Study concludes there is no need for an upper limit on folate, removing a further barrier to mandatory fortification that would prevent birth defectsBread and flour should be fortified with folic acid in the UK to help prevent babies from being born with neural tube defects such as spina bifida, according to new research.

Good-looking people also get treated better and therefore feel the world is just and fair, leading to ‘blind spot’ when trying to understand hardships of othersIt is a finding unlikely to prove popular with Guardian readers, but a study has concluded that attractive people are more likely to be rightwing.Previous research has found that those who are good-looking are generally treated better, achieve higher social status and earn more money, leading them to see the world as a just and fair place. Continue reading...

Killer whales able to copy words such as ‘hello’ and ‘bye bye’ as well as sounds from other orcas, study showsHigh-pitched, eerie and yet distinct, the sound of a voice calling the name “Amy” is unmistakable. But this isn’t a human cry – it’s the voice of a killer whale called Wikie.New research reveals that orcas are able to imitate human speech, in some cases at the first attempt, saying words such as “hello”, “one, two” and “bye bye”. Continue reading...

Orcas have been heard mimicking human speech. A study found that when prompted the marine mammal could replicate the sounds. In some instances the animal can be heard sounding the words "hello" "Amy" and even blowing a raspberry. The research aims to understand how different pods of killer whale have distinct dialects

Government puts forward earliest surviving radio astronomy observatory for 2019 honourThe giant telescopes of Jodrell Bank, and the scruffy buildings surrounding them in which discoveries were made that helped change the understanding of the universe, have been nominated by the British government as a Unesco world heritage site.The observatory, part of the University of Manchester, was founded in 1945 when Sir Bernard Lovell moved his laboratory from the murk and radio interference of the city to the clearer skies of Cheshire. It is known worldwide for its pioneering work, and is now the earliest surviving radio astronomy observatory, including structures on the still-working site from every phase of the development of the science. Continue reading...

The super blue blood moon will grace our skies on Wednesday. This rare celestial event, when a blue moon and lunar eclipse combine with the moon being at its closest point to Earth, has not been seen for more than 150 years

A researcher’s diving holiday lead to a startling discovery of never-before-seen behaviour: crabs using hydrozoans as fishing hooksEvery night as the sun goes down, on the coral reefs of the Red Sea small, delicate and slightly fuzzy-looking crabs work their way through the maze of coral. They take up stations atop the corals’ outermost structures, exposing themselves to the current in the plankton-rich waters. These are decorator crabs, of the genus Achaeus, known for their peculiar habit of covering themselves with an array of invertebrates, including delicate hydrozoans: multi-headed creatures with tiny tentacled polyps that feed on plankton.In a recent paper published in the journal Marine Biodiversity, Dr Joan J Soto Àngel, from the University of Valencia, suggests that the crabs are not only benefitting from the camouflage and defence the hydroids provide, but are also “fishing”, using their covering of hydrozoan polyps as the hooks. Continue reading...

Audit of NHS data to establish how many women have experienced problems following implant surgeryA full retrospective audit of women who have undergone vaginal mesh surgery has been launched by the government to establish how many have experienced complications following the procedure.In the past decade, more than 100,000 women have had vaginal mesh surgery to treat urinary incontinence, which is common after childbirth, according to NHS figures. But there is disagreement about the scale of problems linked to the devices, with campaigners saying women have been exposed to unacceptable risks. Continue reading...

We’d like to see your images as parts of the world experience rare celestial event where super moon, blue moon and blood moon coincide

US scientists taking measurements above the Amazon rainforest have recorded the effects of smoke and aerosols on the weatherMankind has made the world warmer, but we’ve also made it stormier. In a study conducted over the Amazon rainforest, scientists have shown that tiny particles – smaller than one-thousandth of the width of a human hair – cause storms to intensify, and potentially have knock-on effects for weather around the world.Jiwen Fan, from the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory studied storm formation near the Brazilian city of Manaus. Its 2 million people make Manaus the largest city in the Amazon, and the busy streets and smokey chimneys produce a near permanent pollution plume. Continue reading...

