The kombucha paradox: measurable effects, uncertain wellbeing benefits
Chay_Tee/Shutterstock Kombucha has become part of the wider boom in gut-friendly foods and drinks. But a major heart-health charity is urging consumers to look more carefully at what these products actually contain. The British Heart Foundation has warned that some popular gut-friendly products can come with drawbacks. Commercial kombucha may be a healthier alternative to […]
A ‘super’ El Niño has the power to devastate fishing – and leave seals and sea lions starving
Many sea lions died in previous super El Niño. wildestanimal/Shutterstock There is a more than 60% chance that a “super” El Niño will develop by the end of this year. This is defined as the strongest El Niño event you can get, and happens when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise by […]
Why weight-loss drugs don’t work for some people
Not everyone finds that Ozempic and Wegovy work for them. KaterynaBorodina/ Shutterstock Weight-loss jabs are the latest craze for shedding a few pounds. Their effect has been dramatic with drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) causing users to lose up to 15% of their body fat on average. Semaglutide, which is a glucagon-like peptide […]
Before banks, nuns lent money: how convents helped power medieval Vienna’s economy
Detail from The nuns’ procession to mass from the Yates Thompson manuscript. British Library Board/Canva, CC BY-ND Retirement planning might seem like a thoroughly modern concern, with pensions, investments and annuities forming part of today’s financial toolkit. But these financial tools are much older than they appear. In the later Middle Ages, people were already […]
Gender-neutral pronouns in French exams: how language classrooms respond to linguistic change
PeopleImages/Shutterstock When an exam board for England, Wales and Northern Ireland recently clarified that students are now permitted to use gender-inclusive or gender-neutral forms in French, Spanish and German exams, it marked more than a technical adjustment to assessment criteria. These updates highlight an important fact about the nature of languages. They are not fixed […]
Why Albertans are seeking a referendum on separation from Canada
The Albertan and Canadian flags fly next to each other in the Kananaskis district of Alberta. Structured Vision / Shutterstock Albertans will head to the polls in October for what has been referred to as a “referendum on a referendum”. They will be asked to choose between two options: should Alberta remain a province of […]
Liver cancer deaths are rapidly increasing – tackling preventable causes would save lives
More than 6,000 people die from liver cancer every year in the UK. Peakstock/ Shutterstock Liver cancer is one of the fastest rising causes of cancer-related deaths in the UK, and the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. More than 6,000 people die from liver cancer in the UK each year. Its major drivers […]
Why LGBTQ+ patients are paying for gaps in fertility care
CarlosBarquero/Shutterstock In some parts of England, a female same-sex couple may have to spend up to £25,000 of their own money on fertility treatment before the NHS will help them have a baby. A heterosexual couple may also face restrictions, but they can usually meet the NHS requirement to show that they have struggled to […]
News is changing dramatically – here’s what the move away from mainstream media means for you as a consumer
Pixel-shot/Shutterstock The days of tuning in to the six o’clock news are long over. News audiences are increasingly fragmented, and more than half of us now get our news from social media. This trend is particularly pronounced for younger people, with three in four coming across news on social platforms. And 57% of children aged […]
One of the world’s most important climate threats has an image problem
The Atlantic offers little visible sign of what’s moving beneath the waves. Arno Ryser / unsplash, CC BY-SA Deep in the Atlantic, a vast circulation of water carries heat from the tropics towards Greenland. This is the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, or Amoc. It does this work largely out of sight, so doesn’t have the […]