About 50,000 years ago, modern humans left Africa and began occupying the rest of the world. The common thought is that a sudden growth in population caused the so-called “human revolution”, which gave…
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A new study from the American Academy of Neurology suggests that traumatic brain injury could be one of the many factors associated with the risk of ischaemic stroke. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is…
Ethnic minorities aren’t more likely to be detained or “sectioned” under the Mental Health Act because of institutional racism, according to a new study. A relatively higher number of black and minority…
A report published today by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reveals the scope of forced labour within the UK. The study shows that millions are vulnerable to illegal exploitation in the workplace. It also…
Matter escaping from the clutches of mysterious black holes may be responsible for forming stars, according to new research that explores how galaxies are formed. Much has been learnt about black holes…
A third of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner, according to the first comprehensive research of its kind. The report, published today by the London School…
Researchers have discovered how one of the world’s oddest mammals developed resistance to cancer, and there is hope that their work could help fight the disease in humans. Naked mole rats live underground…
About half of the world’s population are at risk of contracting malaria. In 2011, there were 26m reported cases and more than 100,000 deaths. Children are especially vulnerable though the disease is both…
The closest many of us in the developed world get to leprosy these days might be a viewing of Ben Hur or the Life of Brian. But the disease isn’t confined to the history books and still affects up to a…
New research linking less access to GPs and higher demand in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments could ignite the row over the A&E crisis. The number of people visiting A&E in England…
Researchers have used gadget-laden collars to record cheetahs’ movements in the wild. They found that cheetahs succeed not because it is the fastest animal on land, but because of its incredible acceleration…
Children who survive cancer treatment are much more likely to suffer health problems when they are adults, according to a new study. Researchers who looked at more than 1,700 survivors of childhood cancer…
Melanomas may be less common than other skin cancers but their ability to become malignant and spread to other parts of the body makes them some of the deadliest if not caught early. More than 10,000 people…
China is now facing similar health issues to higher income countries including the UK and US, according to new global health figures. Poor diet and cancer are a growing concern in China compared to issues…
Researchers have used the radioactive fallout from atomic bomb tests to show that new neurons are produced in one part of the human brain throughout life. Studies have shown that rats can grow new neurons…
Years of academic detective work broke through a “wall of silence” maintained for decades by successive governments over the torture and systematic abuse of Mau Mau freedom fighters in the dying days of…
The ultimate dream of nanotechnology is to be able to manipulate matter atom by atom. To do that, we first need to know what they look like. In what could be a major step in that direction, researchers…
The liver is a special organ. Mature liver cells - or hepatocytes - have the capacity to continually divide and repair damage. But only so far. Excessive drinking and chronic liver disease, for example…
Retreating glaciers are proving to be good news for plant scientists. Underneath one such glacier on Ellesmere Island in Canada, researchers have found plants they believe have regrown after being entombed…
The 2009 influenza pandemic prompted the fastest effort in history to develop a vaccine. Within six months of the pandemic declaration, vaccine-makers had developed, produced and distributed hundreds of…
Penguins can move underwater with the speed of a swallow or swift, but cannot fly even as far as a chicken. How did a bird that in some cases shuffles 40 miles to its breeding grounds on unsuitable flippers…
Converting to Islam in the UK as a woman is “not for the faint-hearted” according to a report released yesterday by the University of Cambridge which finds converts are stigmatised by the wider community…
Too much body fat in middle age increases hardening of arteries, according to a new study by researchers at Imperial College London. The study looked at 200 volunteers aged from 18 to 80 and found that…
Scientists in the US have developed a calculator from living cells, using old-fashioned analog programming. Their hope is that the technology could be used in the future to program cells to kill cancer…
The skin and bones of long-dead tigers from the days of the British Raj have helped reveal how the latest threat to the endangered species is their own DNA. Taking DNA samples from game hunters’ trophies…