Researchers probe how we make an initial judgment on whether to trust or cooperate with othersFrom getting into a taxi to asking a fellow train passenger to keep an eye on your luggage while buying a coffee, we’ve all put our trust in those we do not know.Now researchers have revealed that strangers are more likely to be trusted if they look like someone who has earned your trust before – and more likely to be distrusted if they resemble someone who has betrayed your faith in them. Continue reading...

Nicotine in e-cigarettes may convert into DNA-damaging chemicals, mouse trial indicates, but critics say results are irrelevant to humansVaping may raise the risk of certain cancers and heart disease, according to a team of scientists who studied the effects of e-cigarette smoke on healthy mice and human cells.Researchers found evidence that nicotine inhaled from e-cigarettes could be converted into chemicals that damage DNA in the heart, lungs and bladder, and dampen down the body’s genetic repair mechanisms. Continue reading...

The answer to today’s headwear conundrumEarlier today in this puzzle blog I set you the following puzzle:A box contains two red hats and three green hats. Azalea, Barnaby and Caleb close their eyes, take a hat from the box and put it on. When they open their eyes they can see each other’s hats but not their own. They do not know which hats are left in the box.

Prosopagnosia, which makes those with the condition unable to recognise others, often goes undetected – despite being more common than autismEver found yourself confronted by someone who seems to knows you, but you have no idea who they are? You could be suffering from prosopagnosia, a condition that new research shows affects more people in the UK than autism, yet largely goes undetected.Also known as face blindness, the condition makes those who have it – including Brad Pitt and the late neuroscientist Oliver Sacks – unable to recognise other people, and sometimes even themselves, by their face alone. It is believed to affect as many as one in 50 Britons. Continue reading...

There is often more pressure for scientists to work against each other than together – but why?In an ideal world, academic scientists would work together towards a common goal: discovery. Researchers would unite for a common cause, motivated by boundless curiosity, working selflessly towards the Greater Good.While the pursuit of knowledge may be a noble thing, it’s not actually that different from any other occupation, in that it requires a salary. Many scientists must apply for government grants to secure the funding that pays them, as well as to cover the costs of research projects. Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsThis question has been bothering me for some time. If a whale (specifically, the Balaenoptera musculus or blue whale, at 180 tonnes) was dropped from space (the outer limit of the Earth’s atmosphere), what impact would it have on a city, compared to the Hoba meteorite in Namibia, which weighs 60 tonnes? Would, say, London survive the whale?Isabel Swan Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsDoes anyone know if there is an evolutionary reason for fingerprints?David Taylor, Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland Continue reading...

Comedian Iszi Lawrence on helping academics use humour to make their research more accessible“So, what do you do?” It’s the dreaded question we all get asked at parties. As a member of the self employed the question might as well be “can you justify your existence”?I know what NOT to say. I don’t say I’m a podcaster, because then follows a tedious explanation of what a podcast actually is. I never reveal I’m a comedian: people assume I’m washed up as they’ve not heard of me, or – worse – they ask for a free demo ... never advisable at a wake. So I do everything I can to appear as boring as possible. To keep the follow-up questions to a minimum, I usually say I am an accountant (well, I do my own tax return). I rarely include the fun aspects of my work, like teaching academics how to be funny, because I know where the conversation goes. Doctors and GPs will feel my pain, being bombarded with tales of ailments and body parts at parties before they even have a chance to take off their coats. Continue reading...

The launch of the Humanity Star is proof that the human urge to dominate wild places is as untamed as everNews that Rocket Lab, a New Zealand space company, has somewhat surreptitiously sent a 3ft-wide geodesic sphere into space – looking somewhat like an oversized Christmas tree bauble, has not met with unalloyed joy. Dubbed the Humanity Star, it is due to shine there for nine months (until it burns up in the atmosphere) – a “reminder to all on Earth about our fragile place in the universe”, as the company’s founder, Peter Beck, says. “It’s definitely a reminder,” agrees the astrobiologist Carl Scharf, “… because it’s infesting the very thing that we urgently need to cherish.”Related: 'Space graffiti': astronomers angry over launch of fake star into sky Continue reading...

Thinking caps on!Hi guzzlers,A box contains two red hats and three green hats... Continue reading...

