Do you really know?

What is Novichok? Thanks for asking!Novichok is a family of chemical agents which disrupts communication between nerves and muscles. Its name means newcomer in Russian and it was developed in closed laboratories during the Cold War, as part of the Soviet Foliant programme.The international community only discovered the existence of Novichok in the early 1990s, after a Russian chemist revealed the truth about the programme in a Moscow daily newspaper.In early September 2020, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny came out of the medically induced coma he had been in for three weeks. Tests carried out at a military laboratory in Germany, where Navalny was hospitalised, showed that he had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent.The substance exists in two forms: liquid, which can be mixed into food or drink; and solid, as a powder.Is Novichok poisoning lethal then?Novichoks bind to the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, known as AChE for short. Its role is to break down the acetylcholine neurotransmitter when released into synapses. Symptoms of novichok poisoning can include nausea, spasms, heart failure and respiratory arrest, leading to death through suffocation. The lack of oxygen can quickly lead to significant brain damage. Novichok agents are at least five times as lethal as other chemical agents such as VX or Sarin. Anyone who has been poisoned needs immediate medical attention if they are to survive.In the case of Navalny, he started feeling the effects of the poisoning on August 20th, while on a flight from Siberia to Moscow. He was then quickly evacuated to Berlin in a medical airplane.Although Navalny has now come out of his coma, doctors can’t rule out long-term effects.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is negationism? Thanks for asking!Historical negationism refers to the practice of manipulating historical records to deny that certain events happened, or distort the narrative around them.The term is relatively recent, having been coined by French historian Henry Rousso in 1987, relating to Holocaust Denial. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazi regime during the Second World War.Holocaust denial is certainly one of the most well-known and common examples of negationism. But similar distortion strategies have been seen relating to other genocides and war crimes across the world. Negationism is a crime in some countries like Germany, while elsewhere the approach is more cautious, due to questions about freedom of speech. Other laws can apply to negationist statements, if they are also of a hateful or discriminatory nature.So what exactly does negationism look like?Techniques include using forged documents to justify an alternative version of events, creating doubt about genuine documents, manipulating statistics and deliberately mistranslating texts. Then you’ve got the destruction of physical evidence through book burning or smashing statues.In the case of Holocaust Denial, some deny the existence of the gas chambers in concentration camps. They downplay the extent of Hitler’s Final Solution, claiming that the Nazis merely deported Jews and didn’t exterminate them. Others recognise that there was mass murder, but put the death toll significantly lower than the accepted figure of 5-6 million.Surveys in recent years have shown there is still a shocking level of Holocaust denial in the 21st century. Just last year, a survey found that 5% of UK adults do not believe the Holocaust took place. In other regions, like Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, awareness levels are much lower. But among those who have heard of the Holocaust, only half or less believe it has been accurately described by history.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the Great Barrier Reef? Thanks for asking!The Great Barrier Reef is planet Earth’s largest living structure. It has remarkably rich biodiversity, but is gradually disappearing due to pollution caused by humans. Tourists have been absent from the reef since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. But paradoxically, this isn’t likely to help the situation. The reef is located in the sea off the coast of North-East Australian territory Queensland. Its surface area is larger than that of Italy and it can even be seen from space! In some places the corals can be found several miles underwater; in others just under the surface. According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the diverse Reef ecosystem is home to 1625 species of fish, including 1400 coral reef species. Then you’ve got over 3000 species of molluscs, 630 species of echinoderm, 14 breeding species of sea snakes, 215 species of birds, six species of marine turtles, 30 species of whales and dolphins, 133 species of sharks and rays, and much more. Among them are many vulnerable and endangered species.Well it sounds like they won’t be there for much longer, if the situation is as bad as I understand?Indeed, the Great Barrier Reef is under threat. It’s estimated that up to half the corals have disappeared in the last few years. One of the biggest dangers to the reef is the crown-of-thorns starfish, which feeds on coral and has few predators. So why are they suddenly invading the Barrier Reef? And what about the tourism? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is cancel culture ?What is the Louise Michel ?What is collapsology?