British body’s proposal to stop young people from smoking is unwiseThe British Medial Association’s move to block the sale of cigarettes to those born after 2000 is understandable but would prove counterproductiveThu Jul 17 2014 - 01:00
The brain likes to take the road it knows bestFamiliarity with the tried and tested can prevent us from seeking out more efficient solutionsThu Jul 03 2014 - 01:00
What if God were part of the natural order?Stephen Kosslyn once put forward the intriguing notion that God exists but is not supernaturalThu Jun 19 2014 - 01:00
Breaking the silence of those with brain injuryImagine the horror of being fully conscious but unable to communicate. Research is helping to break this barrierThu Jun 05 2014 - 01:00
Body Mass Index is not an infallible measureCalculate your BMI but also check the ratio of waist-to-hip circumference and be ultra- conscious of abdominal fatThu May 22 2014 - 01:00
So saturated fat is okay again? Not so fastA recent study into fat is not a green light to load up on steak and butter, one nutrition expert warnsThu May 15 2014 - 01:00
The bilingual brain is more nimble and efficientMultilingual people are better at reasoning and multitasking, and work faster and with less effortThu Apr 17 2014 - 01:00
Birds do it, bees do it – but how did T Rex do it?Stop sniggering down the back: the delicate question of how dinosaurs had sex remains a mysteryThu Apr 03 2014 - 01:00
Clever chickens come home to roostGrowing evidence should greatly trouble us when we consider how poultry is treated on factory farmsThu Mar 20 2014 - 01:00
Supplements in diet may do more bad than goodRecent Swedish research suggests that antioxidant dietary supplements may actually increase cancer risk in certain peopleThu Mar 06 2014 - 01:00
No evidence of threat to public health from power linesLatest studies fail to support claims that overhead cables represent a danger to the publicThu Feb 20 2014 - 01:00
The truth about fast food and getting fatAs studies show, it is unwise to demonise fast food but wise to eat it only very occasionallyThu Feb 06 2014 - 01:00
Philosophers must oppose arrogance of scientismOpposition to religion stems from the fact that many of these scientists are fundamentalist materialistsThu Jan 16 2014 - 01:00
Passive smoking: have the risks been overstated?The latest study in the US adds to the argument that links with lung cancer may not be as strong as previously believedThu Jan 02 2014 - 01:00
Thinking on obesity is overly simplisticThere is much more behind the obesity problem than sugary drinks and fast food. Genetics are keyThu Dec 19 2013 - 01:00
Little to show from 42-year war on cancerProgress has been slow because the roots of the disease hide in the fantastic complexity of our cellsThu Dec 05 2013 - 01:00
Science loses credibility if studies can’t be replicatedAn increasing proportion of the scientific literature is irreproducible, with major consequences for progressThu Nov 21 2013 - 01:00
What makes people fat? It’s not obviousThere are two competing theories to explain the causes of obesity, and they are about to be testedThu Nov 07 2013 - 01:00
Let’s open our minds and mouths to GM foodGenetic modification is still highly controversial despite extensive research having failed to produce evidence of harmThu Oct 17 2013 - 01:00
Theories on monogamy tend to be promiscuousTwo research groups area at loggerheads over the implications of their studies for human evolutionThu Oct 03 2013 - 10:16
Tackling Obesity with Processed FoodIt’s time to re-think the advice given to those struggling with obesity about what food is goodThu Sept 19 2013 - 01:00
A little light at the end of the global-warming tunnelThe potential of a new technology to slow down global warming does not excuse continuing paralysisThu Sept 05 2013 - 01:00
An imperfect scienceScience is the best tool available to allow us to pursue objective truths, but scientists are human like the rest of usThu Aug 15 2013 - 01:00
An essential step in growing human liversScientists have shown ‘proof of concept’ that a working human liver can be built in the lab from stem cellsThu Aug 01 2013 - 01:00