But total lunar eclipse on 31 January won’t be visible in UKThe full moon on 31 January coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth. This means that it will appear slightly larger and therefore slightly brighter than normal. In recent years, this phenomenon has become known as a supermoon. Supermoons are around 7% bigger and up to 30% brighter than other lunar appearances. Although these increases are hardly noticeable to the eye, it is nice to gaze up and know the Moon is near its closest point to Earth, an altitude of around 224,000 miles (360,000km). Continue reading...

‘Here’s a rule that’s catnip for right-wingers everywhere: do not bother children while they are skateboarding’Just a few years ago, I was an unknown professor writing academic books that nobody read. Then, with God’s help, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and develop my potential. Pinkos and wishy-washy liberals had cornered the market in cod psychology, so I guessed there must be a huge hunger for a self-help book, backed up with religion, mythology, CAPITAL LETTERS and stating the obvious – one directed at responsible, socially minded conservatives craving some pseudointellectual ideology to prop up their beliefs. And bingo! Here are my 12 Rules for Life.1 Stand up straight with your shoulders straight

The president’s dementia assessment and other specialist tests are available online, but the media must present them with carePresident Trump’s recent medical examination was partly theatre: the doctor’s white coat, the “good genes”, the superlatives that seemed prescribed. But it was also serious. This commander-in-chief can personally initiate nuclear war. When the Guardian turned the theatre into audience participation, some readers were troubled. The episode illuminated a recurring aspect of life under the internet – information previously known and used only by specialists is now available for use by almost everyone, without expert understanding of the purposes and limitations of that information. This can discomfort specialists and challenge journalists, who will often be the bridge between experts and a general audience.Related: 'Fit for duty': the test Trump took to show he's up to the job Continue reading...

Blue moon, super moon and blood moon combine to create moment not seen in the skies in more than 150 yearsA rare celestial event will grace the skies during the coming week when a blue moon and lunar eclipse combine with the moon being at its closest point to Earth, resulting in what is being called a “super blue blood moon”.The trifecta will take place on 31 January and will be best visible from the western hemisphere. The last time the three elements combined at the same time was in 1866. Continue reading...

Millions of Americans are hooked on painkillers – thousands die as a result. Scientists are striving to design a new, safer generation of opioidsOnly the word “epidemic” really does justice to the scale of human tragedy caused by opioid drug use in America.How else can we describe 145 largely avoidable deaths a day? Opioids – mostly prescribed as painkillers or obtained illicitly by those hooked through previous treatment – killed 53,000 people in the United States in 2016 – more than guns or road accidents. That same year saw deaths caused by synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, double to 20,145. Continue reading...

Having been orphaned herself, Genevieve Fox’s desire to look after herself when she became ill was matched only by her urge to look after her own childrenAs my husband and I approach the UCH Macmillan Centre for the results of the biopsy for a lump in my neck, I wonder if I’ll have a single malt at the pub afterwards, or a warming whisky mac. Richard, usually a decorous drinker, has suggested the stiff drink before we head home for the Secret Santa party we’re hosting later on. The sooner we get this appointment out of the way, the better.We take our seats in the reception area. When I was here two weeks ago, I watched as a Macmillan nurse approached a seated couple and chatted. Clearly one of them had cancer. I don’t want anything to do with Macmillan nurses. Continue reading...

Pictures of the first two cloned primates have caused deep unease. But the idea of making exact copies of deceased humans remains a delusionWith their huge eyes and spindly limbs, the two cloned macaque monkeys, whose births in China were announced last week, made irresistible front page fodder. Created by scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai, the animals, Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong, certainly looked cute. Cuddled together, they displayed an almost human vulnerability, a connection that was not lost on headline writers: “One Step Closer to Human Clones,” claimed one front page.It is only 21 years since the Observer revealed to the world that scientists in Scotland had created the world’s first mammalian clone, Dolly the sheep. Now this triumph has been followed up with a pair of cloned macaques, creatures that are much closer to Homo sapiens in genetic terms than sheep. The suggestion that a similar trick would soon be carried out on humans was therefore too tempting to ignore. Continue reading...