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is cancel culture? Thanks for asking! Cancel culture is the popular practice of withdrawing support for an individual or company, to such an extent that they become irrelevant as a result. This is usually due to something the person has done or said that is considered offensive. Cancel culture has become an effective tool for so-called social justice movements, with feminist, antiracist and LGBTQ+ activists incr easingly adopting the tactic. It tends to involve the use of social media to call for a boycott of an individual, who may or may not be a public figure. This online shaming can include fair criticism, insulting and harassment to destroy the person’s reputation. Many have suggested that cancel culture has now gone too far, including former US President Barack Obama.Well, internet users can be very sensitive can’t they? One clumsy tweet and social media goes into a frenzy!And it’s not just present-day tweets that are used as justification for “cancelling” someone. In some cases, posts from many years ago have been dug up, screenshotted and shared all over the internet. The term “clicktivists” is used mostly in a negative way to label those who use social media to shame others online, mainly to boost their own egos. In July 2020, a group of 150 activists, writers and academics called for an end to cancel culture. Part of their open letter, which was published in Harper’s Bazaar magazine, reads as follows: “The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted.” J.K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood were among those to put their name to the letter.Cancel culture is all the rage at the moment, isn’t it?! In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is collapsology?What is flexitarianism?What is a super-spreader?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the Louise Michel? Thanks for asking! The news was broken as an exclusive by the Guardian less than two weeks ago, drawing attention to a crisis which has been getting worse since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Famous British street artist Banksy had funded a project to carry out rescue missions in the Mediterannean Sea, which more and more migrants are trying to cross from North Africa to Europe. To do this, he relaunched a former French navy boat, 30 metres long, painted in pink and depicting a young girl with windswept hair, holding out a heart-shaped safety buoy. The name of the boat? The Louise Michel, after the 19th century French anarchist feminist of the same name.Well that’s a fitting name for such a project!On board the Louise Michel are 10 European activists who have significant experience in sea rescue. The NGO vessel is commanded by German captain Pia Klemp, whose ships have saved several thousand people in recent years. An email sent from Banksy to Klemp last year reads as follows: “Hello Pia, I’ve read about your story in the papers. You sound like a badass.” He then offered to buy a boat with the money he had made from his migrant crisis-themed artwork. The plan was carried out secretly between London, Berlin and Spain, so that European authorities would be totally unaware. The boat’s existence only became public knowledge due to having saved 90 people, off the coast of Libya. Some of those survivors had fuel burns and other injuries. The crew carried out a second rescue mission the same night, taking the total number of migrants saved to 220. One person had already died when found on a rubber dinghy. The Louise Michel being able to accommodate a maximum capacity of 120 people, many had to spend several hours on a liferaft deployed alongside. Unable to move their boat, the crew made repeated emergency calls for assistance to Malta and Italy, the closest European countries.Did anyone come to their help? So will the migrants now be sent to a place of safety in Europe? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is collapsology?What is flexitarianism?What is a super-spreader?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is collapsology? Thanks for asking!Collapsology is the transdisciplinary study of how our industrial civilisation could collapse, and indeed what may come afterwards. Its ideas are gaining in visibility and popularity. The term collapsology is a neologism, having been created in 2015. It was popularised by French authors Pablo Servigne and Raphael Stevens, who that year published a book called How Everything Can Collapse. As far back as 1972, the Meadow Report published by MIT researchers warned of the risks of exponential population and economic growth on a planet where resources are limited. One of the main ideas of collapsology is that human activity is affecting the planet in a negative and lasting way. It is to blame for global warming, a loss of biodiversity and the increase in natural disasters.Well, there’s nothing new in those ideas, really.Collapsologists go even further by linking what Servigne and Stevens call “systemic instabilities''. This refers to the various crises the world is undergoing: Economic, health, environmental, war, democractic, and so on. Worse still, it’s already too late to save the situation. The combined impact would see civilisation as we know it collapse by 2050. Collapsologists say that by then, us humans will be faced with drastic food, water and housing shortages.So we’re all screwed then! In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is a super-spreader?What is fan fiction? What is an authoritarian regime?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is flexitarianism? Thanks for asking!Flexitarianism is a portmanteau word combining flexible and vegetarianism. It’s a mostly vegetarian way of eating which nevertheless allows for occasional meat dishes. The aim is to reduce red meat and animal protein consumption, replacing them with high-protein plant foods.This type of diet is becoming increasingly common, and the word flexitarian was added to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary in 2012.So if I understand correctly, being flexitarian is basically being a part-time vegetarian.That’s more or less right. Many people try flexitarianism as preparation for going full veggie. It makes the transition easier, without making you feel like you’re going cold turkey. All foods are allowed. Fruit, vegetables, cereal, dairy products and fats can be eaten every day, along with an occasional serving of meat or fish, when there’s no plant-based alternative. Flexitarians don’t only limit the quantity of meat in their diet. On the occasions they do eat meat, they also pay close attention to where products come from. They may choose to only consume meat and produce that has come from an organic farm, where animals are raised free-range. Sustainability is a key concern, as meat production has a high carbon footprint. It’s estimated that livestock is responsible for 18% of all greenhouse gas emissions. More and more people are avoiding meat, in order to eat more responsibly. But I’ve been eating meat all my life. How am I supposed to know how to cook and eat all these plant-based products? