What in the World

Shoes on or off? Laptops in or out? And don’t get us started on the rules around liquids! Getting through airport security never seems to be simple. It’s there for a reason, of course. But there are so many rules and why do they seem to be different everywhere you go?

We’re joined by science journalist and presenter Caroline Steel to talk about everything from the miles long luggage belts our suitcases travel on, ...

Singapore’s got a reputation for being one of world’s cleanest cities. But right now, it’s covered in a thick blanket of smog. And it’s recently seen its worst air quality levels for the year. The reason? Fires in nearby Indonesia.

Indonesia’s seen its worst wildfire season in years. Huge areas of land have been burning for weeks. Fires are sometimes lit as a way to illegally clear land to make room fo...

It’s no surprise more people want to become influencers - a study found that in 2024, YouTube content creators alone contributed £2.2bn to the UK’s economy. But… would you pay thousands to study how to be one?

A growing number of universities around the world, like Arizona State University in the US, have started offering Content Creation courses. We hear from Martyna who is currently studying BA Content Creation ...

There’s just SOMETHING not quite right about that French influencer we’re seeing all over socials. His blonde bob, the suit he wears, and that moustache! His name is Jean Philanthrope, and his videos have wracked up millions of views. But, it turns out, he’s not real. He’s AI and he’s being used to promote a risky type of crypto called a Meme coin.

We speak to BBC Verify’s Marco Silva about how h...

Last week, Christa Pike, a death row inmate in the US faced execution via lethal injection for a murder she committed in 1995. But after she was given two full doses of the drug pentobarbital, she survived. At the time of uploading this podcast, she remains awake in hospital and it’s unclear what went wrong with the attempted execution.

We hear the details from BBC reporters in the US, who have been covering this story includi...

January isn’t the only time for new year’s resolutions anymore. The end of the year is having a moment too - as part of the great lock-in trend. There’s lots of content online about locking in for the last four months of the year - whether that’s working out more regularly, spending less time on your phone, or trying to get that promotion at work.

Some people call it a winter arc, a September reset or the fr...

Film and TV show spoilers often come with a warning because people know they can be annoying. But when it comes to footage from concerts and gigs… those rules don’t really apply, as Olivia Rodrigo fans found out when clips of a surprise moment from her ‘Unraveled Tour’ went viral on socials.

You might have saved up for a ticket to see your favourite artist, found the perfect outfit and be counting down the ...

Can we really get swallowed by a black hole? And what would actually happen if we did? Black holes are really mysterious and there is still so much we don’t know about them. So, grab your space helmet because we’re getting into some of the biggest questions scientists are still trying to answer.

We speak to science journalist, Caroline Steel, to clear up some of the mysteries around black holes. How do they distort time?...

Across France, thousands of high school students are protesting. They say they’re doing it because of conditions in their schools - that classrooms are overcrowded, there’s not enough teachers and they can’t concentrate on exams because school buildings aren’t being maintained well enough.

Five hundred schools are shut and some protests have turned violent, with riot police being deployed and some streets set...

It’s something you might dream of - or only see in films or read in books - moving to a remote island in the middle of the sea. Only wildlife around you. No bars or clubs and barely any people!

Sound like a bit of you? Or maybe it’s your worst nightmare. We speak to BBC reporter Georgina Rannard, about why she’s swapping city life to be a farmer on an island in Wales with only three other people. We also hear tips...

Researching ways to improve your sleep has been popular for years but now it’s evolved and there’s a whole new genre of social media content called ‘Sleepmaxxing’. It shows ways you can build your perfect night’s sleep, by taking magnesium supplements, using black-out curtains or white noise machines. Experts say the popularity has boomed thanks to the accessibility of smart watches which give users sl...

The issue of safety on college campuses is nothing new. But it’s back in the spotlight again because of the re-opening of a case at Cornell University, New York in the US. A woman alleges she was gang raped at a fraternity party in October 2024. The group is being called the ‘Cornell 7’ on social media. The incident was reported to campus police at the time, but no formal charges were made.

The woman claims she wa...

More and more of us are picking up side hustles - US national employment data shows that the number of people with more than one job is going up year on year, and a survey found that the majority of them are 16-24 year olds. So why are more of us turning to side hustles? And what’s the best way to start one?

We hear from Katie (@katiesgarms), Vera (@viavera_) and Shania (@shaniasvault) who have all started successful side hust...

Madonna won Artist of the Year and Taylor Swift made a splash at Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards - she became the most decorated performer in VMA history, and premiered her music video for Patient Zero, the lead single from the encore to her album The Life of a Showgirl.

And there’s a reason the VMAs might have been so keen to have her - award ceremonies aren’t pulling the big audiences that they used to. Millions...

Would you bring an iced coffee to a job interview? A viral TikTok from Caitlin Wehniainen - a recruiter in Florida - has stirred up a huge debate. It’s after she said that Gen Z candidates turning up to job interviews with an iced coffee can look too casual and unprofessional.

But seriously…can an iced latte actually hurt your chances of getting a job? And what does your coffee order have to do with whether you’d ...

We’ve seen more and more women talking about cycle-syncing. It’s where you adjust your diet and work outs to match the different phases of your period. Things like eating more in certain phases or taking it easy in others.

But does cycle-syncing help you get better results? Does the science back it up or is it just another wellness trend and rule book for women to follow?

BBC reporter Zara Salaria takes us through what cy...

Globally more than a billion tonnes of food is wasted each year and much of it ends up in landfills. As the food breaks down it releases huge amounts of methane, making up 10% of the world’s climate-warming emissions. Now many cities and governments are looking to South Korea as a model of how to reduce food waste and boost food recycling.

BBC reporter Soo Min Kim explains how South Korea cut household food waste going to land...

You may have seen whimsy all over your socials this year. Maybe you’ve been trying to make your days more whimsical? To some, that means taking a moment to appreciate the small things in life: the way the light falls on your desk in the afternoons, or a slow moment spent watching the way the trees blow in the wind. But now, rhinestones have entered the chat and the trend seems to have evolved into something entirely different...

For months gamers and horror movie fans around the world have been waiting for the brand new Resident Evil movie to drop. After the trailer was released there was a huge backlash from fans who were worried that it would be terrible. They said that key characters were missing, it was set in the wrong decade and previous films in the franchise weren’t great. So, now that they’ve seen it, what do they think?

We speak to th...