Do you really know?

What are antibodies? Thanks for asking! Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins which are secreted by B cells in the human body’s immune system. Their function is to neutralize pathogens like bacteria and viruses which enter the body. They work by recognizing unique molecules in the foreign material, which are known as antigens. By binding to the antigens, antibodies are able to destroy disease-causing microbes, or block them from causing infections. When we recover from an infection, some antibodies remain in the body serving as memory cells. Their presence therefore protects against future infections from the same pathogen. Serology tests can be carried out to determine whether a person has such protection. A blood sample is taken from the patient and later analysed for antibodies and antigens.So why go to the effort of vaccinating people if the body is able to defend itself all alone with antibodies? Antibodies represent our third line of defense against disease, after surface barriers and the non-specific responses of the innate immune system. In most people, this multi-layered system slows down infections, so the body can produce antibodies. But some people’s immune systems are weaker than others, and some viruses like COVID-19 are more dangerous than others. On the other hand, vaccinating someone is a pre-emptive strategy to help their immune system develop antibodies as future protection. This consists of injecting inactivated components of a disease into the body. When a vaccinated person encounters the pathogen that causes the disease in question, the body is ready to respond very quickly. Many once-deadly diseases have been more or less eliminated through vaccines, such as smallpox, measles and mumps.So could we describe coronavirus as a flu which has mutated? And if you have been infected by coronavirus, does your body create antibodies? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is a drive-in? What is a Chief Happiness Officer?What is Snapchat dysmorphia?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a drive-in? Thanks for asking!As the name suggests, drive-ins allow visitors to watch a movie being projected onto a large screen, from the comfort of their own car. The fun activity is making an unexpected comeback in the coronavirus pandemic era, as its outdoor nature is suited to physical distancing requirements. There have been reports of tickets selling out in minutes for many screenings, with crowds attracted by the idea of getting out of the house for some entertainment.Where and when drive-ins are born? Drive-ins are a particularly American phenomenon, so if you live in the States you may well have gone to a drive-in at least once. For the rest of us, our experience is likely limited to iconic scenes from Hollywood movies. Drive-ins first appeared in the US nearly 100 years ago, with Richard Hollingshead credited as the first person to screen one in the state of New Jersey. Their popularity spread quickly, peaking after the Second World War, due to couples being reunited, the resulting baby boom and rising car ownership. Going on a date at a drive-in movie became an integral part of any American teenager’s life. Families from growing suburb populations also made the outdoor screenings their recreation of choice on weekends. During their golden age, there were as many as 4,000 drive-ins in the US, and the concept was replicated across the world. But all good things come to an end, as they say. Home cinema systems improved from the 1970s onwards, meaning people had bigger and better TV sets at home. Cinema multiplexes also popped up everywhere, stealing away audiences. Many had dismissed drive-ins as a relic of past decades, with the market shrinking by 90%. But recent events have brought on a new-found popularity, with customers coming in their thousands.So what do drive-ins look like in this day and age? And what’s the long-term outlook for drive-ins then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is a Chief Happiness Officer?What is Snapchat dysmorphia?What is corona shaming?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a Chief Happiness Officer? Thanks for asking!If you search on Google for Chief Happiness Officer positions, you’ll only find around 700 results. While not widespread just yet, the popularity of such a role is definitely on the rise, as more and more companies look to ensure their workers are kept happy.When was born this concept? The concept was born in Silicon Valley, but you can now find CHOs in many other places too, notably France. It’s more common in startups, as larger companies have tended to resist the trend. Nevertheless, there are some examples like Virgin or Southwest Airlines which have been seduced, or at least place a strong emphasis on employee happiness. Chade Meng-Tan was arguably the first Chief Happiness Officer to exist. The Singaporean migrated to the United States and became Google’s 102nd employee, where his official job title was “Jolly Good Fellow”. According to Meng, a manager who displays compassion, humility and ambition is a better manager. Therefore it’s important to create a link with employees, make them feel loyal and invested in the company.What is the HR manager's role? What’s in it for companies then? Are they just doing this to reduce cases of burnout? