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...

Is online therapy as good as talking face-to-face with a clinician?

Apr 22, 2016 07:23 am UTC| Health

Smartphones, tablets and computers are increasingly expanding the availability of health services. This means we can access help anonymously at a time and place that suits us. Currently, only about one-third of people...

Meet the nanomachines that could drive a medical revolution

Apr 22, 2016 01:21 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology Health

A group of physicists recently built the smallest engine ever created from just a single atom. Like any other engine it converts heat energy into movement but it does so on a smaller scale than ever seen before. The atom...