For physicists, chemists, diplomats, medical researchers, and even writers, the Nobel Prize represents the ultimate accolade. Since Their inception in 1901, the purpose has been to honour those who "during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind", in their respective fields.

Now that wording comes from the will of Alfred Nobel himself, which was signed in November 1895 in Paris. The Swedish chemist and industrialist held over 350 scientific patents during his lifetime, with dynamite being the invention that made him extraordinarily wealthy.

Why winning a nobel prize is a double-edged sword? What causes winners to veer off course? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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⁠Which are the best cities in the world to live in?⁠

⁠How can I influence my dreams?⁠

⁠What are umbrella species?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast 2024-10-11

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Sleep is often seen as a waste of time. Many businessmen, politicians, and celebrities boast about sleeping only 5 hours per night or even being insomniacs. However, despite its sometimes bad reputation, sleep is essential for maintaining good health and aging well.

Bear in mind that no one has ever gone longer than 11 and a half days without sleeping. As a point of comparison, Scottish man Angus Barbieri went 382 days without eating any solid food in the 1960s, and in 1979 an Austrian man survived 18 days without any food or water. So you can understand just how essential sleep is for human life.

What does our body do during sleep ? What happens during REM sleep ? Does sleep also help us assimilate experiences we've had during the daytime ? Are there any other theories out there? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠What is Rufus the Hawks job at Wimbledon?⁠

⁠What is an eco-friendly beach ?⁠

⁠Why do we get grumpy when we're hungry?⁠

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 5/7/2023

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There are a number of possible reasons why people don’t manage to save as much money as they would like. For example: paying for things with a credit card can make you forget how much you’ve spent, or you simply don’t earn enough to save in the first place. You might feel like money saving methods simply won’t ever work for you.

But let's go back to basics. A simple Japanese technique called “kakeibo” could just revolutionise your relationship with money. The word “kakeibo” roughly translates as "household expense book". It refers to a notebook where you list your income and expenses, divided into several categories. But there’s a purpose behind all of it, of course, which is being able to save money you otherwise wouldn’t.

Where does this method come from ? And why would it work better than other techniques ? How do I get started then ? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

What is Rufus the Hawks job at Wimbledon?

What is an eco-friendly beach ?

Why do we get grumpy when we're hungry?

A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 08/07/2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to Chinese media outlet The Sixth Tone, butler cafés are enjoying impressive success. They’ve been springing up all over big cities since 2021.

In China, an interesting trend has been catching on. An increasing number of women are paying for male companionship in establishments known as butler cafés. Review sites list dozens of outlets offering butler services.

And how do they work? Is it a new concept? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here :

⁠What is attachment theory?⁠

⁠What is the best time of year to find work?⁠

⁠How can I beat a hangover?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 23/9/2021

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When it comes to what proportion of people speak more than one language, estimates vary but the general consensus is that at least half of the world’s population do so. If you're bilingual, you may well have encountered a fascinating phenomenon: that a new personality seems to emerge when you switch languages.

In March 2017, Quartz ran an article on the subject, written by Nicola Prentis. Prentis included accounts from a number of multilingual people, including Margarita, a Russian-American immigrant who fled the Soviet Union to escape anti-Semitism at the age of 19. Margarita revealed that when she speaks Russian, she feels 'guarded, reserved and uncomfortable.'

How is it possible? And are we necessarily more at ease in our own native language? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠How can you protect yourself from being mugged?⁠

⁠How to use less water?⁠

⁠How did Covid lead to the emergence of meta cities?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 4/2/2024

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Cottagecore first started appearing online around 2017, but it wasn’t until the lockdowns of 2020 that it really took off. As more people grew tired of city life, social media, and the constant buzz of technology, they started dreaming of simpler, slower days. Vogue France even calls cottagecore the "new art of living."

 It's about a longing for the past — for a time when people baked their own bread, sewed their own clothes, and life felt slower and softer. Cottagecore taps into the broader “slow living” movement, which encourages people to reconnect with nature and tradition instead of speeding up with the modern world.

n under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

Why do people say that black cats bring bad luck?

What are the dirtiest objects in your home?

Why do we get travel sick?

A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue

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If you are a pet owner you know how hard it can be to leave your furry friend at home when you go to work. You may worry about their wellbeing, feel guilty for not spending enough time with them or miss their companionship.

According to a BBC article, more than 3 million people in the UK have taken on a pet since the start of the pandemic. Many of them have enjoyed working from home with their furry companions and are reluctant to leave them behind when they return to the office.

What are the advantages of bringing pets to work? What are the disadvantages? So, would you be more likely to go to work if you bring your pet? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here :

⁠What is negging, the toxic flirting technique?⁠

⁠Could the Pomodoro technique help me work better?⁠

⁠How can I reduce damp and mould in your home?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 14/4/2023

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Let's face it, we’re so accustomed to seeing those little pop-up windows when landing on a website that we barely pay any attention to them anymore. Cookies have become ubiquitous, and whether it’s out of convenience or sheer habit, we tend to accept them without much thought. But those innocuous-seeming cookies actually harbour a wealth of information about us.

The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office defines a cookie as "a small file of letters and numbers that is downloaded on to your computer when you visit a website.” It also says that “Cookies are used by many websites and can do a number of things, e.g. remembering your preferences, recording what you have put in your shopping basket, and counting the number of people looking at a website.”

What exactly are they for then? What happens if we opt to refuse cookies? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠Why is sugar bad for our memory?⁠

⁠Does the law of attraction really work?⁠

⁠How can I stay trendy buying only second hand clothes?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 29/2/2024

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If you believe the marketing slogans printed on their packaging, light or reduced-calorie food products offer you the same enjoyment but with fewer calories. It seems like a no-brainer, right?!

In order for a product to be labelled as “light” (with either “-ght” or “-te” at the end), current rules in the UK state that it must be “at least 30% lower in one typical value (calories or fat) than that manufacturer’s standard version of the product in the same range”.

Is the taste really as similar as they say? Is it bad for our health? Should I avoid them completely? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠Which five foods slow ageing?⁠

⁠What are the most hydrating foods?⁠

⁠Which foods mustn't you put in the microwave?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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You may remember that we’ve talked about the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index in the past on Do You Really Know, which assigns each of the world’s countries a score from one to ten based on how democratic they are.  

But have you ever heard of a kleptocracy? It’s a phenomenon that can creep into democracies and drag down their scores. A kleptocracy is a political system where corruption and money laundering are rampant. Public funds are often syphoned off and hidden in tax havens, with the families and inner circles of those in power frequently benefiting from these large-scale thefts.

Is the “klepto” part similar to kleptomania? Where does this happen? Are Western democracies immune to all this? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

To listen to the last episodes, you can click here:

⁠What is healthwashing?⁠

⁠Who are the Moonies, the church with ties to Japanese politicians?⁠

⁠What are the benefits of No Nut November?⁠

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 27/11/2024

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