12 July 2023
The human microbiome has a big influence on our health and yet, rather like dark matter in cosmology, its story is still unfolding, says a tantalising book covering the future of medicine from James Kinross
12 April 2023
The front fins of skates emerge from their heads as huge wings and now we know how they can develop in this way
29 March 2023
It would be the ultimate in personalised medicine: a digital version of your body, which doctors could use to predict what diseases might befall you and your future health. A new book from Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield asks if it is possible
7 March 2023
Intoxicated mice that had lost consciousness took half as long to wake up and get to their feet after being injected with the hormone FGF21, compared with their non-injected counterparts
27 January 2023
Single-celled organisms called Stentor can feed more efficiently by pairing up, illustrating a possible stage in the evolution of complex life forms
14 December 2022
Sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and a dozen other vegetables are all the same species, Brassica oleracea. Now we have finally discovered their common ancestor
12 October 2022
This deep dive into what we know about long covid from Gez Medinger and Danny Altmann is welcome – but leans a little too heavily on anecdotal information
16 August 2022
Waste water contains a treasure trove of data on our health, well-being and inequality, and can be used to head off epidemics, track pandemics and even spot new designer drugs before their effects show up in the population. But how much information are...
27 April 2022
New insight into how we age suggests it may be driven by a failure to switch off the forces that build our bodies. If true, it could lead to a deeper understanding of ageing – and the possibility of slowing it
15 December 2021
Ancient whale poo, known as ambergris, has long been prized by perfumiers – but it also contains precious information about ancient oceans that could help save today’s whales
