The animals combine sleeping and digesting, researchers found after extracting reindeer brain dataIf your ceaseless feasting at Christmas leaves you exhausted, it may be worth taking inspiration from reindeer: research suggests the animals can sleep while chewing.During the summer months, reindeer spend most of their time munching foliage - an important activity given food can be scarce in the winter. However, a study suggests one way they balance their need to digest with the need to sleep is by multitasking. Continue reading...
Research found little ones typically begin to distinguish fantasy from reality during preschool years I cried for hours': the moments people realised truth about Father ChristmasFrom empty glasses of sherry on the mantelpiece to sooty footprints leading to the bedroom door, evidence of Santa's existence is clearly irrefutable. Yet most children will begin to question it at some point - and many parents anticipate this moment with dread. Now psychologists have identified the average age when Santa scepticism creeps in, and which children are at greatest risk of harbouring negative feelings when it does.While most adults have fallen for the myth that Santa doesn't exist, many children still believe - even if the idea of a single individual visiting the homes of billions of children in a single night is at odds with their wider reasoning skills. Continue reading...
by Rebecca Ratcliffe south-east Asia correspondent on (#6HAXK)
There are now seven known species of soft-furred hedgehogs, which look like a cross between a mouse and a shrewScientists have identified five new species of soft-furred hedgehogs from south-east Asia.Two of the species discovered are entirely new to science, while three have been elevated from subspecies level by researchers, who carried out DNA analysis as well as detailed physical observations of the mammals. Continue reading...
Sniffing emotional tears from women can cut male aggression by more than 40% and cause changes in brainHuman tears carry a substance that dampens down aggression, according to researchers, who believe the drops may have evolved over time to protect wailing babies from harm.Sniffing emotional tears from women reduced male aggression by more than 40% in computerised tests, and prompted corresponding changes in the brain, though the scientists behind the study think all human tears would have a similar effect. Continue reading...
by Marcio Pimenta, with additional reporting by Caio on (#6HA8W)
Darwin spent more than half of the five years of the Beagle expedition in the most southerly region of Argentina, where his legacy is still vividFar from the recognisable image of the white-bearded father of modern biology, when Charles Darwin embarked on his expedition into the unknown, he was a young man who had twice disappointed his family.A model of HMS Beagle, the navy ship on which Darwin sailed to South America in 1831 Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample, with on (#6HA2Q)
What with Christmas parties and work drinks, this time of year can feel like one long hangover. But a new generation of alcohol-free alternatives is emerging which claim to offer the fun of alcohol without the painful morning-after. Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample are joined by science correspondent Hannah Devlin to sample some of these drinks and interrogate the science behind them Continue reading...
Researchers suspect euphoria and intimacy of season may be behind spike in casesIt may be the season of loving and giving, but doctors have warned against embracing this spirit too enthusiastically - at least where sexual relations are concerned. They have discovered that the Christmas period is associated with a significantly increased risk of penile fractures - a medical emergency in which the erection-producing regions of the penis snap, usually as a result of forceful bending during over-enthusiastic sexual intercourse.This injury tends to occur during wild sex - particularly in positions where you're not in direct eye contact [with your partner], such as the reverse cowgirl," said Dr Nikolaos Pyrgides, a urologist at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, who led the research. Continue reading...
Dark eyes are more common in domesticated dogs, possibly because we consider this trait more friendlyHuman preferences for a friendly face may have steered the evolution of canine eye colour, researchers have suggested.Ever since canines were domesticated, some time between 15,000 and 50,000 years ago, humans have selected - whether consciously or not - particular traits in their dogs. Continue reading...
French wild pansies are producing smaller flowers and less nectar than 20 to 30 years ago in startling' act of evolution, study showsFlowers are giving up on" pollinators and evolving to be less attractive to them as insect numbers decline, researchers have said.A study has found the flowers of field pansies growing near Paris are 10% smaller and produce 20% less nectar than flowers growing in the same fields 20 to 30 years ago. They are also less frequently visited by insects. Continue reading...
