Health Check: is it bad to pop your pimples?

Mar 21, 2016 01:33 am UTC| Health

To squeeze or not to squeeze? Ill admit that Im no skin saint. I have stood in front of the mirror on a number of occasions as a teenager with a big pimple staring right back at me. And yes, despite being advised not to, I...

Explainer: what are microneedles and why do we need them?

Mar 18, 2016 15:01 pm UTC| Health

Microneedles are tiny needles, small enough that they are measured in millionths of a metre (m), designed to deliver medicines. But needles is perhaps a misnomer. In terms of how they work, microneedles have more in common...

Acne treatment: antibiotics don't need to kill bacteria to clear up your skin

Mar 18, 2016 10:20 am UTC| Health

Acne is one of the most common dermatologic diseases, affecting 40-50 million people each year in the United States. While best known as a bothersome part of puberty, affecting approximately 85 percent of young people,...

Why big datasets can help solve South Africa's environmental health ills

Mar 18, 2016 08:18 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology Health

There is a severe lack of environmental health data being collected in communities and households in South Africa. As a result of this, environmental health researchers have a significant challenge accessing high quality...

How does genetics explain non-identical identical twins?

Mar 17, 2016 23:35 pm UTC| Science Health

Newspapers recently went wild with a story about identical twin sisters with a difference: they werent identical. Like all identical twins, Amelia and Jasmine arose from a single fertilised egg so have identical DNA, but...

What are better, public or private hospitals?

Mar 17, 2016 23:03 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Around half of Australians have private health insurance. So if they need to go to hospital, they may have the option of going public or private. Although some people try to research their options extensively, its a...

Do you really need to go to hospital? Time to recentre the health system

Mar 17, 2016 23:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Hospitals dominate our health-care system and account for more than one-third of Australias A$150 billion-plus health budget. Pressure is growing on hospital services and costs are spiralling. This is because of the...