Incidence of monkeypox and cowpox on the riseA side effect of smallpox eradication is a lack of immunity to other strains that can be just as lethalThu Jul 18 2013 - 01:00
Blood-brain barrier vital to regulation of systemLearning how to open and close this intriguing gateway could lead to cures for many perplexing diseasesThu Jul 11 2013 - 00:00
When too much empathy is dangerousWhen empathy causes us to ignore logic or science, its consequences can be harmful to allThu Jun 27 2013 - 01:00
Is Europe on the verge of demographic collapse?Birth rates need to be 2.1 to ensure the species does not peter out. But modern life poses a threat to posterityThu Jun 06 2013 - 01:00
Amino acids and the beginning of lifeAmino acids have been detected in space and in meteorites that landed on EarthThu May 16 2013 - 02:00
A functional and essential debateIdentifying where personhood begins is vitalto the ethical debateThu May 02 2013 - 07:00
The biology behind your social attitudesBiology doesn’t just affect you physically; it can shape your ideas and politicsThu Apr 18 2013 - 07:00
Gender is not a social constructThere is a strong biological basis to gender and it cannot be healthy to frustrate such tendenciesThu Apr 04 2013 - 06:00
The emergence of deadly drug-resistant tuberculosisCatastrophic global outbreak of TB fearedThu Mar 21 2013 - 06:00
The truth about antioxidantsOPINION: I’ve taught many students that one of the most dangerous things they do is breatheThu Feb 21 2013 - 00:00
Resurrecting mammoth evolutionary dead endsOpinion: The film Jurassic Park featured dinosaurs cloned from DNA recovered from insects preserved in prehistoric amberThu Jan 03 2013 - 00:00
Why there's a little of the psychopath in us allConsider how you would act in the following situations.Thu Dec 20 2012 - 00:00
Time to tackle the fat and refuse to be passiveOpinion: Ireland is suffering from an epidemic of obesityThu Dec 06 2012 - 00:00
Engineers, scientists may carry autism geneOPINION: Question: “How would you recognise an extrovert mathematician?” Answer: “He’s the mathematician who looks at your shoes…Thu Nov 15 2012 - 00:00
How did we all get to be so clever?Thanks to our improved ability in abstract reasoning, we are all getting better at IQ testsThu Nov 01 2012 - 00:00
Quality not quantity to tackle fraudThe pressure to secure grants can force scientists to publish work that offers little value – and can lead to misconductThu Oct 18 2012 - 01:00
In through the tap, out through the plugholeMAINSTREAM SCIENCE has shown that the world is warming, almost certainly because of human-induced emissions of warming gases …Thu Sept 20 2012 - 01:00
Forget free will and exercise free won'tMany scientists believe free will is an illusion. If so, do we have no control over our actions?Thu Sept 06 2012 - 01:00
Why does the return journey feel quicker?Researchers have come up with convincing models for how time is measured by memoryThu Aug 16 2012 - 01:00
Why poor will pay for fatter worldTHE RAPID expandsion of the world’s population raises the problem of how to feed all of these extra mouthsThu Jul 05 2012 - 01:00
The best advice is to follow your gut instinctThe bacteria in your digestive system is so vital to health and well-being that it is sometimes called the ‘forgotten organ…Thu Jun 21 2012 - 01:00
Fusion energy still a pipe dreamNUCLEAR FUSION is the holy grail of power generation, promising the safe, clean generation of boundless energy from essentially…Thu Jun 07 2012 - 01:00
The simple secret to a healthy lifeWE ARE constantly bombarded with advice on a healthy lifestyleThu May 31 2012 - 01:00
New study shows gene link to IQTHE RELATIVE extent to which human intelligence is determined by our genes and by our environment is an old debate – the “nature…Thu May 03 2012 - 01:00
Strategies for dealing with deathDEATH IS ONE of the few things we can be sure of. In the bad-news stakes, death must be the leading contender for top spot.Thu Apr 19 2012 - 01:00
Overweight? Reduce risks by staying fitWE ARE BOMBARDED nowadays with warnings about the dangers to our health of growing fat but, despite these warnings, obesity statistics…Thu Apr 05 2012 - 01:00
