2 h. ago Almost 70% of US adults would be deemed obese based on new definition, study finds

Medical experts have called for new way to more accurately measure obesity, although definition has yet to be adoptedAlmost 70% of adults in the US would be deemed to have obesity based on a new definition, research suggests.The traditional definition of obesity, typically based on having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, has long been contentious, not least as it does not differentiate between fat and muscle. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago ‘This is bad news’: Australian tropical rainforest trees switch in world first from carbon sink to emissions source

Researchers say carbon emissions change in Queensland tropical rainforests may have global climate implicationsSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereAustralian tropical rainforest trees have become the first in the world to switch from being a carbon sink to an emissions source due to increasingly extreme temperatures and drier conditions.The change, which applies to the trees’ trunk and branches but not the roots system, began about 25 years ago, according to new research published in Nature.Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter Continue reading...

Events

2 h. ago Photos show polar bears chilling at home in abandoned Russian research station

Polar bears that have taken over an abandoned polar research station off Russia’s far eastern coast were intimately captured in drone footage by Vadim Makhorov. The photographer was filming the landscape of Kolyuchin Island during a cruise in the Chukchi Sea in September, when he noticed polar bears using one of the abandoned buildings as a shelter. The small island is about 11 kilometers (nearly 7 miles) off the northern coast of the Chukotka Peninsula, which faces Alaska across the Bering Strait. “Bears are no strangers to the feeling of comfort and coziness,” Makhorov said in a social media post. “They perceive homes as shelter.”

Culture

2 h. ago The surprising age when many of us actually peak, according to science

New research suggests that overall psychological functioning actually peaks between the ages of 55 and 60

Politics

3 h. ago Two methods to lift more at the gym – and two signs you should ease off

Research shows most people underestimate how much weight they can lift or how many reps they can do

Politics

3 h. ago Experts pinpoint simple strength test can predict how at risk you are from liver disease and other illnesses

People who are overweight but have good muscle strength may be less likely to develop obesity-related heart, liver or kidney damage, new research has suggested.

Events

3 h. ago Groundbreaking ‘super vaccine’ could stop cancer from spreading entirely

Researchers say they have developed a novel ‘nanoparticle-based’ jab that can prevent melanoma, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancer in mice

Politics

5 h. ago Keir Starmer to publish major evidence in collapsed China spy case

The case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry was suddenly dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in September with charges dropped

Politics

8 h. ago Young professionals see business travel as a lifestyle upgrade, study shows

Hotels.com research reveals that for younger professionals, business travel is far more than a job requirement — it’s a chance to elevate their everyday experiences.

Transport

8 h. ago An unexpected activity could relieve postnatal depression symptoms

Researchers found the activity offered a "long-lasting effect" on symptoms of postnatal depression (PND)

Science

13 h. ago ‘You are constantly told you are evil’: inside the lives of diagnosed narcissists

Few psychiatric conditions are as stigmatised or as misunderstood as narcissistic personality disorder. Here’s how it can damage careers and relationships – even before prejudice takes its tollThere are times when Jay Spring believes he is “the greatest person on planet Earth”. The 22-year-old from Los Angeles is a diagnosed narcissist, and in his most grandiose moments, “it can get really delusional”, he says. “You are on cloud nine and you’re like, ‘Everyone’s going to know that I’m better than them I’ll do great things for the world’.”For Spring, these periods of self-aggrandisement are generally followed by a “crash”, when he feels emotional and embarrassed by his behaviour, and is particularly vulnerable to criticism from others. He came to suspect that he may have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) after researching his symptoms online – and was eventually diagnosed by a professional. But he doesn’t think he would have accepted the diagnosis had he not already come to the...

Politics

13 h. ago Pupils fear AI is eroding their ability to study, research finds

One in four students say AI ‘makes it too easy’ for them to find answersPupils fear that using artificial intelligence is eroding their ability to study, with many complaining it makes schoolwork “too easy” and others saying it limits their creativity and stops them learning new skills, according to new research.The report on the use of AI in UK schools, commissioned by Oxford University Press (OUP), found that just 2% of students aged between 13 and 18 said they did not use AI for their schoolwork, while 80% said they regularly used it. Continue reading...

Politics

14 h. ago North Carolina woman accused of using ChatGPT to research deadly drugs before trying to poison husband’s drink

Cheryl Harris Gates, 43, was arrested for attempted murder, among other charges

Events

17 h. ago Trump aides worry that he is making decisions to be favored on cable news: ‘It’s not OK’

The president’s reported TV obsession has allegedly influenced his militaristic response to protests in Chicago and Portland as well as his decision to bomb Iran

Politics

17 h. ago The cream you can pick up at the pharmacy that can help fight skin cancer

Research shows common steroid creams can shrink melanoma tumours

Politics

18 h. ago Chicago ‘Splatatouille’ was probably a squirrel, say researchers

Scientists from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, look at 37 species to identify cause of ‘rat hole’ in pavementWith a front paw outstretched and its tail at an angle, the creature that fell on to wet concrete in Chicago left quite the memento mori.Now, researchers say they have unmasked the identity of the victim, revealing the famous “rat hole” was most probably made by a squirrel. Continue reading...

Science

18 h. ago Scientists discover drug combination to help prostate cancer patients live longer

The Institute of Cancer Research finds that combining existing breast and blood cancer drugs could halt the growth of tumours in the prostate

Science

21 h. ago Social media is hurting your kid’s test scores, researchers say

Changes were seen in kids who had both low and high social media use

Politics

23 h. ago Calls for government to crack down on chemicals and metals found in period products

Over the past 20 years researchers have warned that period products including tampons and reusable products contain harmful chemicals

Politics

23 h. ago Chicago TV journalist’s arrest in Ice raid ‘alarming and horrifying’, lawyers say

Attorneys for Debbie Brockman, released with no charges, deny agent’s claim she ‘threw objects’ at border patrol carAttorneys representing a producer for Chicago’s WGN television station who was temporarily detained by federal agents last week in Chicago, say the incident “should be alarming and horrifying to every person in this country”.Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and a WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) operation in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene show Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a van. Continue reading...

Events