BBC News

Regular exercise in old age has as powerful an effect on life expectancy as giving up smoking, a study suggests.

New research gives an insight into why we sleep

Economist Jim O'Neill, the head of a UK government-appointed team looking at the impact of superbugs, tells Victoria Derbyshire the antibiotics crisis could cost millions of lives.

Early treatment with a chemotherapy drug, Docetaxel, extends the lives of patients with advanced prostate cancer by nearly two years, a major study shows.

There must be a culture shift in medical research to make sure more children can take part, an expert panel at the Nuffield Council of Bioethics says.

The chances of having a heart attack, stroke or dying young may be hidden in the palm of the hand, a study suggests.

The European Space Agency gives financial backing to a Scottish project to use an app to map tick hotspots and tackle Lyme disease.

It would be unethical and a "sin of omission" to prevent the genetic engineering of embryos, a leading scientist has argued.

Doctors' leaders launch a major campaign to stop "under pressure" medics "over-treating" patients with unnecessary tests and treatments.

Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

A man once dubbed the world's fattest has between three and four stone (22 to 27kg) of skin removed.

A complementary therapy called Hijama, or wet cupping, needs tighter regulation, say experienced practitioners.

The seasons appear to have a profound effect on how human genes work, according to scientists.

Tougher measures are needed to tackle the high rates of alcohol consumption in the UK, according to a leading international body.

Plans for a law to ensure Welsh hospitals have enough nurses on duty at all times are supported by AMs.

Scotland's biggest nursing agency calls on former nurses to consider doing occasional shifts, after warning of a lack of qualified nurses.

A boy who suffered brain damage at birth is awarded a £13m-compensation package.

Studies have shown that dance could improve the lives of dementia sufferers - Lizzie Crouch visits a class in east London.

The rise of drug-resistant malaria in south-east Asia is leading to new strategies to eliminate the disease from the region.

Heavy duty insecticide sprayers often can't get to communities that need them. Motofog is a modified motorbike that could be one solution to this problem.

Antibiotic-resistant typhoid is spreading across Africa and Asia and poses a major global health threat, warn experts.

A first proton beam therapy centre in the UK in Newport will "transform" cancer treatment and take its first patients by Christmas 2016, say experts.

A woman in New Zealand got lost in the countryside near Wellington and spent the night outside, drinking her own breast milk "for energy".

Nick Triggle looks back on the major stories of recent weeks

Children as young as 10 are smoking cigarettes, eating junk food and drinking energy drinks for breakfast to prepare for exams, a survey of 1,000 children suggests.

How teeth necklaces and cocaine syringes built a dental legend

Some people use echoes to determine the position of objects, the way bats and dolphins do, suggests research from the University of Southampton.

A hospital in Norway has developed a new project that it hopes can cure the problem of human error.

A mother launches a legal battle for access to her dead daughter's frozen eggs, so she can carry her own grandchild.

The Ebola virus has been detected in the eye of a US doctor who had already recovered from the illness.

People living with Down's syndrome tell Victoria Derbyshire there are still too many barriers to finding a job.

The struggle to find work with Down's syndrome

Trials of a malaria vaccine that targets the most dangerous variety of parasite that causes the disease show some positive early results in adults.

Sir Elton John says he believes Aids can be eradicated in his lifetime if research funding is continued.

An airline pilot talks about the stresses pilots face, as the apparently deliberate crash of a Germanwings plane in March leads to calls for greater scrutiny of pilots' mental health.

There is a dramatic rise in the number of technology patents filed that relate to reading brainwaves.

Overworked, stressed and close to tears

A smartphone has been used to automatically detect wriggling parasites in blood samples, a study shows.

A 24-hour strike by some ambulance staff may lead to delays in responding to 999 calls, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service warns.

Cancer treatment in 14 hospitals in the US and Canada will now be helped by IBM's Watson "cognitive computing" system.

Private practice may "prey on the needy" and doctors should seriously question whether they can morally juggle it with NHS work, an expert argues in the BMJ.

Can social media really help with mental health?

Plans for a minimum price for alcohol in Scotland are due to be heard by judges at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

A hospital trust at the centre of a police probe into data manipulation had more serious patient safety breaches than any other in England, it emerges.

The dangers of using treadmills

Mental health trusts in England are forecasting significant cuts to their funding over the next four years, figures seen by the BBC suggest.