About 12% of birds have died out as result of human activity in past 120,000 years, say scientistsAbout 12% of the world's bird species have been driven to extinction by human activity, new research has found - double previous estimates.The study, published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, estimates that about 1,430 bird species have died out since the Late Pleistocene period, which started about 120,000 years ago. Continue reading...
Simon Thomas knew the periodic table by heart at six. Now the Cambridge firm's co-founder is putting his scientific brain behind graphene's power to help us compete with ChinaThe first thing visitors to Paragraf's lab, in the Cambridgeshire village of Somersham, are shown is a thin disc made of synthetic sapphire with a piece of graphene taped on to it. This was the first graphene product the company made, and it quickly evolved to a small wafer of 64 tiny graphene devices arranged in a grid. These days, the company produces six-inch wafers that hold 9,000 chips.Graphene, a 2D form of carbon, with the atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure, is mainly used to strengthen concrete and paints, but is now being touted as a replacement for silicon in semiconductors. China has started using it to get ahead in the global microchip wars. Continue reading...
Cat chases laser pointer dot in 15-second video, designed to test possibility of sending streaming video through deep spaceHe may not be the first cat in space - that honour goes to a French feline named Felicette in 1963 - but on Monday an orange tabby named Taters took an arguably bigger prize: first cat video in space.Nasa sent a 15-second video of Taters in ultra-HD, which travelled almost 19m miles from a probe back to Earth. Continue reading...
Veoza reduces the severity of this common menopausal symptom. But at that high cost, only the wealthy will gain just nowAfter decades of neglect, menopause and the impact it has on women's life quality is becoming a major focus of pharmaceutical research. Hence the excitement this week about a new, potentially life-changing, drug.Part of this is the growing recognition of what a huge market it is: the NHS estimates that 13 million women are currently peri- or menopausal in the UK, which is roughly a third of the female population. The most common symptom is hot flushes, which, in addition to fatigue, mood swings and muscle weakness, can seriously impact women's wellbeing and productivity.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...
The prevalence of sickle cell disease is changing how Nigerians date, marry and plan their lives. And as genetic testing becomes more common, prospective parents across the world will face similar questionsSubomi Mabogunje fell for Nkechi Egonu within hours of meeting her in 2004. They were working at a state-run TV station in Ijebu Ode, a trading hub in south-west Nigeria. While Subomi was thin and bespectacled, Nkechi was petite and voluptuous, with her hair in a ballerina bun, and coldly immune to the stares that trailed her across the office. Her swaggering personality was also the opposite of his reserved one, and she was quickly promoted to programme presenter. She was the most exciting person, Subomi felt, who had ever walked into his home town.He found the courage to speak to Nkechi one weekend when they were assigned to do community service, clearing overgrown grasses near a government building. Subomi went, despite his habitual avoidance of strenuous physical activity. You're too good for this kind of work, ehe?" Nkechi teased. With his hollow cheekbones, frail body and elongated fingers, Subomi was clearly what some uncharitable onlookers would call a sickler" -one of up to 6 million people in Nigeria with sickle cell disease (SCD), a group of inherited blood disorders that turn red blood cells from soft discs into rigid crescents, leading to blood clots, pain episodes called crises" and serious complications in most major organs. But Nkechi never shied away from him. Within a few weeks of their first conversation, they were inseparable. Continue reading...
Bonobos and chimps demonstrate longest long-term memory ever found in nonhuman animals, scientists sayWhether it is a sea of faces at a school reunion or distant family at a wedding, our ability to remember people we met years ago can come in handy. Now it seems our evolutionary cousins have a similar skill.Researchers have found bonobos and chimpanzees can recall peers they spent time with in the past, even if they have been separated for decades. What is more, this recognition appears to be influenced by whether they got on well with each other - or not. Continue reading...
A male contraceptive is almost here - and it'll be another test of whether heterosexual men are actually willing to share the responsibilities of adult lifeTrials are under way in Britain for the first-ever male contraceptive pill. It's a promising medication, one that puts more power in men's hands to prevent unwanted pregnancy with high reliability and, so far, few reported side-effects. The trials seek to answer a basic medical question: is this drug safe and effective? But the manufacturers are no doubt wondering about something else: will men take it?The overwhelming share of responsibility for preventing pregnancy has always fallen on women. Throughout human history, women have gone to great lengths to prevent pregnancies they didn't want, and end those they couldn't prevent. Safe and reliable contraceptive methods are, in the context of how long women have sought to interrupt conception, still incredibly new. Measured by the lifespan of anyone reading this article, though, they are well established, and have for many decades been a normal part of life for millions of women around the world.Jill Filipovic is the author of the The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness Continue reading...
Pair will be visible from northern and southern hemispheres just in time for the solsticeThe moon is rapidly approaching fullness, and this week it will make a passing encounter with Jupiter on 21 and 22 December.The chart shows the view looking due south from London at 9pm GMT on 22 December. The moon will be waxing gibbous (getting bigger) with 82% of its visible surface illuminated. Jupiter will be a bright object, shining at around a magnitude of -2.7 in the constellation of Aries, the ram. The pair will also be visible from the southern hemisphere, where they can be easily seen in the northern sky. Continue reading...
Veoza, also known as fezolinetant, is prescription-only and will be available privately from JanuaryA gamechanging" drug that prevents hot flushes and could benefit hundreds of thousands of women has been approved for use in the UK.The green light for Veoza, also known as fezolinetant, comes after the US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, authorised it for use in America in May. Continue reading...
Readers on when it is justifiable to ostracise close family members, and the pain of being cut off by othersI read with interest your piece about the silent treatment" as a response to conflict and thought it worth offering an alternative view that sometimes this is the only option available (The silent treatment: One woman was ostracised by her husband for 40 years', 12 December). I'm not sure that framing all people who stop talking to blood relatives as sulkers" is necessarily accurate or helpful.I have not spoken with my biological brother for the last 15-odd years. The basis for this was his psychological and physical abuse that not only overshadowed my childhood, but continued into adulthood, long after he should have known better. It took years of therapy to realise that I did not need to include this person in my life and I made the decision to cut ties. Despite pleas from our mother for me to reconcile", I have made it clear that reconciliation can only follow after an apology and acknowledgment from his end for threats, physical assaults and making me a figurative and literal punchbag, even into our 20s. Until then, there can be no grounds for a meaningful adult relationship. Continue reading...
Unst's remote location makes it perfect place for SaxaVord site to launch rockets with greatest payloadsFor centuries, Unst has been famous for its richly varied wildlife, pristine beaches and unspoilt sea views. Now the remote Shetland island is leading Britain into space.A former RAF base on a remote peninsula of the island has become the UK's first licensed spaceport for vertical rocket launches. It will allow up to 30 satellites and other payloads to be launched into commercially valuable polar, sun-synchronous orbits, which are in high demand from satellite operators for communications and Earth observation. Continue reading...
Early and enduring adoption of Freudian psychoanalysis puts paid to view of it being a European practiceThe famously Freudian Dr Frasier Crane may have brought psychoanalysis over the airwaves to the masses in the seminal 1990s comedy in which he constantly spars with his Jungian brother, Niles. But half a century before him, a real-life Brazilian Frasier was doing much the same.Sigmund Freud's influence in Latin America, a region the founder of psychoanalysis never visited, was so profound it spawned a 1940s hit radio show in Brazil, The World of Dreams, presented by the Freud devotee and psychiatrist Gastao Pereira da Silva. Continue reading...