There were lots of exciting scientific tidbits this week, but two stories really stood out. The news of the first primates born using the same cloning method used to create Dolly the sheep opens many possibilities – although scientists are adamant that human clones are not among them. Also potentially rewriting the Homo sapiens story is the discovery of a 200,000-year-old jawbone in Israel – the oldest human fossil ever found outside Africa – which suggests human ancestors left Africa far earlier than previously thought. Some potential good news too, as a Parkinson’s trial discovered evidence that flushing out ‘zombie cells’ in the brain could help stave off the disease – and might offer a new approach to treating the effects of other neurodegenerative diseases and even ageing. Researchers seemed to be looking to science fiction for inspiration as they revealed the first ever “floating 3D printing” – technology that projects graphics into the air, where they are visible from all angles, like a real-life version of the Princess Leia projection in Star Wars. And finally, something that sounds cool, but actually, when you think about it, is not so great: Rocket Lab, a New Zealand startup, has secretively put a satellite likened to a giant disco ball into orbit. It is expected to become the brightest object in the night sky for nine months until it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, and astronomers are furious, dubbing it “space graffiti”. Continue reading...

Her fearless speech was also a reasonable demand for more shared knowledge, faster diagnosis and wider access to experimental treatmentsOn 24 May last year, Tessa Jowell found she could not speak. Two days later, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Two weeks after that, the tumour was cut out. Six months on, she can’t say she was cured, but she sure as hell could speak this week.“I don’t think I immediately leapt to the inevitability of cancer,” she told Nick Robinson on the Today programme on Wednesday. “To begin with, I thought I would have this tumour, that it would be operated on and that would be it.” That, it turned out, was not it. Now her life, she said, was “affected” by her tumour. “How do I know,” she asked, “how long it’s going to last.” Continue reading...

This winter the first wolf in 100 years arrived in Belgium, completing the animals’ return to mainland Europe. But can Europeans relearn how to live alongside the predators?To some it is a roe deer that eats meat: an adaptable animal capable of living peaceably alongside humans. To others it is a demonic killing machine that ruins farmers – and whose presence is a symbol of the city’s contempt for rural life.The wolf is on the rise in Europe. This winter it finally reconquered Belgium, the last mainland European country from which it had been absent after decades of persecution. Continue reading...

Experts study remains dug up in 19th century for first time ahead of Museum of London Docklands exhibitionA puff of dust almost 2,000 years old rose as archaeologist Jackie Keily gently tipped a wastepaper bin-sized lead container, and a pile of cremated Roman remains slid out towards bones expert Rebecca Redfern.“Oh wonderful, look!” Redfern said, pouncing on a bone with the excitement of a treasure hunter. “A toe! Look how white that bone is – really excellent cremation technique.” Continue reading...

Step into the classroom to help the next generation discover exciting and diverse career opportunitiesAsk a seven-year-old “what do you want to do when you grow up?” and you’ll get an answer built on very limited experience. But unless children are exposed to a wide range of options how can they know what opportunities exist that might interest them?The lack of awareness of primary school children of the full spectrum of careers is highlighted in a new study, Drawing the Future. Carried out for the organisation Education and Employers, the conclusion is that more of us need to go into primary schools to share our experiences of the world of work. Continue reading...

Giant disco ball dubbed ‘Humanity Star’, launched by startup Rocket Lab, will interfere with scientific study of the universe, experts sayAstronomers across the world have criticised a privately owned, New Zealand-based space company after it secretively put a satellite likened to a giant disco ball into orbit.Last week the space exploration startup Rocket Lab launched a rocket from a remote sheep and cattle farm on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Continue reading...

At the beginning, we hunted frantically for any medical breakthrough that might hint at a cure. Then hope gave way to the unbearable truth. By Peter SavodnikOne night several years ago, I checked out of a hotel in Cairo and hailed a cab to the airport. It was just after 1am. I had been in Egypt for a week, researching a story on the Muslim Brotherhood, and I had come down with a nasty bug. A blood vessel in my right eye burst, but the doctor said it would probably go away in a few days. I had with me my laptop, a duffel bag crammed with T-shirts, a crushed-velvet blazer, a toothbrush, a razor, medications, an exceptionally tattered copy of Herzog, and an empty, oversized suitcase, which I had been dragging around the world for several weeks and was starting to feel like a vestigial organ. That evening, when my flight landed in Hamburg and I checked into a hotel across the street from the terminal, the woman at the front desk said: “This arrived for you.”She produced a box that had been shipped from Brussels and loaded it on to a luggage cart. I took it to my room and ripped it open. It was filled with miniature bottles of a yoghurt-like drink that was supposed to cure dementia. I put the bottles in my suitcase, and the next morning I caught my connecting flight to New York. Continue reading...

