Because I suffer from a dry mouth, I chew gum to keep it moist. It helps me, especially when I’m in a long meeting and might not be able to have a drink. But it can really irritate others. One … Read More
Doctors use Trojan horse drug to trick cancer cells while ignoring healthy ones
Truly there’s no end to the cleverness of our scientists. Researchers at Edinburgh University have come up with a way to carry a drug directly into cancer cells. But only cancer cells – healthy ones remain untouched. They have likened … Read More
Losing teeth makes it more likely you’ll struggle with your life in old age
It hardly seems credible that having all your teeth into old age can make you more capable of making a phone call or cooking a meal. But researchers have shown just that. Older adults with more natural teeth are better able to perform everyday … Read More
Addressing inequality in education early could improve your hearing later in life
Hearing loss mostly affects the elderly but it is not inevitable. And it might be possible to take action when you are younger to keep it at bay. Manchester University researchers have come up with a way of preventing hearing … Read More
Mutant gene could be to blame for obesity in kids so don’t judge their parents
Mums and dads with overweight children are often judged, with assumptions made about lazy parenting and fatty diets. But carrying extra weight in childhood could be down to a mutant gene. New research at Cambridge and Bristol universities has found … Read More
Astonishing study finds cancer may have been killing people back in the Middle Ages
Do you think of cancer as a modern disease? The result of pollution, exposure to harmful chemicals, smoking? It’s tempting to think in times gone by that cancer wasn’t that common. But we’d be wrong. It’s possible that between 9%-14% of British … Read More
Aardman short films encouraging lonely children to reach out for mental health help
Loneliness and perfectionism have emerged as the two biggest issues affecting young people’s mental health. The findings come from a campaign, What’s Up With Everyone?, which has seen award-winning animators Aardman, the studio behind Wallace and Gromit, work alongside experts at … Read More
Research reveals how we could spot heart disease early in diabetics
Diabetes comes with all kinds of challenges and complications. It puts you more at risk of early heart disease, and in people with Type 1, that is brought on by inherited genetic errors. But when did these disturbances start? And … Read More
Oral health inequalities getting worse across UK and children are suffering
Oral health is important for health and wellbeing, and for identity and self-esteem, insists Georgios Tsakos, Professor in Dental Public Health at University College London. I’m sure it does but a Public Health England report written with UCL researchers shows … Read More
Seaweed, maggots and fungi can help us feed the world and cope with climate change
Many people won’t like the sound of this research. I have to admit I feel a bit queasy myself. In order to safeguard our global food supply, Cambridge researchers are proposing we harness new food sources such as mycoprotein (from … Read More