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen the last episodes, you can click here: What is corona shaming?What is Kawasaki Disease?What is the welfare state?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is Snapchat dysmorphia? Thanks for asking!Snapchat dysmorphia is a mental health condition linked to the excessive use of filters and effects on social media apps. In extreme cases users become so accustomed to seeing a transformed version of their face through selfies, that they want to get surgery to look more like their virtual self. This phenomenon is causing concern among plastic surgeons around the world. How did this phenomenon appear?The past decade has seen the democratisation of photo editing. That’s largely thanks to filters, which are easy to use and available to anyone with a smartphone. With just a few taps, you can give yourself cat ears or add flowers in your hair. And we don’t always realise it, but they often do more than that. They can make our skin look smoother, our noses look slimmer or eyes look bigger. Some handsets even have these functions integrated in their cameras, without the need for an app!So it’s like a kind of digital cosmetic surgery, isn't it? Will having a Snapchat filter face be the next big trend? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen other episodes, you can click here: What is Kawasaki Disease?What is the welfare state?What is locavorism? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is corona shaming? Thanks for asking!Corona shaming is one of many trends to emerge during the coronavirus pandemic. Many are frustrated by others apparently not respecting public health guidelines like social distancing, lockdown rules and wearing masks. Most people have had no trouble following the rules, but it seems to have been more difficult for some. It could be a neighbour, a random person or group of people seen out and about or on the news, or it could be a celebrity. Whatever the situation, this behaviour is perceived as selfish and inconsiderate, therefore deserving a good dose of corona shaming.The practice came about more or less the second lockdowns came into place, and has become a national pastime in many countries.One high-profile example was TV anchor George Stephanopoulos, who went into a local pharmacy, despite his wife having recently tested positive for COVID-19. The passer-by who spotted him was all the more exasperated as the pharmacy actually offered a free delivery service, making his visit unnecessary. Other stars to have been corona shamed include Jennifer Lopez for going to a gym in Miami, and Ivanka Trump, who travelled from Washington to New Jersey to celebrate Easter.Celebrities haven’t really been the best role models in the last few weeks, have they? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! Yo listen other episodes, you can click here: What is Kawasaki Disease?What is the welfare state?What is locavorism? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is Kawasaki Disease? Thanks for asking!The general consensus was that children were relatively safe from COVID-19. But since late April, a number of coronavirus-positive children have been admitted to hospital with strange symptoms, resembling those of Kawasaki Disease.How and when Kawasaki Disease was discovered ? The condition was discovered by Tomisaku Kawasaki in late 1960s Japan. It affects young children and the resulting damage to blood vessels can lead to serious heart problems in the worst cases. The problem is we just don’t know how to explain the causes. Scientists believe it may be an autoimmune response due to a viral or bacterial infection, to which some children are genetically predisposed. The symptoms include a high fever, skin rashes, conjunctival injection and stomach pains. Children affected by Kawasaki disease are treated in hospital as there can be serious complications. Intravenous immunoglobulin is administered in high doses, usually improving symptoms within 36 hours. Full recovery can take up to six weeks, but lasting damage is uncommon. Not a lot of people knew about this disease, due to its relative rareness. That’s especially true in Europe, which less than one in 10,000 children are affected. But in April 2020, the British health minister warned that hospitals had admitted tens of children with similar symptoms. Elsewhere in Europe, hospital services in Italy, Spain and France observed clusters of similar cases. In the United States, three children died from an inflammatory disease in early May.So are we saying that Covid-19 could be bringing on Kawasaki disease? Regardless of whether it is in fact Kawasaki disease or not, is it caused by coronavirus? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! Yo listen other episodes, you can click here: What is the welfare state?What is locavorism?What is anosmia?