38 h. ago ‘It sounds like witchcraft’: can light therapy really give you better skin, cleaner teeth, stronger joints?

From infrared saunas to LED beauty masks, a billion-dollar market has grown around the healing power of light. But where does the science end and the hype begin? Light therapy is certainly having a moment. You can now buy glowing gadgets for everything from skin conditions and wrinkles to sore muscles and gum disease, the latest being a toothbrush enhanced with tiny red LEDs, described by its makers as “a breakthrough in at-home oral care”. Globally, the market was worth $1bn in 2024 and is projected to grow to $1.8bn by 2035. You can even go and sit in an infrared sauna, where instead of hot coals (real or electric) heating the air, your body is warmed directly by infrared light. According to its devotees, it’s like bathing in one of those LED-lit beauty masks, boosting skin collagen, relaxing muscles, relieving inflammation and chronic health conditions while protecting against dementia.“It sounds a bit like witchcraft,” says Paul Chazot, professor in neuroscience at Durham Univer...

Politics

1 week ago Welsh council was investigated by watchdog over housing repairs, says local authority official

Cardiff Council also published a report recently showing that it had seen an increase in demand for certain housing repairs across the city

Politics

2 w. ago World has reached a ‘critical turning point’ in switch to renewable energy

Solar and wind power outpaced the growth in worldwide electricity demand

Politics

3 w. ago Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year, report says

A new analysis of solar and wind power shows its generation worldwide has outpaced electricity demand this year

Politics

3 w. ago Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time

Record solar expansion and steady wind growth driving world’s shift away from fossil fuels in 2025, report findsThe world’s wind and solar farms have generated more electricity than coal plants for the first time this year, marking a turning point for the global power system, according to research.A report by the climate thinktank Ember found that in the first six months of 2025, renewable energy outpaced the world’s growing appetite for electricity, leading to a small decline in coal and gas use. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Renewable energy overtakes coal for first time in global 'historic shift'

A 'crucial turning point' is on the horizon for green energy as solar and wind power begin to meet the demands for electricity usage, while fossil fuel usage has seen a decline

Politics

3 w. ago Madagascar president who took power in coup accuses protesters of trying to trigger another one

Young people take to streets to voice anger at water and power cuts, and corruption in political systemMadagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, who first came to power in a coup in 2009, has condemned protests calling for his resignation, saying that demonstrators were trying to trigger a coup and were funded by unspecified foreign governments and organisations.Youth-led demonstrations on the Indian Ocean island started on 25 September, initially driven by outrage over water and power cuts, but have grown into demands for action against corruption and reform of the political system. At least 22 people have been killed by security forces, according to the UN, which officials denied. Continue reading...

Politics