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is a super-spreader?What is fan fiction? What is an authoritarian regime?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a super-spreader? Thanks for asking! While summer 2020 draws to an end, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from being over. Some European countries are seeing increased infection rates and have reinforced public health measures in anticipation of a second wave. A recent Scottish study suggested that just 10% of those infected could be responsible for 80% of infections. The term super-spreaders has emerged to describe those who spread the virus to a greater number of people than the R0 reproduction rate.So are these 10% to blame for everyone else getting contaminated?It’s not quite that simple. Everything is linked to that R0 rate; the average number of people we infect when we have a contagious disease. Of course if the R0 rate was three, not every single person would have the same level of infectivity - it’s just an average. Some would infect many more than three, and others none at all. So there are other important indicators to take into account. Firstly you’ve got the dispersion factor, which is represented by the K value. This sheds light on how the transmission rate varies. As Dr Adam Kucharski recently told The Guardian: “The general rule is that the smaller the K value is, the more transmission comes from a smaller number of infectious people.” The latest studies suggest that the K value for COVID-19 is between 0.1 and 0.5, which seems to back up the idea that super-spreaders are generating the majority of transmissions. Who are these super-spreaders then? It sounds like children do in fact spread COVID-19 after all? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is fan fiction? What is an authoritarian regime?What is the Istanbul Convention?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is fan fiction? Thanks for asking!Fan fiction refers to texts written by a fan using characters or storylines from another existing story, usually a popular novel, series, film or video game. They are also known as fanfics, and in the digital age, the quantity of such works is exploding! Fan fiction has even become recognised as a literary genre, and has created a unique niche for itself in the publishing industry. Fan fictions were first published in the 1960s and 70s. Star Trek fans have long been known for their passionate following. So it’s little surprise that Trekkies came up with the first early such texts in their fanzines. A similar trend emerged around the same time in Japan. Manga fans began producing independently published comics and novels, known as doujinshi. The creation of the internet allowed fan fiction to develop on dedicated sites and forums. The largest online collection can be found at fanfictions.net. The site has over 2.2 million registered users, who write in 40 different languages! What are the common characteristics of fan fiction then? Generally speaking, a piece of fan fiction focuses on one or more characters. The author looks more closely at the character’s personality and psychology. Certain elements of the original story, like the main characters and settings, remain unchanged. This part of the source narrative is referred to as “canon” by fans, which is short for canonical fictional universe. But a fanfic can also take place in an alternative universe, known as an AU. Fan fiction terminology includes an extensive range of genres, subgenres and other jargon terms. For example, slash fiction tells stories about relationships between two characters of the same sex, like Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. The most well-known franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel comics have hundreds or thousands of fanfics. Harry Potter in particular inspired the imagination of fans, with a multitude of alternative endings emerging. How about Voldemort triumphing at the end of the series? Or a love triangle between Harry, Ron and Hermione?It can’t be easy for an unknown writer to make a name for themselves creating fan fiction, right? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is an authoritarian regime?What is the Istanbul Convention?What is OnlyFans? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is an authoritarian regime? Thanks for asking!An authoritarian regime is a form of government which monopolises authority and restricts political freedoms. Such regimes have strong central power and little accountability to their population. Authoritarianism is effectively the opposite of democracy. The term has come back into the news of late, with the reelection of Alexander Lukashenko as President of Belarus. He will now serve a sixth consecutive term, having remained head of state since 1994. His regime is considered authoritarian. Indeed, international media often refer to Lukashenko as “Europe’s last dictator”.So what are the characteristics of an authoritarian regime?One that immediately springs to mind is repression. Authoritarian regimes often resort to illegitimate tactics to enforce their power, such as the use of force. Another is how political opponents are, let’s say, ‘controlled’. That’s a euphemism because they are often imprisoned or disappear completely. Political pluralism is restricted and any anti-regime activities are swiftly suppressed. There are no trade unions and no NGOs. And the list goes on and on. Under an authoritarian regime, violating the freedom of the press and locking up journalists are common practice. This happens frequently in countries like China, Iran and Egypt. National television channels are run by the state, with no place for independent media, who often end up in exile from their home country. To enforce censorship, some authoritarian regimes have cut internet access.This was done for a five-day period in Gabon in 2016, after the announcement of President Ali Bongo’s reelection. Meanwhile, other regimes in Kazakhstan, Iraq and Iran have forced citizens to use an internet certificate in order to monitor their browsing activity.Are there many authoritarian regimes in the world today? And why don’t other countries take sanctions against them?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices