The Know Daily - Thursday 1 October 2026

_{Read in 4m 32s ∙ Listening to Morgan Evans ∙}

Elephants have their own medicine cabinets 🐘 Forget a trip to the pharmacy – wild African elephants in Kenya seek out specific plants when they're feeling under the weather. Some have even been spotted travelling long distances to find the right tree, while mothers pass on their leafy remedies to their calves. It seems these gentle giants know a thing or two about self-care!

🗞️ In case you missed it

It’s been a busy September, with plenty to get us thinking – from whether women really are better investors to the potential of personalised cancer vaccines. We’ve also weighed in on political mega donations and, in a debate that somehow took over the internet, whether bringing an iced coffee to a job interview is totally fine or an unforgivable breach of workplace etiquette. And, as ever, you had plenty to say too. So, before we dive into October, here’s a quick look at what’s been getting our Slack channel (and all of you!) chatting this month.

💸 Women make better investors: Whilst women are less likely to invest than men, research suggests those who do often see slightly higher long-term returns. Studies point to women trading less frequently and taking a more considered approach to risk, which may help avoid costly overtrading. Yet only around 26% of UK women invest, compared with 41% of men, with factors like the pay gap, caring responsibilities and confidence all playing a role. There may be a useful lesson here: investing doesn’t necessarily require constant activity – patience and consistency can go a long way.

💉 Personalised cancer vaccines: New research is showing promise for vaccines designed around the unique mutations in a person’s tumour. Unlike vaccines that prevent infections, these are treatments for people who already have cancer, helping the immune system recognise and attack leftover cancer cells after treatment. Early trials, particularly in skin cancer, have found encouraging results when combined with immunotherapy, including lower risks of recurrence and the cancer spreading. The approach is still being tested, with challenges around cost, speed and making bespoke vaccines at scale, but it could become another useful tool alongside surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Our inbox has been popping off…
Some stories this month sparked a whole lot of conversation amongst The Know’s community. Here are some of your thoughts: 

💰 Political mega donations: The government is considering a retrospective £100k cap on political donations after Reform UK was gifted a total of £72m from two crypto billionaires. When we asked for your thoughts, 70% said that the cap should apply to money that’s already been donated and 22% argued that it shouldn’t, with the rest remaining unsure. 

☕ Bringing a coffee to a job interview: Well it’s a question that has provided debate for the internet… and now our community too! 67% of our readers said it was a bad move, whilst 23% said it wasn’t wrong at all. Everyone else couldn’t make up their minds (and neither can we, tbh!).

Drum roll please 🥁 These are the most clicked stories this month:
❣️ The experts weigh in on who should invest their money 
❣️ The top 10 travel destinations for 2027 (that you’ve haven’t heard of)
❣️ Spotify crowned its song of the summer
❣️ "Rust out”: a new workplace trend

👩‍👧 New parental controls for teen accounts are being introduced by WhatsApp that will mean guardians can also choose content settings for Meta AI chats.

• The bigger story: Parents will be able to manage who can add their teen to groups, see their profile picture and status, and which channels they can access, as well as getting notifications when their teen joins or leaves a group. The controls will be protected by a PIN, so teens can't simply change the settings themselves. Parents won't be able to read their teen's messages or listen to their calls, which remain protected by end-to-end encryption. The update comes as Meta faces increasing scrutiny over child safety: in August, it agreed to pay $18 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by 29 US states over claims relating to the safety of young users.

🎵 The hidden patterns of Taylor Swift's lyrics have been revealed using a bespoke digital database.  

💊 Menopause supplements that cost over £400 a year are no better than a £22-a-year multivitamin, analysis by consumer watchdog Which? has claimed.

🐻 The Fat Bear Week winner has been crowned after scoring over 100k votes against 15 other contestants.

🖼️ The anti-Brexit installation by elusive street artist Banksy is set to go up for sale next month. 

💘 A matchmaking service for government workers aged 21 to 35 has launched in Singapore, using an algorithm to pair up people based on their interests, habits and values. 

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Trivia answer: B) Avocado trees open for half the day as females to receive pollen and males for the other half to produce pollen, according to a study.

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