Category: Health

Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba. Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock.com Scientists are calling for urgent action on free-living amoebas – a little-known group of microbes that could pose a growing global health threat. Here’s what you need to know. Free-living amoebas are single-celled organisms that don’t need a host to live. They are found in soil and water, […]

Digital Media Pro/Shutterstock.com Why do some people live to 100 while their sibling dies decades earlier? Is it luck, lifestyle, or something written into their DNA? Relative to many other species, humans are particularly long lived, but there is an ongoing argument about how much of our long lifespan is shaped by our genes and […]

New Africa/Shutterstock Many of us have noisy joints. Knees crack on the stairs, necks pop when we stretch, and knuckles seem to crack almost on demand. These sounds can be startling and are often blamed on ageing, damage or the looming threat of arthritis. As a physiotherapist and researcher of chronic joint pain, I am […]

Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock Joint cracking is one of those habits most of us acquire without thinking about it. A knuckle popped mid-sentence. A back twisted as we stand up. A neck gently crunched while the kettle boils. It is common, oddly satisfying and, for anyone sitting nearby, faintly alarming. It is also surprisingly divisive. Some people wince […]

Floods in Kolkata, West Bengal, India in 2019. ABHISHEK BASAK 90/Shutterstock In Brownsville, Texas, three members of the Galvan family died after a malfunctioning air conditioner left them exposed to extreme heat. Aged between 60 and 82, all three had chronic health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. This makes it harder for the body […]

buritora/Shutterstock.com How much do your genes determine how long you’ll live? It’s a question that fascinates us, and one that’s been debated for decades. For years, the answer seemed settled – genes account for about 20–25% of the variation in human lifespan, with the rest down to lifestyle and environment. But a new study published […]

Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock.com Donald Trump can change the temperature of a room with a sentence. One minute he is certain, the next he is backtracking. One day he is threatening, the next he is hinting at a deal. Even before anything concrete happens, people brace for his next turn. That reaction is not just political. It […]

The lifelong mental health impact of socioeconomic inequalities were even larger in women from the Baby Boomer generation. PerfectWave/ Shutterstock It’s been almost five years since the end of the COVID lockdowns. Yet the world is still continuing to learn about how mental health changed during – and after – this unprecedented time. My colleagues […]

Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock.com For most people, cold weather is an inconvenience, requiring an extra layer of clothing or the thermostat to be turned up. For others, exposure to cold can trigger an allergic reaction severe enough to cause them to collapse. Cold urticaria is a rare but potentially dangerous condition in which contact with cold temperatures […]

Oksana Shufrych/Shutterstock.com Many women recognise the pattern. A routine procedure takes longer than expected. It’s more uncomfortable than promised. The doctor reassures them that this sometimes happens, or suggests anxiety or muscle tension might be playing a role. But often the explanation is simpler – and anatomical. This mismatch between bodies and procedures isn’t related […]