protons and a neutron. It dates back to the earliest days of the universe and formed in the mantle of planet Earth. However, humans only discovered it in 1934.

It is a pretty unique gas, with rare and valuable properties. For example, it can reduce temperatures to nearly absolute zero, which could be useful in cryogenics or medical imaging. Most of all, it’s known for producing enormous quantities of energy. Estimates vary, but it’s been suggested that just a few hundred tons of Helium-3 would be enough to meet the entire planet’s energy needs for a whole year.

Great, could Helium-3 be a potential energy source of the future then? Could we really bring back Helium-3 from the moon? Is anyone trying to mine Helium-3 right now? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:
What were the Troubles ?
What is Operation London Bridge?
What is a lateral flow test?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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