Google Lunar XPRIZE withdraws $30m prize for first robotic spacecraft touchdown by private firm as deadline defeats finalistsA lucrative competition to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon will end on 31 March this year without a winner. The Google Lunar XPrize promised to reward the first private company to make such a touchdown with $30m, a prize it was hoped would stimulate a new era of cost-effective and reliable access to the moon.But the mission has proven tougher than anyone suspected. The competition was announced in 2007 but seemed destined to fold back in 2015 because of lack of progress. Continue reading...

Parents offering even limited amounts of alcohol may increase risk of binge-drinking and other problems, study concludesParents who give alcohol to their teenagers could be increasing their offspring’s risk of binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems, research has revealed.The study found that compared with secondary-school aged children who had no access to alcohol, those who were given some by their parents more often admitted to later binge drinking, had symptoms of alcohol-use disorder and experienced alcohol-related harms – such as difficulty recalling events or getting into trouble.

Human ancestors left Africa far earlier than previously thought, discovery of prehistoric jawbone and tools suggestA prehistoric jawbone discovered in a cave in Israel has prompted scientists to rethink theories of how the earliest human pioneers came to populate the planet, suggesting that our ancestors left Africa far earlier than previously thought.The fossil, dated to nearly 200,000 years ago, is almost twice as old as any previous Homo sapiens remains discovered outside Africa, where our species is thought to have originated. Continue reading...

Labour peer given standing ovation for moving speech in House of Lords about her brain cancerTessa Jowell has received a standing ovation in the House of Lords for a moving speech about her brain cancer in which she urged peers to support an international initiative to share resources, research and new treatments.The former Labour culture secretary, who is seriously ill with a high-grade brain tumour, spoke to a packed house about the importance of “a community of love” for people suffering from cancer. Continue reading...

Researchers have discovered why mosquitoes prefer some people over others – and how a swat teaches them to avoid youResearchers have found a solution for those plagued by mosquitoes: thrash about, and the insects will learn to give you a wide berth.While it has long been known that mosquitoes favour some individuals over others – and can shift those preferences when availability is scarce – it was not clear what was behind the switch. Continue reading...

Here’s why the persistent idea that a woman’s outfit can make her responsible for her own assault has no basis in scienceSterling work by undercover reporters for the Financial Times have caused a storm around the Presidents Club. Reports of their annual gala dinner involving horrific harassment of hostesses, paid (surprisingly little) to cater to the whims of rich powerful men under alarmingly draconian conditions have quickly caused the club to close.This is just the latest in a long line of scandals regarding men in powerful positions using them to abuse, harass and sexually manipulate women. The potent backlash to the Presidents Club revelations and the ongoing #MeToo movement suggest that we may be undergoing a long-overdue societal shift when it comes to sexual politics and interactions, especially with regard to men exploiting their power over women. Continue reading...

The creation of two monkeys brings the science of human cloning closer to reality. But that doesn’t mean it will happenThe cloning of macaque monkeys in China makes human reproductive cloning more conceivable. At the same time, it confirms how difficult it would be to clone a random adult – Adolf Hitler, say – from a piece of their tissue. And it changes nothing in the debate about whether such human cloning should ever happen.Since the cloning of Dolly the sheep by scientists in Scotland in 1996, several other mammals have been cloned, including dogs, cats and pigs. But the same methods didn’t work so well for primates – like monkeys, and us. That’s why this latest step is significant. It shows that, with a bit of modification, the technique used for Dolly can create cloned, apparently healthy baby monkeys. The pair made this way by scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai have been christened Hua Hua and Zhong Zhong. Continue reading...