It's often overlooked and left to its own devices, but should you listen to your gut more, or is it listening to you? Here's what the science saysUntil fairly recently, the idea of listening to your gut was mostly metaphorical. The heart, lungs and liver are important to keep in good shape. But the stomach, intestines and colon? Surely they just keep chugging along, processing whatever you put into them, occasionally objecting, but basically doing their job.Well, not quite. Over the last five years or so, evidence has been piling up that the huge community of microorganisms - bacteria, viruses and fungi - that live in the gut affect everything from the immune system to mental health. We have learned that there are roughly 500m neurons in the human gut, alongside the 100bn in the brain, and research around the gut-brain axis" - the biochemical signalling system that links your gastrointestinal tract and your central nervous system - suggests that signals go both ways between the two. Professional athletes, for instance, have more diverse gut microbiota than regular people, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the relationship is bidirectional - they might be better runners because they have more efficient gut bacteria, but doing more exercise is probably helping to keep the little chaps happy. Continue reading...
For years, Ginger Johnson imagined life as a tragedy playing out - until she decided to reframe it as a comedyThere was a hula-hooper, a juggler, a mime and a comic on our 2015 Christmas cabaret tour, and a striptease, too. Mine was known as the hotdog act". Each night, in full drag, I'd totter on to a stage in a room full of total strangers with a jar of 10-inch hotdogs, and shove them up my nose, down my throat, into the air, to music. I was apeing the burlesque style, turning what could seem sensual into something totally grotesque. You'll struggle to believe me, but during this period of my life I took myself - and my work - debilitatingly seriously.There was a lot of baggage on that tour bus: cases full of costumes, yes, but also the emotional variety. Each of us was going through the wringer - breakups, breakdowns, crises galore. I know, how festive. My mental health was in the pits and it had been six or seven months since I'd spoken to my family. I was in self-destruct mode. Through our collective pain, we bonded as a cast. When you live and work together on the road, there's no escaping. Pre-show, our dressing room became a group therapy space. And, after a gig, high on adrenaline, we'd sit around sharing problems and too much merlot. One of the other artists was reading a book that argued that being born is traumatic and to heal you must re-enact it. We talked logistics, but I never quite got round to reliving my own delivery. Continue reading...
Two dementia medicines set for approval in Britain are first to improve patients' lives directly - but condition must be diagnosedPeople in Britain could benefit from a key medical breakthrough next year. They may be given access to the first drugs ever developed to slow the impact of Alzheimer's disease.The first of these medicines - lecanemab - was recently approved in the US and Japan, where treatments using it have already been launched. A second drug, donanemab, is expected to follow soon, and next year it is anticipated that the UK medical authorities will consider both of them for approval in Britain. Continue reading...
The aristocracy and celebrities are in thrall to medical quackery that while useless can be far from harmlessWhen I hear someone extolling the virtues of homeopathy, I am often reminded of a quotation from the TV show 30 Rock. There are many kinds of intelligence," Jack Donaghy tells a particularly stupid employee. Practical, emotional ... and then there is actual intelligence, which is what I'm talking about." Similar, and perhaps correlating, are the many kinds of medicine. Natural, complementary, alternative, homeopathic, herbal, traditional. And then there is actual medicine, which works.It is strange that homeopaths can still find employment in 2023, but somehow they do. In 1853, Queen Victoria's doctor was already calling the practice an outrage to human reason". In the following 170 years it has been debunked repeatedly and comprehensively. After all, its principles run in complete opposition to science, based as they are on curing like with like" - an extract of raw onion, say, to treat watery eyes - strengthening" by process of dilution, and shaking it all up to promote quantum entanglement". Continue reading...
Expert called for child to go to live with father against girl's wishesA family court judge has accepted the recommendation of an unregulated expert and ruled that a child should be removed from her mother's care after finding the mother made an entirely false allegation" about the child's father.The woman will initially have only supervised contact with her daughter, who will be transferred to live with her father against the girl's wishes. The decision follows findings about the mother's attitude" towards him and the adverse impact of that on the girl of secondary school age. Continue reading...
