Do you really know?

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What is impostor syndrome? Dec 05, 2020

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What is impostor syndrome? Thanks for asking!

Impostor syndrome is a psychological phenomenon which causes many high achievers to feel like frauds who haven’t really earned their success. Those affected think their accomplishments are simply down to luck, or other factors out of their control.

Up to 70% of people are affected by impostor syndrome at some point in their life, according to the Journal of Behavioural Science. In the worst cases, it can be a crippling barrier which prevents us from achieving our potential.

How did we get to know about impostor syndrome?

The term was coined in 1978 by American psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. They first looked at impostor syndrome in female college students, but further research has shown that men also experience such feelings. Clance later created a multiple choice survey, scored out of 100, which helps individuals evaluate the extent to which they have impostor phenomenon characteristics.

Another impostor syndrome expert is Dr. Valerie Young, author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women. Young categorised impostors into five subgroups: perfectionists, superwomen or men, natural geniuses, soloists and experts.

Even some of the human race’s highest achievers can experience feelings of fraudulence. Award-winning author Maya Angelou is one example, as is Albert Einstein, who described himself as an “involuntary swindler”.

It’s important to underline that impostor syndrome isn’t necessarily a permanent state, rather a reaction to several factors which cause us to doubt ourselves.

Where does this need to put ourselves down come from? How can we effectively deal with impostor syndrome? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What are minks?

What is a mixtape?

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What are minks? Dec 03, 2020

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What are minks? Thanks for asking!

After the pangolin, another kind of animal is getting increased attention due to Covid-19. That’s right, we’re talking about minks, which were recently culled in their millions in Denmark following an outbreak of the Cluster 5 coronavirus strain.

The fear is that this particular strain, hosted by minks, could prove resistant to vaccines being developed. French authorities have since taken similar action, albeit in far smaller numbers. Controversies around mink farms are actually nothing new.

That is the sound of the mink. If you’re having trouble picturing one, they belong to the weasel family, along with ferrets and otters. Minks are around 50cm long, have slender bodies and live in forests, alongside water. They’re semi aquatic predators and not afraid to hunt prey which are larger in size, like fish, rats or even swans.

There are two species of mink: European and American. European minks are in danger of extinction and this decline is likely due in no small part to competition with their American cousins.

What are American minks doing in Europe then?

Humans have been breeding American minks on fur farms for decades. Mink fur is soft, silky and warm, which explains its popularity in the fashion industry. During that time, some have escaped from captivity, or been released by animal rights activists, and provided fierce competition for European minks.

Does anyone actually still wear fur in this day and age? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is a mixtape?

What is unicorn?

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What is a mixtape? Dec 02, 2020

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What is a mixtape? Thanks for asking!

Not as long as a studio album, but longer than an EP, a mixtape is a collection of music from one or more artists, which is usually released free of charge and with little notice. This format came from hip hop culture and is now being used more widely in pop music too, increasing creativity within the music industry.

The name mixtape refers to the cassettes on which such compilations were originally recorded. The humble cassette may seem like an alien concept to anyone under the age of 20, having been created back in 1962.

At the time, it was a revolutionary invention, its compact design allowing people to listen to music in the street with a walkman, or while driving a car. Even better, you could even record music onto a cassette.

That’s how mixtapes emerged in the US hip-hop world: DJs would compile their tracks and the tapes would be passed around within the community. Younger generations may think of a mixtape as the equivalent of a playlist in today’s terms.

But since then cassette tapes have disappeared, haven’t they?

They have indeed, but mixtapes are still alive and well. The term has evolved and it’s now used most often to talk about a rapper’s first project, like a rite of passage. Or it could be a light release in between two studio albums. Often distributed free, mixtapes allow artists to create a buzz without investing the same time and money that goes into a meticulously worked album.

A lot of modern-day rappers, like Kendrick Lamar, Young Thug or A$AP Rocky, have seen their career take off thanks to a mixtape. Just last weekend, Lil Wayne released the third edition of his No Ceilings mixtape series. No Ceilings 3 is hosted by DJ Khaled and features guest appearances by artists like Drake, Jay Jones and Cory Gunz.

