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Genetic approach could help identify side-effects at early stages of drug...
The technique involves identifying genetic variants that mimic the action of a drug on its intended target and then checking in large patient cohorts whether these variants are associated with risk of...
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Sex and the brain: fruitless research?
The sex life of the fruit fly is a simple affair. If a fly smells male pheromones, regardless of whether it is a male or a female fly, its response is clear and consistent. The pheromones activate...
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Genetic switch that turned moths black also colours butterflies
The same gene that enables tropical butterflies to mimic each other’s bright and colourful patterning also caused British moths to turn black amid the grime of the industrial revolution, researchers...
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Opinion: Accurate science or accessible science in the media – why not both?
Every day, millions of people take to search engines with common concerns, such as “How can I lose weight?” or “How can I be productive?” In return, they find articles that offer simple advice and...
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Opinion: Uncertain, nostalgic, uncomfortable and bewildered: a portrait of...
It has been suggested, as the EU referendum approaches, that younger voters are more likely to vote to remain than their older compatriots. A poll conducted in April showed 54% of over 55s back Brexit,...
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Waterworld: can we learn to live with flooding?
In December 2015, Storm Desmond hit the north of the UK. In its wake came floods, the misery of muddy, polluted water surging through homes and the disruption of closed businesses, schools and...
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Squeezing out opal-like colours by the mile
The team, led by the University of Cambridge, have invented a way to make such sheets on industrial scales, opening up applications ranging from smart clothing for people or buildings, to banknote...
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Women and people under the age of 35 at greatest risk of anxiety
The review, published today in the journal Brain and Behavior, also highlighted how anxiety disorders often provide a double burden on people experiencing other health-related problems, such as heart...
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Larger wine glasses may lead people to drink more
Alcohol consumption is one of the leading risk factors for disease and has been linked to conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and liver disease. The factors that influence consumption are not...
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Opinion: Ancient Greeks would not recognise our ‘democracy’ – they’d see an...
We owe to the ancient Greeks much, if not most of our own current political vocabulary. All the way from anarchy and democracy to politics itself. But their politics and ours are very different beasts....
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Opinion: How the British military became a champion for language learning
When an army deploys in a foreign country, there are clear advantages if the soldiers are able to speak the local language or dialect. But what if your recruits are no good at other languages? In the...
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Opinion: Droughts and floods: India’s water crises demand more than grand...
India is facing one of its most serious droughts in recent memory – official estimates suggest that at least 330m people are likely to be affected by acute shortages of water. As the subcontinent...
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Blueprint for success: what makes a city thrive?
Arguably, everything about Milton Keynes is deliberate: its site, its transport, its housing, its business sectors, its jobs. From the moment of its ‘birth’ in 1967 as one of the country’s ‘new towns’,...
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Smart glass goes from clear to opaque and back again – 27 million times
Imagine a glass skyscraper in which all of the windows could go from clear to opaque at the flick of a switch, allowing occupants to regulate the amount of sunlight coming through the windows without...
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Minecraft tree “probably” the tallest tree in the Tropics
The Yellow Meranti stands 89.5m tall in an area of forest known as ‘Sabah’s Lost World’ – the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, one of Malaysia’s last few untouched wildernesses. Its height places it...
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Just your cup of tea: the history (and health claims) of the nation’s...
Nothing says Britain quite like a cup of tea. As a nation, we have been drinking it for over 350 years. But tea has endured a tumultuous journey to reach its status as the nation’s favourite beverage....
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Cellulose: new understanding could lead to tailored biofuels
Scientists have identified new steps in the way plants produce cellulose, the component of plant cell walls that provides strength, and forms insoluble fibre in the human diet.The findings could lead...
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Opinion: When it comes to sugary drinks, people prefer a nudge than a tax
If sugary drinks were sold in smaller bottles, stores stocked fewer of them, and positioned them less prominently, we would drink fewer of them. But would we find these changes acceptable? The results...
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Opinion: Translation: a bridge between languages that can foster cultural...
Back in the 1990s, the football manager Dennis Wise was unfazed that some of his new players were foreigners. They would soon be able to communicate, he reassured everyone, since he intended to “learn...
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Going green: why don't we all do it?
For those of us who pay fuel bills, saving energy by insulating our homes or perhaps installing solar panels seems to make perfect sense. It saves money, therefore as rational human beings why don’t we...
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