24 h. ago Breakthrough as scientists develop new skin test which can identify Parkinson's seven years before official diagnosis

Experts from the University of Manchester have based the new test on the ability of a 'super smeller' Scottish grandmother who can detect the disease by smell.

Politics

48 h. ago Suffer from headaches? Neanderthal DNA could be to blame, study suggests

According to new research, Neanderthal DNA genes could be the reason that some people are more prone to a type of headache-causing brain defect.

Politics

66 h. ago University of Manchester study suggests airports might be attracting aliens to Earth

The University of Manchester-led study proposes potential extraterrestrials could have spotted Earth's airports

Politics

69 h. ago Huge alien spaceship may be hurtling towards Earth at 135,000 miles an hour, expert claims

Scientists have been working hard researching a new foreign object that has entered our solar system this month – but one expert has a theory regarding potential alien visitors

Events

5 d. ago Millions of households on DWP Universal Credit to get extra £725 a year

The Universal Credit standard allowance will permanently rise above inflation, amounting to £725 by 2029/30

Economics

6 d. ago Airports like Heathrow and Gatwick could help ALIENS spot Earth, new research shows

Airports like Gatwick and Heathrow could be revealing our presence to aliens within 200 light years of Earth.

Society

8 d. ago Melting glaciers and ice caps could unleash wave of volcanic eruptions, study says

Research in Chile suggests climate crisis makes eruptions more likely and explosive, and warns of Antarctica riskThe melting of glaciers and ice caps by the climate crisis could unleash a barrage of explosive volcanic eruptions, a study suggests.The loss of ice releases the pressure on underground magma chambers and makes eruptions more likely. This process has been seen in Iceland, an unusual island that sits on a mid-ocean tectonic plate boundary. But the research in Chile is one of the first studies to show a surge in volcanism on a continent in the past, after the last ice age ended. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago GP urges public to make one urgent change right now to ward off dementia in your 60s

Last year, a landmark study suggested almost half of dementia could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors, but Dr Amir Khan says this is one of the most important.

Events

1 week ago Can you see circles or rectangles? And does the answer depend on where you grew up? | Anil Seth

We may believe we see the world exactly as it is – but as studies of optical illusions show, it’s far more complex than thatAnil Seth is a professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience at the University of SussexDo people from different cultures and environments see the world differently? Two recent studies have different takes on this decades-long controversy. The answer might be more complicated, and more interesting, than either study suggests.One study, led by Ivan Kroupin at the London School of Economics, asked how people from different cultures perceived a visual illusion known as the Coffer illusion. They discovered that people in the UK and US saw it mainly in one way, as comprising rectangles – while people from rural communities in Namibia typically saw it another way: as containing circles. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week 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

1 week ago Quatermass 2 review – Hammer turns up the heat in enjoyable alien invader sequel

The brusque, unsmiling American rocket scientist returns with a bigger budget and more action alongside an entertaining turn from Sid James as an inebriated journalistHere is the 1957 sequel to Hammer’s box office smash The Quatermass Xperiment from 1955; it is enjoyable, though the law of diminishing returns is coming into play. Like the first film, it is based on the original BBC drama (the second series, in fact) and Brian Donleavy is back as Quatermass himself: the brusque, unsmiling American rocket scientist working closely with the British government and permanently exasperated with them.Once again, Quatermass finds himself at the centre of a deadly alien attempt to take over Planet Earth. While debating whether or not to fire a nuclear powered rocket up into space, Quatermass comes into contact with a woman whose boyfriend has been injured by what appear to be football-sized meteorites, which his white-coated assistants have been already tracking on their radar scopes. It app...

Events

1 week ago Suffer from frequent nightmares? Study suggests they can triple your risk of death

Bad dreams every week carry about the same risk of premature death as heavy smoking

Events

2 w. ago Scientists discover new cause of aggressive cancer in young people... and a possible treatment

A little-known molecule may be the key to treating aggressive cancer that often strikes young people, a study from researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York suggests.

Science

2 w. ago New study suggests common assumption about aging could be wrong

‘It’s a warning – don’t follow the latest trends of eating foods specifically to reduce inflammation, or whatever else the trend of the week may be,’ said professor Alan Cohen

Politics

2 w. ago Could you be allergic to SEX? When symptoms strike, many wrongly blame them on STDs claims top expert

According to Dr Michael Carroll, an associate professor in reproductive Science, at Manchester Metropolitan University, many people could be allergic to sex but undiagnosed.

Events

2 w. ago ‘I don’t think my brain should have gone through that’: five young people on their experience of smartphones as teens

What do people who got – and one who didn’t get – internet-connected phones in their adolescence actually think about the impact they had on them?Debate and anxiety about teen and preteen access to smartphones and social media is raging. One paper has likened smartphones to a “parasite” on our brains, while another study suggests moderate use of social media does not have a harmful effect on young people. In the US more than 100,000 parents have joined an online pledge to delay giving children smartphones until at least the eighth grade and in Australia a ban on under-16s using social media will come into effect in December. Despite all this, OECD figures released in May show 70% of 10-year-olds and 98% of 15-year-olds have internet-connected smartphones.So is giving teenagers smartphones that big a deal? Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The staggering cost of injuries sustained by dog walkers every year

Injuries sustained by dog walkers could be costing the NHS millions every year, a study has suggested

Events

3 w. ago Orcas make seaweed tools to scratch each other’s backs, study suggests

Scientists spotted the behaviour in drone footage of orcas in the Salish Sea, in the inland waters of the US state of Washington.

Politics

3 w. ago Orcas observed ‘making seaweed tools’ to massage each other, study suggests

Scientists observed the surprising social behaviour, dubbed allokelping, in drone footage of killer whales

Politics

3 w. ago Orcas make seaweed tools to scratch each other’s backs, new research finds

Killer whales were observed detaching lengths of seaweed and massaging each other with it in the wild, a new study has suggested - making waves in the scientific community

Politics