The Belgian physicist and industrial musician on replacing maths with pictures, why he's now working in industry - and why we all need to understand subatomic physicsBelgian physicist and musician Prof Bob Coecke, 55, wants to teach quantum physics to a mass audience. The paradox-filled theory that describes the microscopic realm has become a staple of science fiction, from Marvel's Ant-Man to the multiple Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's famously bizarre and, in the UK, the subject is mostly reserved for undergraduates specialising in physics because it requires grappling with complicated maths. But Coecke, a former Oxford professor, has devised a maths-free framework using diagrams for total beginners, outlined in Quantum in Pictures, his book with Dr Stefano Gogioso that was published earlier this year. Over the summer, they ran an education experiment, teaching the pictorial method to UK schoolchildren - who then beat the average exam scores of Oxford University's postgraduate physics students.Quantum physics is notoriously esoteric. Why should most people even want to study it?
Sensational report that Indonesia's Gunung Padang site is 25,000 years old is dismissed by archaeologists around the worldIt was one of the most sensational science stories of 2023. Researchers claimed last month that the Gunung Padang site in West Java, Indonesia, is the world's most ancient pyramid and could be more than 25,000 years old.Such antiquity would be unprecedented. Stonehenge and the oldest major pyramids of Egypt are only a few thousand years old, while the previous record holder, Turkey's Gobekli Tepe stone monuments, are thought to be about 11,000 years old. Continue reading...
Animals' eyes change colour as colder months approach to enhance UV sight, helping them spot lichen vital for their survivalRudolph does not need to use his famous red nose to guide his fellow reindeer as the animals have a special form of night vision that they use to forage for food, scientists have concluded.Researchers looked into why the species are the only mammals whose eyes change colour depending on the season, from golden-orange in summer to a blue hue in the winter months. Continue reading...
Fiery flash on sun's surface 93m miles away was an X-class flare of highest intensity, with potential to affect radio communicationsNasa has released images of what it says is the most powerful solar flare in six years, a fiery flash on the sun's surface 93m miles away that knocked out some radio communication on Earth for a short time on Thursday.The agency captured the brightly colored imagery of the phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) from its solar dynamics observatory, a spacecraft launched in 2010 that constantly monitors the sun's activity. Continue reading...
Carols and choirs are enjoying a boom in popularity, and science is showing how they improve livesFor the Columbia Road carol service in Bethnal Green, east London, the power of TikTok proved too much. After footage of December's first singalong went viral, thousands turned up to ding dong merrily, forcing organisers to scrap the events over fears for public safety.The cobbled street's Victorian charm has always drawn the crowds, but the carol service has become an extraordinary seasonal hit. The success mirrors the nation's newfound enthusiasm for group singing, a trend that follows the rise of the TV choirmaster Gareth Malone and the increasing popularity of rock choir and pop choir. Continue reading...
Like Covid, flu carries significant risk of ongoing disability and disease, researchers sayPeople who have been hospitalised with flu are at an increased risk of longer-term health problems, similar to those with long Covid, data suggests.While the symptoms associated with such long flu" appear to be more focused on the lungs than ongoing Covid symptoms, in both cases the risk of death and disability was greater in the months after infection than in the first 30 days. Continue reading...
Analysis of 3D images reveals the organ's bumps and grooves are as personal as fingerprintsWhether they are long and slimy, wide and bumpy, fissured, furry or tied - our tongues may be even more unique than we give them credit for.An analysis of 3D images of human tongues suggests that each of us may have a unique tongue print" just as we have individual fingerprints. The research could help to shed new light on why people's food preferences can be so varied, and assist in the design of healthier, yet delicious, alternatives to fatty or sugary foods. Continue reading...
Doctors spread the story of man who had lucky escape in Scotland after trying to stifle a sneeze while drivingWhen you feel a sneeze coming on, it's best to let it out. Otherwise you could end up tearing a hole in your throat.That's the advice being issued by doctors after a man in his 30s experienced a spontaneous tracheal perforation - a potentially deadly condition - as he tried to stifle a sneeze while driving. Continue reading...
