Disease evolution: the origins of anorexia and how it's shaped by culture and time
Apr 27, 2016 21:17 pm UTC| Health
There are fashions in diseases, as in anything else. Its understandable that a new, infectious and life-threatening malady could preoccupy us, such as cholera in the 19th century or Ebola in recent times. It is harder...
Supplements including fish oil and vitamin D can boost effects of antidepressant medications
Apr 27, 2016 09:46 am UTC| Health
Taking some nutrient supplements together with antidepressants can enhance the medications effects, our research has found. Published this week in the American Journal of Psychiatry, our review of the evidence found...
Disease evolution: our long history of fighting viruses
Apr 27, 2016 08:01 am UTC| Health
A virus is essentially an information system (encoded in DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protective coat and shaped by evolution to ensure its own replication and survival. Viruses grow only in living cells. But they infect...
Your lungs are full of microorganisms ... and that's a good thing
Apr 27, 2016 07:25 am UTC| Health
When were born, our lungs are thought to be sterile. But from the moment we take our first breath, our pristine lungs are exposed to all the bugs that are in the air. It has become clear in the last 10 years that the lungs...
Unexplained lower back pain? It could be ankylosing spondylitis
Apr 26, 2016 06:58 am UTC| Health
Lower back pain is common and many of those who have suffered it can identify, or at least guess, the event that led to their back injury. Perhaps it was weekend sport or a garden project. Often a trip to the GP or...
High fat and sugar diets stop us from feeling full
Apr 25, 2016 23:12 pm UTC| Health
When we eat a meal, we take for granted that we should feel full afterwards. But eating a diet high in sugar and fat makes it harder for our body to tell if we are full or not. The typical diet in Western societies...
How half our brain keeps watch when we sleep in unfamiliar places
Apr 22, 2016 08:18 am UTC| Health
Have you ever arrived in a hotel room after a long flight and, despite being exhausted, found it painfully difficult to fall asleep? And even once you managed to get to sleep, did you still wake frequently in the night, or...
South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed
Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects