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What are Covid toes? Apr 26, 2021

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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 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!

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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What is Helium-3? Apr 24, 2021

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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 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.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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What were the Troubles? Apr 22, 2021

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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 period of violence which saw 3,500 people die. Nevertheless, in recent weeks riots broke out in loyalist areas of Northern Ireland’s major cities, including Derry and Belfast. Gangs of youths attacked police, injuring scores of officers in the worst violence the country has seen for years.

What’s caused tensions to rise again in Northern Ireland? How did the Troubles begin? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is Operation London Bridge?

What is a lateral flow test?

What is vegetarianism?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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What is Operation London Bridge? Apr 21, 2021

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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 Majesty the Queen won’t be around forever. Queen Elizabeth II has reigned over the United Kingdom and Commonwealth since February 6th 1952, longer than any other British monarch.

Believe it or not, extensive protocol is already in place for the day when the Queen passes away. Plans known as Operation London Bridge were first made in the 1960s and are updated regularly.

Wow - That’s going to be the end of an era! Who will be the first to hear the news? How quickly will the rest of us find out? What are the practical arrangements for Operation London Bridge? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is a lateral flow test?

What is vegetarianism?

What are LGBT-free zones?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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What is a lateral flow test? Apr 19, 2021

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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. The economy is beginning to reopen with lockdown measures gradually easing.

But it’s not all roses unfortunately. The South African variant of concern, which may be vaccine-resistant to some extent, has arrived in the country. The government is now expanding its testing programme to provide everyone in England with the opportunity to take two free lateral flow tests per week.

These tests can be carried out under supervision at designated sites, or at home. The aim is to quickly detect people who have Covid-19 without displaying any symptoms. Believe it or not, that occurs around a third of the time when someone is infected with Covid-19.

Despite being cheap and rapid, the system is not without its risks. People are sometimes forced to self-isolate unnecessarily when false positives occur and the accuracy of testing data is still unclear.

If I want to do a lateral flow test, do I just go to the pharmacy and ask for a kit like with a pregnancy test?

You can do that if you wish, and the technology behind lateral flow tests has actually been compared to that used for pregnancy tests!

But there are several other ways of obtaining the tests, and you can do so without even leaving the comfort of your home. You can order them online or by phone, or get tests from your employer, if you’re not working from home.

Lateral flow tests, or LFTs for short, contain antibodies which detect coronavirus proteins by binding to them. If administering the test yourself, you’ll need to take a swab from your throat or nose and mix it with an extraction fluid.

Like a pregnancy test, you drip the solution onto a strip of test paper. Within 30 minutes you should have a result which will be either positive, negative or inconclusive. It’s recommended to take a lateral flow test twice a week and report the results on the same day.

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What is vegetarianism? Apr 17, 2021

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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 doesn’t necessarily make a person veggie. Nevertheless, vegetarianism is becoming more and more popular among young people. It’s often about much more than simply taking meat out of your diet. A lot of vegetarians see it as a form of activism which can help protect the environment and animal welfare.

Are there enough vegetarians out there to really have an impact? Do people mainly go vegetarian for environmental reasons then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What are LGBT-free zones?

What are NFTs?

What is pansexuality?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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What are LGBT-free zones? Apr 15, 2021

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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 to the increasing number of LGBT-free zones in Poland, which have been making headlines for the last two years. Poland has gained a reputation as the worst EU country for LGBT rights.

If we look back to early 2019, the liberal mayor of Warsaw had announced plans to integrate LGBT issues into the curriculum of the city’s schools. This caused anger among conservative politicians and media. In March 2019, the first “LGBT ideology-free zone” was declared in the rural town of Swidnik. Dozens of regions, towns and villages followed suit in the ensuing months, especially in the strongly Catholic South-East and East of Poland.

Is there even such a thing as an LGBT ideology? What has the reaction been among the LGBT community in Poland? So the rest of Europe was outraged, but what did it actually do? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is pansexuality?

What is soft power?

What is Covax?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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What are NFTs? Apr 14, 2021

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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 ownership, which state who owns a piece of virtual crypto-art. That’s right, you can now buy collectible digital art, like memes, GIFs, videos and even tweets, all thanks to NFTs.

NFTs emerged in 2017, as part of the Ethereum cryptocurrency blockchain. You’ve most likely heard of bitcoin and blockchain before. Well, NFTs are based on the same technology.

So are NFTs cryptocurrency then? What are the advantages of using the blockchain? Why would anyone spend millions on something that can be copied endlessly and can’t even be hung up on their wall? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is pansexuality?

What is soft power?

What is Covax?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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What is pansexuality? Apr 12, 2021

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What is pansexuality? Thanks for asking!

More and more celebrities are talking about their sexuality. Just two weeks ago, Demi Lovato talked about being pansexual during an interview with Joe Rogan. According to Kim Rice, who wrote the Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality in 2015, pansexuality can be defined as sexual, emotional, romantic or spiritual attraction for other people, regardless of their biological sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.

This sexual orientation is still pretty unknown, but Demi Lovato is far from being the only public figure to have claimed it. Others include Cara Delevingne and Miley Cyrus.

Isn’t that the same thing as being bisexual? Is the term pansexual a little more inclusive? But why do some people feel this need to identify as something and find a name for it? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is Covax?

What is the Suez Canal?

What is a ghost kitchen?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

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What is soft power? Apr 10, 2021

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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, the power of a country or group is also affected by its soft power. By that we mean its ability to influence other parts of the world by spreading its cultural model.

Soft power can be held by states, but also by international institutions, NGOs, businesses or citizen movements. It’s actually nothing new. Looking back in history, you can find examples of soft power in the times of ancient Greece or the British Empire. But only in 1990 was the theory of soft power developed by international relations professor Joseph Nye.

Nye argued that the rise of globalisation meant using military force, or hard power, alone was no longer an option. His country, the United States, had grasped that and was using a new and highly effective form of power, which depended on its ability to attract and persuade others, thus shaping their preferences.

What does soft power look like? Are the Americans the kings of soft power in that case? What countries are on the first place of soft power? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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

What is Covax?

What is the Suez Canal?

What is a ghost kitchen?

A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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