Breakthrough suggests technology behind ChatGPT and Bard can generate information that goes beyond human knowledgeArtificial intelligence researchers claim to have made the world's first scientific discovery using a large language model, a breakthrough that suggests the technology behind ChatGPT and similar programs can generate information that goes beyond human knowledge.The finding emerged from Google DeepMind, where scientists are investigating whether large language models, which underpin modern chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard, can do more than repackage information learned in training and come up with new insights. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6H4Z9)
94% of owners say cat sets the rules, only fetching specific objects for certain peopleThey may have a reputation for being independent and aloof, but a surprising number of cats play fetch, scientists have found.A survey of owners found the vast majority reported their cat fetched objects, normally without having been trained. However, cats tended to set the rules of engagement, often only fetching specific objects for specific people. Continue reading...
Time, quantum mechanics, and the nature of reality are woven together in a mind-bending journey to the edge of realityBlack Holes: The End of the Universe? by John Taylor was the first book I bought with myown hard-earned cash from a poorly paid paper round. It was 1974,Iwas 11. It was the subtitle thatgrabbed my attention, since I'd neverheard of black holes. At the time these mysterious cosmic objects were merely a theoretical possibility, but ahalf-century later we have ample evidence that they really do exist. After writing bestsellers about quantum mechanics, time, and the nature of reality, Italian physicist CarloRovelli weaves all three togetherin his latest book, taking us on a journey deep inside a black hole. An accomplished storyteller, Rovelli begins this mind-boggling ride by explaining how they form.Sooner or later, stars run out of fueland stop shining. At that point, their own gravity causes them to become compressed. Our sun will endup as a so-called white dwarf, itsmass squeezed until it's the size ofthe Earth. However, some stars areso massive, with such strong gravity, that the collapse continues until they're squeezed to a point known as asingularity. That's where the known laws of physics break down. A black hole is a singularity surrounded by its event horizon, a one-way boundary shielding it from the rest of the universe. Anything thatgets too closewill be unable to escape, draggedinto the hole and crushed out of existence. This is the conventional view, one that Rovelli challenges in his short, utterly engaging and densely packed narrative that you may have to readmore than once. Continue reading...
Elon Musk has pledged to settle the red planet. Is it really worth the bother?Unless it is stopped," tweeted Elon Musk, the woke mind virus will destroy civilisation and humanity will never reached Mars." A compelling point, even if it does show that genius boy needs grammar lessons. Would the 18th-century pioneers have managed to ethnically cleanse the indigenous population, exterminate all those buffalo and pave the way for that stupid dome in Las Vegas if they were a bunch of pearl-clutching wuss bags? Think about it.The basic argument is that the human race is doomed if it doesn't revive that frontier spirit, and will remain confined to this increasingly useless planet. If we don't boldly go, then we must surely stagnate. As Carl Sagan wrote: Even after 400 generations in villages and cities, we haven't forgotten. The open road still softly calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood." We need to chisel our jaws and put on space boots. Continue reading...
Scientists find genes inherited from our prehistoric cousins increase tendency to rise early - useful in regions with short winter daysPeople who are early to bed and early to rise may have their ancient ancestors to thank for the habit - or at least the Neanderthals with whom their forebears procreated, scientists say.DNA inherited from our thick-browed cousins may contribute to the tendency of some people to be larks, researchers found, making them more comfortable at getting up and going to bed earlier than others. Continue reading...
Rife deforestation 500 years ago aligns with western barbastelle slump, finds study of bat DNAThe examples of flora and fauna disappearing because of human excesses over the past 50 years are manifold, but research has found that the decline of a characterful bat began in the UK when its trees were felled for shipbuilding 500 years ago.Experts from the University of Exeter and the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) have concluded that a 99% drop in Britain's western barbastelle bat populations began when trees were chopped down in the early days of Britain's empire building. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample with Damian Carrington, pr on (#6H46W)
A deal has been announced at Cop28 in Dubai, and depending who you talk to, it's either a historic achievement or a weak and ineffectual agreement full of loopholes. Ian Sample speaks to the Guardian environment editor Damian Carrington, who explains what the deal on fossil fuels will mean in practice, how small island states have responded, and whether it will help us stay within the crucial limit of 1.5C of global heating Continue reading...
