2 h. ago Prediabetes risk may be heightened by eating these everyday foods, study warns

Scientists now think that larger studies with more detailed diet tracking could help us understand more about this

Events

17 h. ago After I burned out, physics helped me understand what had happened to me – and to move on | Zahaan Bharmal

I thought hard work equalled success. I had to realise that’s not always how it works, in science or in lifeIf the words “force equals mass times acceleration” are mildly triggering, I apologise. Newton’s second law of motion will be familiar to anyone who’s ever studied physics. For some who struggled with that course, it may bring back painful memories. But for me, as an awkward teenager, it was oddly comforting – proof of an ordered, structured universe where cause always led to predictable effect. I carried that belief into university, where I studied physics, and even into my career. If I just worked hard enough, success would be mine.But nine months into my first job, I got made redundant. It turns out that life doesn’t always obey Newton’s laws.Zahaan Bharmal works for Google and is a recipient of Nasa’s Exceptional Public Achievement medal for YouTube Space Lab Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Why do people love spicy food – even when it hurts to eat it?

Tearing up, sweating and other bodily functions are all signs that the body is trying to expel spicy foods as quickly as possible. But there is a simple reason why some people enjoy those sensationsThe first thing to understand about eating spicy food is that it really isn’t a matter of taste. Capsaicin, the active chemical in capsicum plants that are a key ingredient in anything you’d think of as “spicy”, evolved as an irritant to stop mammals from chewing and destroying plant seeds. It acts on the nervous system directly through receptors in the tongue, throat and skin – no taste buds required – and, in theory, tells our bodies that the thing we’ve just ingested is something to get rid of as soon as possible. The obvious question, then, is: why do some of us like the sensation so much?To start to understand that, it’s helpful to know a bit more about what’s going on in the body. “Think of an engineering brief where we have to detect irritants in a system and clear them rapidly,” s...

Politics

1 week ago This new wearable could be the smartest Christmas gift for someone you love

Forget fitness trackers — this breakthrough wearable helps you truly understand your body. It’s the thoughtful Christmas gift that could make a real difference to someone you love.

Politics

1 week ago So you want to try psychotherapy. But what does it actually do?

From psychoanalysis to existential therapy, there’s a bewildering variety of approaches – with one thing in commonSam came into psychotherapy during a difficult period at work. He had started to feel as if he was stagnating in his role and it was getting him down. As he approached midlife he had reached a level of seniority that he had sought for years, but now he was starting to wonder whether this was it. He wasn’t sure exactly what the matter was: he didn’t feel especially depressed, just somehow stuck. It had taken him a long time to consider speaking to someone – what could they really do, in the absence of an obvious psychological disorder?Psychotherapy occupies an increasingly central place in our culture. Just as we have become inclined to understand our struggles and our sadness under the heading of “mental health”, so too we have placed ever greater authority on psychotherapists to help us understand how we should deal with the problems life throws up. Even those without d...

Politics

2 w. ago Glam sports reporter exposes horror fake nude images and says it's a 'violation'

WARNING, NUDITY: Tiffany Salmond, 27, took the brave step of posting the artificially-generated pictures on social media in a bid to help others understand the vile impact of the exploitation

Events

3 w. ago PIP points and payment rates simplified to help people make a new claim for up to £749 each month

A simple guide to help people understand how PIP points determine the payment rate awarded.

Economics

3 w. ago 'Best' health gadget left shoppers 'shocked to learn' about their diet

The Lingo by Abbott is a smart, wearable device that provides personalised insights to help users understand how their body reacts to food, exercise, and stress

Events

3 w. ago Enzo Maresca vows not to punish players for red cards but demands more discipline

Chelsea are bottom of Premier League fair play table‘I prefer to help them understand, and do the right things’Enzo Maresca has admitted Chelsea’s disciplinary record must improve but the head coach is adamant he will never punish his players for getting red cards.Chelsea, who will be without the suspended João Pedro when they host Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday night, were reduced to 10 men for the fourth time this season when Malo Gusto received a needless second yellow card during the closing stages of last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Shopper 'shocked to learn' about their diet after using 'best' health gadget

Lingo by Abbott is a smart, wearable device that helps people understand how their body responds to food, exercise and stress - and it's available to buy now

Events

4 w. ago ‘One of the oldest urban centres on the planet’: Gaza’s rich history in ruins

The territory’s ancient heritage has too often been ignored. As we mourn incalculable human losses, learning about its past can help us better understand the presentAs a ceasefire brings a measure of peace to the Dresden-like hellscape that Gaza has become, it is time to take stock of all that has been lost. The human cost of what the UN commission of inquiry recognises as a genocide is of course incalculable, but fewer are aware of how much rich history and archaeology has also been destroyed in these horrific months. This is bolstered by the widespread assumption that Gaza was little more than a huge refugee camp built on a recently settled portion of desert. That is quite wrong. In reality Gaza it is one of the oldest urban centres on the planet.Golda Meir famously declared that “there was no such thing as Palestinians”, but the reality is very different. Palestine is actually one of humanity’s oldest toponyms, and records of a people named after it are as old as literacy itself....

Politics