Ticks carry a wide array of pathogens – and environmental changes mean they are spreadingSince the beginning of our species we have been at war. It’s a continuous, neverending fight against the smallest of adversaries: armies of pathogens and parasites. As we have developed new ways to survive and stop them, they have evolved ever more complex and ingenious methods to thwart our efforts.Humans have faced numerous attempts to challenge our dominance on planet Earth , and from the Black Death to the Spanish flu, we have weathered them all. However, since the start of the 21st century, with its trend towards global interconnectedness, these onslaughts are ever-increasing. In the past 17 years we have battled Sars, the Ebola virus, Mers, and more recently the mysterious mosquito-borne Zika virus. These diseases seeming to appear from nowhere and rapidly ravage our populations. One commonality is that they almost always originate in animals before jumping across to people, and few parasites are as good at jumping between animals and people as the tick.

Matildas striker Sam Kerr named young Australian of the year and biophysicist Dr Graham Farquhar the senior Australian of the yearThe quantum physicist Prof Michelle Yvonne Simmons has been named the 2018 Australian of the year for her pioneering work in the field of quantum computing.At an awards ceremony on Thursday, Simmons was praised for world-leading research that could result in the first working quantum computer – a machine that performs calculations using subatomic particles rather than components of classic computing. Continue reading...

All-day breakfast filling identified as worst offenderIt’s a staple of the British diet and a popular choice for a quick and easy lunch. But new research reveals the carbon footprint of the humble sandwich could be fuelling harmful greenhouse emissions.The worst offender is revealed as the ready-made “all-day breakfast” sandwich, crammed with egg, bacon and sausage. Continue reading...

Impact of one daily cigarette on risk of heart disease and stroke greater than previously thoughtSmoking just one cigarette a day is more dangerous than commonly thought, say researchers who have found it still raises the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke to about half the risk from smoking 20 a day.The team behind the study say that the findings emphasise that cutting out cigarettes, rather than just cutting down, is necessary to dramatically reduce the chance of cardiovascular problems – a key cause of premature death among smokers.

Elon Musk says Falcon Heavy, his company’s newest rocket, will launch ‘in a week or so’ after test at Kennedy Space CenterSpaceX fired up its newest, biggest rocket in a critical launch pad test on Wednesday, advancing toward a long-anticipated test flight possibly in just a week.The Falcon Heavy briefly roared to life for the first time at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center. All three boosters – 27 engines in all – were tested. The thunderous booms could be heard at the press site three miles away, as huge white clouds of engine exhaust billowed into a clear blue sky. Everything appeared normal: the 230ft (70-meter) rocket stood tall and brilliantly white after the test on the historic pad once used by Nasa’s Apollo moon rockets and space shuttles. Continue reading...

Our final mini-series episode asks what impact might AI have on society – and who decides when to turn it off?Subscribe and review on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud and Acast, and join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterIn 1997, Garry Kasparov famously lost his rematch with IBM’s Deep Blue, marking the first time a reigning world champion had been defeated by a program under tournament conditions. Much of the press that followed was predictably hyperbolic, with headlines questioning whether a “Terminator scenario” was just around the corner. Twenty years on, the potential danger posed by powerful AI is in the spotlight once again. It’s a concern that leads to the fourth and final question of this mini-series: if we cannot align AI with our own goals and values, do these systems need an off switch? Continue reading...

Cloning of macaque monkeys a breakthrough, but researchers insist work will not be extended to humansTwo baby macaque monkeys have become the first primate clones to be produced using the same approach that gave rise to Dolly the sheep, researchers have revealed.Big eyed, fuzzy-furred and spindly-limbed, the macaques have been named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua. Zhonghua is part of the official name for China, where the animals were born.

Despite what you may have read in the furore surrounding Johann Hari’s new book, it’s very dangerous to stop antidepressants without professional advice

Every day millions of people ask Google life’s most difficult questions. Our writers answer some of the commonest queriesLoneliness is a stealthy bastard. It can settle in on your soul without you even noticing, until the texture of the words appear on your tongue one day: “I’m lonely.” It’s a hollow melancholy that wraps itself around your heart and stays there, whispering fear of social rejection in your ear and growing stronger, feeding on your insecurities.As much as we may like to think it is a symptom of old age – the kind of thing that only happens when everyone you loved is laying supine six feet under – it can touch anyone from any age or demographic. Loneliness does not discriminate; it is so prolific that you could say it is an inevitable quirk of human existence. In loneliness, my friend, you are not alone: a Red Cross study revealed that 9 million people in the UK are always or often lonely. Continue reading...