A study shows the more positive person is dragged down' by an unhappier partner - but relationships are still beneficial overallWhen I meet a friend's new partner for the first time, I desperately want to like them. I hope they're generally pleasant to be around - not just for my sake, but for my friend's. When people date someone who is miserable, it can rub off on them. Maybe you have had that happy-go-lucky, upbeat friend who starts dating a grump, and gradually, they become an Eeyore too.Research shows that people often become similar to who they spend a lot of time with. Even strangers tend to mimic each other's movements and expressions, and studies have shown that friends, strangers and lovers' heartbeats or brain waves often sync up. In romantic couples, a number of studies have shown that they have similar wellbeing, both when they first start dating and also over time. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6H43G)
Hormone produced by foetus is trigger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, study findsScientists have uncovered why many women experience morning sickness during pregnancy, raising the prospects of a cure for the condition.The study revealed that a hormone produced by the foetus is the trigger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, which in extreme cases can require hospital treatment. Crucially, women who have naturally low levels of the hormone prior to pregnancy tend to be more sensitive to the surge of the hormone, called GDF15, in the first trimester, the research suggests. Continue reading...
Do you yearn to set strong boundaries, but are scuppered by a lifelong tendency to people-please? Here is how to stop nowYou probably don't need to be told that your life would improve if you could learn to say no". Take a look at your to-do list. Take a look at your diary. How much of that could someone else be doing while you took a bath in epsom salts and listened to a podcast about ghosts? How much resentment and chagrin could you have sloughed off as you rolled around in your acres of uncontaminated me-time?Natalie Lue, the author of The Joy of Saying No, spent almost the first 30 years of her life saying yes". How did that work out for her? It led to being ill, feeling frustrated and resentful with family, at work, even with friends." Continue reading...
Scientists observe Goffin's cockatoos dipping hard foodstuffs in bowl of water, most likely to improve its textureHumans are not the only beings who sometimes like a soggy snack: researchers have discovered some cockatoos also dunk their food before eating.The team say they first noticed captive Goffin's cockatoos dunking their grub during a lunchtime feed, much like some people dip biscuits in their tea, and decided to explore further. Continue reading...
Britain's biggest drugmaker acquires Seattle-based firm Icosavax, expanding vaccine and immune therapy businessAstraZeneca is buying its first vaccine company in a $1.1bn deal that will expand the vaccine and immune therapy business it set up during the Covid pandemic.Britain's biggest drugmaker has agreed to take over the Seattle-based company Icosavax, which is developing a potential vaccine for two common respiratory diseases. Continue reading...
Cognitive behavioural therapy | Cutting down on mental maths | A break from gambling ads | Wound up in WinchesterSo, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is suggesting offering women cognitive behavioural therapy as a treatment for menopause symptoms (Report, 11December). Next it will be recommending it for erectile dysfunction inlieuofViagra.
If we are to be prepared for the next pandemic, we need competent leaders, functional testing and trust in the scienceI don't envy Heather Hallett, the chair of the Covid-19 inquiry. Over the months, she has patiently listened to witness after witness, and reviewed thousands of statements, emails, policy notes, diaries and WhatsApp messages. It would be easy to get lost in the details, especially when many are focused on the political blame game and in-fighting in No 10. But we can't lose sight of the main objectives of this process: accountability to the public for decisions taken during the pandemic, and learning lessons for the next one so the UK is better prepared.Here's my take on where we have got to in the second module. It is clear the UK could have handled the pandemic better. This is not compared with some idealised handling of 2020 with the benefit of hindsight, but with other similar nations. Our excess mortality is second highest in western Europe, and far higher than Norway, Finland and Denmark, as well as east Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...
Science | The Guardian