68 h. ago Is exercise really better than drugs for cancer remission? It's an appealing idea – but it's misleading | Devi Sridhar

The healing power of exercise should never be underestimated, but be cautious about what recent headlines seem to suggestProf Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, and the author of How Not to Die (Too Soon)You might have seen the recent headlines on a new study on exercise and cancer recovery suggesting that “exercise is better than a drug” in preventing cancer returning. Cue a wave of commentary pitting “big pharma” against fitness, as if we must choose between pills and planks. It’s an appealing narrative – but it’s also misleading.We don’t need to choose between the two. In fact, the best health outcomes often come from combining medicine with a broader view of health that includes movement, diet, social connection and mental wellbeing.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, and the author of How Not to Die (Too Soon) Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Portrait of last Battle of Britain pilot handed over at National Museum

John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway died in March this year, at the age of 105

Events

4 d. ago Edinburgh University Students welcomed by British Embassy in Bolivia ahead of landmark altitude expedition

A team of over 80 students from the University of Edinburgh was warmly welcomed this week at the British Ambassador’s Residence in La Paz, ahead of what is set to be the world’s largest controlled ascent for scientific research.

Culture

4 d. ago New insider guide to booking university rooms for the Edinburgh Festival launches online

The world-famous Edinburgh Festival and Fringe returns on 1 August but organisers have warned that soaring accommodation costs and holiday let restrictions could mean the event is facing ‘grim’ obstacles. The good news is that a new online guide has just launched revealing how festival-goers and performers can easily book bargain university rooms for August.

Culture

9 d. ago Lady Louise Windsor is joined by her rumoured university boyfriend and the Duchess of Edinburgh as she competes in carriage driving festival

The 21-year-old, who is the daughter of Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh, was pictured beaming as she took part in a horse driving competition in Norfolk.

Culture

1 week ago UK to host Donald Trump for full state visit this year, says Buckingham Palace

Plans for official visit confirmed but diary issues appear to have scuppered initial informal meeting with kingUK politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump will make a second state visit to the UK this year but the diary complexities of King Charles and the US president mean the two are unable to meet informally over the summer, it is understood.The manu regia, a hand-signed formal invitation from the king, was hand-delivered to the White House last week by British representatives from the Washington embassy. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago I’m a queer Palestinian. Stop using my identity as cover for the destruction of Gaza | Jad Salfiti

Rightwingers in Israel and the US claim they are defending LGBTQ+ rights while Gaza’s people are killed. Don’t dare do this in our namePride has never been apolitical, but in recent years, particularly after the Israeli occupation’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip after 7 October 2023, the coalition of queer rights in the west has felt increasingly fractured.In Berlin, the city I call home, Pride events have splintered along political lines as Palestine has been a recurring point of contention. According to organisers of Internationalist Queer Pride Berlin (IQP Berlin), a split between two major alternative Pride events followed an incident in which the initial organisers called police to the event after participants expressed solidarity by chanting “free Palestine”. Meanwhile, at Berlin’s official Pride parade, attenders have previously waved rainbow and Israeli flags as they marched through Berlin alongside an Israeli embassy float.Jad Salfiti is a British-Palestinian video producer a...

Politics

1 week ago When the police called us at 6am we endured every parent's worst nightmare

Colin and Mandy Mackie lost their 18-year-old son Greg back in 2017 after he was found dead in his university halls of residence located in Edinburgh.

Events

1 week ago Mahmoud Khalil welcomed back to NYC with cheers after release from ICE detention

Pro-Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, Mahmoud Khalil, was welcomed back to New York City with cheers after release from ICE detention, footage from Saturday (22 June) shows.

Politics

2 w. ago AOC blasts Trump’s ‘illegal’ persecution of Mahmoud Khalil as she welcomes Columbia student back to NYC

The New York congresswoman joined the Palestinian activist after his release from ICE detention, where he was detained for more than three months without charges and missed the birth of his son

Politics

3 w. ago Lecturers who sued their union after claiming it branded them 'transphobic' following film protests at Edinburgh University have claims rejected 

Dr Deirdre O'Neill and Michael Wayne were criticised by the University and College Union (UCU) which condemned a film as an attack on trans identity.

Events

3 w. ago Academics ‘branded transphobic’ by own union have discrimination claims rejected

Dr Deirdre O’Neill and Professor Michael Wayne said the UCU’s public opposition to them amounted to unlawful discrimination.

Events

3 w. ago US universities are moving to the right. Will it help them escape Trump’s wrath?

Harvard, Columbia and other higher education institutes are facing funding cuts over their policies, but reform may not be the administration’s goalIn 2018, a teaching hospital at Harvard took down 30 portraits of distinguished doctors and researchers affiliated with the hospital. The portraits reinforced a perception that “white men are in charge”, a professor of medicine told the Boston Globe, and were relegated to less prominent areas of the hospital. Some students and faculty welcomed the decision, or were indifferent.Others were disconcerted. They saw the portraits’ removal as the impulsive reflex of a university whose political atmosphere, already liberal leaning, seemed to continually lurch further left. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Women with genetic cancer risk being ‘missed’ due to testing gaps – study

Some cancer patients have Lynch syndrome, which needs to be confirmed by genetic testing.

Events

3 w. ago Scottish Handball launches ‘Handball Scholarship’ programme in Edinburgh

The Scottish Handball Association (SHA) is teaming up with Oriam, Scotland's Sports Performance Centre at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, to start an exciting new program called the ‘Heriot-Watt University Handball Scholarship Programme’

Politics

3 w. ago 'Blindsided' Edinburgh University international students react to Labour’s White Paper

International students at the University of Edinburgh left feeling “upset and worried” after Labour’s immigration White Paper.

Society

4 w. ago Bowel cancer cells can ‘shapeshift’ to enable aggressive spread, research finds

Scientists hope the discovery will lead to improved treatments.

Science

last month It’s my goal to live to 100 – and it’s not just diet and exercise that will help me achieve it | Devi Sridhar

Every time my mind goes down the ‘optimisation’ route, I’m reminded of my job as a public health scientist, looking into the factors that affect how long we will liveProf Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, and the author of How Not to Die (Too Soon)For much of the past century, life expectancy continually increased. In most countries in the world, children could hope to live, on average, longer, healthier lives than their parents. This expectation is still true of the mega-wealthy. In fact, tech billionaires and multimillionaires have recently been fixated on finding the secret to longer life, convinced that with enough money, technology and cutting-edge science, they can stave off the inevitable for a few more decades to reach 120 or even 150 years old.But their efforts aren’t trickling down to the rest of us. The world’s health crises are getting worse, with life expectancy going backwards in several high-income countries, such as the UK ...

Events