That being said, albums are still more accomplished works right? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is Tourette's Syndrome?

What is unicorn?

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What is the circular economy? Nov 30, 2020

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What is the circular economy? Thanks for asking!

The circular economy is an economic system where all resources are continually used and nothing is wasted. Goods and services are produced in such a way that primary resources are preserved as far as possible. European policy aims to support the transition towards a circular economy, but it requires significant change.

The concept of a circular economy first appeared in the 1970s, as an alternative to the dominant linear economy model, which consists of a take-make-use-dispose approach. The increase in consumerism over the 20th century led to a tenfold increase in the extraction of natural resources, which aren’t always renewable.

So in concrete terms what is the difference with today’s system?

Think of the notion of a cycle, as the term circular economy suggests. Let’s take the example of an organic cotton T-shirt. Once used, rather than being thrown away and burned, it could be used to manufacture a couch. When the couch in turn becomes damaged, the cotton would then be recovered and reused to create glass wool. If years later the cotton fibres haven’t been exposed to chemicals, they could go back into nature, to grow more cotton.

Are we saying the circular economy is a kind of economic utopia? Is this transition likely to lead to job losses? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is cultural appropriation?

What is Tourette's Syndrome?

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What is a unicorn? Nov 28, 2020

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What is a unicorn? Thanks for asking!

A unicorn is a privately-owned start up company valued at over $1bn when launched on the stock market. That’s right, we’re not talking about mythical animals, but economy and finance! The term was popularised in 2013 by venture capitalist Aileen Lee, with the choice of word reflecting the rarity of such success stories. Even more rare are decacorns and hectacorns, which have a value of over $10bn and $100bn respectively. Business analytics platform CB Insights reported that there were 450 unicorns in the world as of October 2020. That number has quadrupled since 2014. Some of the largest are well known, like Byte Dance, Snapchat or AirBNB for example, but most are unknown. Around a half of unicorns are American, and over a third are from Asia. Meanwhile, 16% are from Europe. According to GP Bullhound, the UK is Europe’s leading country by number of unicorns, with 30 in total and a combined value of $87bn. Five new UK companies have achieved that status since last year: Snyk, Checkout.com, Rapyd, HealthTech Babylon and MagicLab.

Are you saying all I need is a good idea to turn into my very own unicorn?

Well you need a strategy too and most importantly investors. Raising capital is where unicorns are particularly strong and to do that they go through external funding rounds. When a project appeals to investors, they take a chance on the future success of that startup. There’s no expectation of an immediate result, but in the long term investors will get back a return on their investment when the company is sold or launches on the stock market.

Well if a company gets to be worth over $1bn, its investors must become super rich! In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is Cluster 5?

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What is Tourette’s Syndrome? Nov 26, 2020

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What is Tourette’s Syndrome? Thanks for asking!

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder which usually begins in childhood. It’s estimated that around 1% of all school-age children and teenagers have Tourette’s, with boys several times more likely to be affected than girls. The main symptoms are involuntary sounds and movements known as tics. Some examples of physical tics are blinking, grimacing and shoulder shrugging. Meanwhile, vocal tics can be as simple as coughing or sniffing, or more complex like saying random words. More rarely, people may repeat sounds or sentences which can include obscenities. While it is often associated with the syndrome in the eyes of the public, swearing only actually affects around one in ten people with Tourette’s. The syndrome was named by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, after his student Georges Gilles de la Tourette.

What causes people to have Tourette’s?

The causes and origins are still somewhat unknown. It’s suspected that a dysfunction in certain parts of the brain leads to abnormal activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Aside from being linked to reward and pleasure, dopamine is responsible for controlling body movements. Genetic factors also have a role to play; studies have shown that Tourette’s is highly heritable. Nevertheless, no single gene has been identified as the cause and it’s likely that many different ones are responsible.

If the tics aren’t permanent, how do they appear? Is there any treatment for Tourette’s? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is cultural appropriation?

