Preventative medicine: the argument for and against

Feb 02, 2017 14:03 pm UTC| Health

Preventative medicine has long used drugs to prevent the onset of disease. Those with symptoms such as high blood sugar or pressure are often diagnosed with the pre-condition, such as prediabetes or prehypertension, if...

Why children find 'poo' so hilarious – and how adults should tackle it

Feb 02, 2017 13:58 pm UTC| Health

A boy meets a man carrying a load of cow manure and asks him what he is going to do with it all. The man tells the little boy, Im taking it home to put on my strawberries. The boy looks up at the man and says, I dont know...

When the drugs don’t work: how we can turn the tide of antimicrobial resistance

Feb 01, 2017 15:53 pm UTC| Health

A new report by the Australian Academy of Science has called for the Australian government to take immediate action to counter the growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics, a problem known as antimicrobial resistance....

Why using a mobile phone while driving is so dangerous ... even when you're hands-free

Feb 01, 2017 13:43 pm UTC| Health

A recent police clampdown on driving using hand-held mobile phones caught nearly 8,000 UK drivers in a week, ostensibly reflecting a widespread disregard of a law intended to protect all. But is using a hand-held mobile...

'Seeing' music or 'tasting' numbers? Here's what we can learn from people with synaesthesia

Feb 01, 2017 13:33 pm UTC| Health

Imagine what the world would be like if numbers had specific spatial locations, music had shapes, or colours made sounds. Perhaps youd experience the bass in the Jamie xx track Gosh as cuboid, metallic and heavy, with...

Could a contraceptive app be as good as the pill?

Jan 30, 2017 16:41 pm UTC| Technology Health

Theres a company that claims its smartphone fertility-tracking app is as good as the pill at preventing pregnancy. Women have long monitored their menstrual cycles as a method of contraception but this has often been seen...

Why advances in treating those with brain injuries require advances in respecting their rights

Jan 28, 2017 07:29 am UTC| Research & Analysis Health

Several years ago a father approached me, concerned about the care his son was receiving. The son had been in a car accident that left him with severe brain injury. He was placed in a nursing home, and his dad stopped by...