Category: Health

Bullhead catfish. jack perks/Shutterstock.com Scientists in Vermont have just discovered something that shouldn’t really be possible: a skin cancer that’s spreading from catfish to catfish. It’s only the fourth transmissible cancer ever found in nature. Catfish now join Tasmanian devils, dogs and shellfish as the only animals known to carry naturally occurring cancers that can […]

Mike shots/Shutterstock.com That kitchen sponge sitting by your sink is not as innocent as it looks. It could be harbouring Salmonella enteritidis, E coli or Staphylococcus aureus – and there’s no way to tell just by looking at it or smelling it. New research from Germany grew bacteria from sponges in the lab, analysed their […]

ANDREA TOSI/Shutterstock “No thanks, I don’t eat meat.” This simple sentence can prompt very different reactions, but the question that often follows is: “Why?” The answer may reflect concern for animals, the environment, religion or personal health. Families and healthcare professionals may also wonder whether giving up meat offers a socially acceptable way to restrict […]

England rugby players Tom Curry and Manu Tuilagi accidentally collide during a World Cup match against South Africa in Paris, October 2023. Victor Velter/Shutterstock There is now widespread evidence that years of heading, tackling and collisions in football and rugby could increase the risk of dementia and other neurological diseases. The latest – preliminary research […]

After years of grim records, the NHS in England finally has some good news to report. The waiting list for planned hospital care has begun to edge down, and the share of patients treated within the 18-week target has climbed, from 59.8% in March 2025 to around 63% a year later. Ministers, who have promised […]

Valery Evlakhov/ Shutterstock At any given point there are hundreds of thousands of people in the skies travelling by air. For many, these journeys will pass by without consequence. But for some, a routine flight may trigger a health emergency. Although these events are rare, with the demand and availability of air travel increasing, so […]

SofikoS/Shutterstock.com When Amy posts a photograph of herself on Instagram, she knows what will attract attention. A picture of her in a bikini may receive thousands of views. A post explaining the realities of living with a stoma (an opening in her abdomen that directs waste to a bag attached to it) may reach far […]

Shidlovski/Shutterstock.com Anyone who has bought medicine online may have wondered whether what arrived in the post was really what they’d paid for. They are not alone. A recent global survey found that around 60% of people fear their medicines could be fake – and the unsettling truth is that they have good reason to. About […]

Only around a third of the masks England held in its emergency stockpile were immediately usable during the pandemic. banjongseal324SS/ Shutterstock The latest report published as part of the COVID-19 inquiry has found the UK was not adequately prepared for a pandemic. The report, which looked at the procurement and distribution of personal protective equipment […]

Dmitri T/Shutterstock Infrared saunas are increasingly marketed as a post-exercise recovery tool that can reduce pain and fatigue, but the scientific evidence supporting these claims remains limited and conflicting. So do infrared saunas cause physiological changes that accelerate recovery, or do they simply reduce the feeling of aching muscles? Traditional Finnish saunas heat the surrounding […]