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What is Cluster 5? Nov 25, 2020

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What is Cluster 5? Thanks for asking!

At the start of November, the World Health Organisation announced that six countries had reported COVID-19 cases in mink farms. These include Denmark, which is the world’s biggest producer of mink fur, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy and the United States.This development led Denmark to take the radical decision of culling all 15 million minks in the country. The Prime Minister claimed a mutated strain of the virus, known as Cluster 5, had been transmitted back to humans, with 12 cases identified.

So where does this particular strain come from?

After spreading across the world, the coronavirus was transmitted from humans to minks. Its presence in these animals requires a mutation, which is how the Cluster 5 strain was created. And now the new strain has in turn been passed back to humans. According to the WHO, Cluster 5 has “moderately decreased sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies”, which could in theory threaten the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine. Scientists believe the mutated strain of the virus was transmitted by farm workers to minks over the summer. During the mutation, it’s possible the spike protein of the virus changed, which is used to penetrate into human cells. Pharmaceutical companies seeking to develop a potential vaccine are mostly working on this particular protein. That includes the Pfizer vaccine, which the latest estimations have found to be effective in 90% of cases. There’s not yet any proof that this strain could scupper a vaccine, but the mutation identified means it’s theoretically possible.

If all those millions of minks have been culled, does that mean things are now under control? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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What is cultural appropriation?

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What are microplastics? Nov 23, 2020

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What are microplastics? Thanks for asking!

There are tiny fragments of plastic pretty much everywhere in the ocean, in the ground and inside animals, including humans! These are known as microplastics, and their potential impact on human health and the environment is a cause for concern. Microplastics aren’t a specific type of plastic per se. The term is used to refer to any fragments which are under 5 mm in length. Some examples are polystyrene, polypropylene, polythene and a bunch of other poly-things. They come from large plastic objects, like cosmetics or synthetic fabrics in clothing.

Where are microplastics spreading the most?

The obvious example is on ocean floors, where scientists have estimated there are 14 million tonnes of microplastics. Every minute, we fill the oceans with the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic. And then you’ve got microplastic pollution in soils. That causes damage to creatures like mites and larvae which maintain land fertility.

There must be some protected locations out there, surely? What about in the mountains or at the North Pole? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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Who are the Grey Wolves?

What is food play?

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What is cultural appropriation? Nov 21, 2020

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What is cultural appropriation? Thanks for asking!

Think of Katy Perry in her video for This Is How We Do, Madonna in a traditional Berber outfit at the 2018 VMA awards, or Adele with her hair in Bantu knots to mark Notting Hill Carnival. That’s right, we’re talking about cultural appropriation in today’s episode. It’s a practice which has caused regular controversy in the world of pop culture. Most often, white artists are accused of using ideas, symbols or other items which come from non-Western minority cultures. The definition of cultural appropriation itself is somewhat controversial, with many saying it is often misapplied by the general public. Its meaning has evolved over time to have negative connotations. It’s problematic when someone belonging to a dominant community uses cultural elements from an oppressed people, for their own artistic or commercial benefit. In 1976, art historian Kenneth Coutts-Smith wrote one of the first essays to discuss cultural appropriation. He didn’t actually use the term itself, but brought together the ideas of class appropriation and cultural colonialism.

I don’t understand the issue, what’s wrong with mixing cultures?

It can be OK to mix several cultures, as long as it is a true exchange and not a one-way street. In the case of cultural appropriation, the minority culture doesn’t have the choice of accepting or refusing. In some cases, the original meaning of cultural items isn’t respected, or the elements are used in a way that reinforces stereotypes.The concept applies to more or less the entire cultural landscape. In recent years, designers and fashion creators have also come under fire for supposed cultural appropriation. High-profile shows have seen white models sporting dreadlocks or wearing African wax prints. Meanwhile at the same time in the fashion world, black models are underpaid or struggle to find work at all. So it’s not an exchange on any level. Another case would be rock and roll, a style of music which was taken from black musicians in the 1950s. The white-dominated music industry chose to promote white artists instead, with Elvis being the most famous example.

So what could they do differently? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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