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the welfare state? Thanks for asking! The term welfare state refers to measures taken by governments to promote the well-being of the population. This usually takes the form of grants, pensions and benefits, especially for those who have the greatest financial needs. In COVID-19 pandemic times, economies all around the world have been hit hard, and many people are asking whether states should intervene more in order to protect citizens. When and where was the welfare state born? Towards the end of the 19th century, German Chancellor Bismarck needed to calm social unrest and secure support among the working classes. He introduced measures like pensions and employee health insurance, which formed the basis of the modern welfare state in Europe. The welfare state is a popular concept in times of austerity, such as in the USA or UK during the Great Depression. Wealth is systematically redistributed from rich to poor. France is well known for its social security system, but that only appeared in 1945 after the end of the Second World War.So, where does the money come from? And how is it redistributed? Will the global recession bring about an upscaling of welfare programmes? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen other episodes, you can click here: What is anosmia?What is a webinar?What is zumping?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is locavorism? Thanks for asking! Just like a carnivore eats meat and a frugivore feeds mainly on fruit, locavores are people who commit to a diet consisting only or principally of local food. The reasoning locavores give for their choice of lifestyle is that foods produced locally are healthier, as well as creating environmental, economic and community benefits. During coronavirus lockdowns, food supply chains have been greatly impacted on an unprecedented scale. Consumers have also adapted their eating patterns, with many choosing to eat local and seasonal as a result.So what makes local food healthier then? Local food has a shorter time from the moment it is harvested to being eaten at your dinner table. So it’s less likely to have lost nutrient values, compared to food which is imported from other regions or countries. What’s more, the potential for contamination is also much lower as there are fewer stages in the supply chain. Food produced far away could be subject to safety issues at the farming, washing, transportation or distribution steps. Your tastebuds will thank you too, as crops are picked when they’re at their ripest. Fruits which have to travel thousands of miles before being eaten are picked early and artificially ripened. Fresher food lasts longer too, meaning you’re less likely to waste it.And what about the environmental benefits? Should we all become locavores? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen other episodes, you can click here: What is anosmia?What is a webinar?What is zumping?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is anosmia? Thanks for asking! Anosmia is the clinical name for a complete loss of the sense of smell. Awareness of the disorder is somewhat low, and there is no known cure. But as many as 5% of people are impacted. With odor being intrinsically linked to taste, most sufferers also have some kind of alteration to their sense of taste. Permanent anosmia can be brought on by damage to olfactory neurons, or a brain injury. More rarely it is a congenital condition, which means the sufferer has no sense of smell from the day they are born. Temporary anosmia has been observed in a number of Covid-19 patients, drawing attention to the condition. It’s increasingly being recognized as an early symptom of the virus, with some countries like the USA and France adding it to public health guidelines. The World Health Organization also officially added it to its list of symptoms in mid-May.Should those who lose their sense of smell be worried then?Some data has shown that anosmia is most often experienced by those with less severe cases of the disease. Researchers from the US Department of Defense looked at a group of 169 Covid-19 patients and found that those who required hospitalization were far less likely to report a loss of smell or taste. The study’s summary went like this: “We and others have observed that anosmia manifests either early in the disease process or in patients with mild or no constitutional symptoms.” While that may sound reassuring, the authors warned that it was still too early to draw definitive conclusions. So how does COVID-19 actually cause anosmia? And if I recover from Covid-19, will my anosmia go away? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is zumping?What are coronabonds?What is tocilizumab?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is a webinar? Thanks for asking! A webinar is a type of web conferencing, generally taking the form of a workshop, lecture or presentation. If office workers weren’t already familiar with webinars before the coronavirus pandemic, the overwhelming majority are now. That’s due to remote working practices brought on by lockdown measures in many countries.How the term webinar was born? The term is a portmanteau of web and seminar, which caused some controversy in linguistic spheres after first appearing. Lake Superior State University included it on its annual list of banished words in 2005. It did nevertheless make it into the dictionary the same year. There are several logistical advantages of webinars over in-person conferences. Users don’t need to travel in order to participate, and it’s more cost-effective. Which platforms can be used for webinars? Are they safe for us? And are there safer alternatives to big platforms? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! For other questions about the coronavirus pandemic, you can click here:What is zumping?What are coronabonds?What is tocilizumab?See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices