Retailers are selling 'anti-virus masks' but there is no strong evidence that they can stop the spread of flu.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
It's often said that "bad posture" can cause neck pain but science seems to indicate that other factors might be at play.
British people are increasingly eating out. Menu labelleling is a way to ensure they make healthy choices.
The benefits of being 'mentally tough' are many. Why let just those who are lucky to be naturally resilient benefit, when it can be taught to everyone?
Despite awareness of the importance of hand washing, most people often fail to do it properly.
Genome-wide association studies are more like genome white association studies.
Your brain balances messages coming from lots of different places to help you see, imagine, remember and dream.
Scurvy cases in England have more than doubled in the past ten years. But malnutrition rates have more than tripled.
Alcohol in shops is now more affordable than it has been at any point in the last 30 years.
Scientists are beginning to understand the food preferences of our gut microbes.
Conflict happens far too frequently between the parents of very sick children and hospital teams.
Oxygen is vital for life, so much so that cells can sense when there isn't enough and adapt almost instantly. So how do they do it? The winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology figured it out.
How to interpret the readings to tell if you have high blood pressure.
Shoppers struggle to make sense of food labels – and aren't always sure what they're eating.
John Carlisle's method for spotting potentially fraudulent figures has already been adopted by two top medical journals.
For lesbian couples or trans men, the 'unexpected' gender of one parent causes difficulties for maternity services where notions of 'normal' are increasingly out of step with the times.
Proper support for breastfeeding is an environmental imperative.
New research uncovers the reasons for the chronic underspending on young people's mental health services.
Red meat and processed meat seemed to get the all clear in a recent study but not everyone agrees.
New research reveals that routine sparring can have immediate effects on the brain, putting athletes at greater risk of injury when brain-muscle communication is impaired.
Individual gut microbe species are less important for our health than teams of microbes working together.
Nutritious fish are being diverted away from countries that could benefit from them the most.
Music for pleasure, self-expression and emotional regulation.
Most medical research is funded by industry, not public sources. And industry puts pressure on researchers in many ways, from guiding the research question to suppressing unfavourable findings.
Your memory may be unreliable – but that can be an advantage.
New research suggests the partners of UK military personnel may experience greater levels of depression and binge-drinking compared to women in the general population.
The government should work with drug companies, not against them.
Ageing may be caused by hyperfunctioning genes.
Here's what parents should look out for if they are worried about their baby's language development.
E-cigarettes
They're effective – and popular.
Handheld scanning technology could help police crack down on e-liquids with too much nicotine.
New clinical trial shows vaping is an effective way to quit smoking.
The American Surgeon General published the first federal government report linking smoking and ill health 50 years ago. The report also demanded that the American government take appropriate remedial action…
Menopause
What if the menopause was something we thought positively about or were able to discuss openly without fear of derision?
Not looking forward to the hot flushes associated with menopause? Don't worry, science suggests there are actually benefits to it.
There are pros and cons to HRT. Whether or not to use it comes down to personal choice.
Researchers at a fertility clinic in Athens appear to have reversed the menopause in a small group of women – but will the science stand up to scrutiny?
Vegetarianism/Veganism
Being vegan and an athlete can go hand-in-hand, but it does take careful planning.
There are plenty of studies, but drawing conclusions from them is not that straightforward.
Does the West need bio-fortification programmes to prevent an epidemic of hidden hunger caused by a rise in veganism?
More and more people are trying veganism, but how does the human body respond to losing animal products from its diet?
Listen
Research and Expert Database
Editor's picks
More than 20 countries have banned e-cigarettes.
Habitual neck poppers may want to curb their habit.
Most people know that a poor diet can lead to heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Few are aware that it can also cause blindness.
Intermittent fasting diets are increasingly popular.
Events
-
The Supreme Court: 10 Years of Law and Politics — University of Surrey
-
Do editors pander to audiences more than they should? — The Conversation
How we are different
10 reasons
Most Read past week
- Handle with care – the world’s five deadliest poisons
- Scurvy: is it really making a comeback in the UK?
- ‘Smiling depression’: it’s possible to be depressed while appearing happy – here’s why that’s particularly dangerous
- Some people benefit from being naturally mentally tough, but it can be taught to those who aren’t
- Why nutritional psychiatry is the future of mental health treatment
Pitch an idea
Got a news tip or article idea for The Conversation?
Our Audience
The Conversation has a monthly audience of 10.7 million users, and reach of 38.2 million through Creative Commons republication.
Want to Write?
Write an article and join a growing community of more than 91,100 academics and researchers from 2,981 institutions.
Make a Donation
The Conversation relies on sector, government and reader support. If you would like to help us have even better conversations, then you may like to make a one-off or on-going donation.