What happens to strength, balance, stamina and reflexes as you age – and what you can do about it
Elena Rostunova/Shutterstock.com Here is a finding that surprises most people, including plenty of regular gym-goers. When researchers tracked nearly 1,900 older adults (aged 70-79) over three years, those who held on to their muscle mass, and even those who gained some, still lost strength. Leg strength declined about three times faster than muscle mass. That […]
Climate doom may discourage climate action, but there’s a way to counter it
Strikernia/Shutterstock Every summer is getting hotter. Wildfires are blazing, and the worst is yet to come. There’s nothing to be done – we’re doomed! Sound familiar? This “climate doom” narrative can dominate the news cycle, particularly on social media, which is known to attract negativity. Climate doom can be a powerful argument for doing nothing. […]
The global race to make a practical quantum computer just took a big leap forward
Audio und werbung In the global race to build bigger and better quantum computers, researchers have taken a step forward. A new machine called Helios is a radically different system compared to other quantum computers. Quantum computers harness the power of quantum mechanics, the laws that govern how physics operates at atomic and sub-atomic scales. […]
Don’t eat your feelings (or the rich) warns the surprisingly wholesome absurdist satire, Lady
On its surface, Samuel Abrahams’ Lady appears to be a familiar entry in the recent “eat the rich” cinematic trend, trailing in the wake of high-profile films like Saltburn, Parasite, The Menu and Triangle of Sadness. However, there is more to this surrealist film. Here the setting is Ravenhyde Hall, a country estate in Suffolk […]
Italy’s sporting fortunes transformed by immigration, sparking wider debate about identity
For the second time in a row, Italy has topped the medal table at the European Athletics Championships. With a total of 22 medals (ten of them gold) Italy pipped host nation Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the top spot. Once a nation of footballers – having won the World Cup four times – […]
Before Greek myths reached the multiplex, they were weapons of political satire
William Dent depicts Cerberus, the Hound of Hades – a three-headed dog symbolising gluttony – as composed of the heads of politicians Charles Fox, Lord North and Edmund Burke. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, Accession Number B1981.25.1573 Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has brought Homer’s epic tale back to the big screen. The […]
Jeremy Clarkson says men have lost the right to prostate cancer testing – the truth is a bit more nuanced than that
Jeremy Clarkson is not happy with the PSA-testing changes. Motorsport Photography F1/Shutterstock.com People are up in arms about changes to the prostate cancer screening guidelines in the UK. TV personality Jeremy Clarkson wrote on X: “Until last week, men over 50 were entitled to a free PSA prostate cancer check. But the government has now […]
Babies born under sugar rationing grew into adults with lower cancer risk
Could how much sugar you consumed before your second birthday shape your health decades later – even into your 70s? A new study that my colleagues and I conducted suggests the answer could be yes. People who had less sugar exposure during the first few years of life were much less likely to develop several […]
If British voters seem impatient and angry, data shows they might have a point
With seven prime ministers in ten years and the fragmentation of the two-party system, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that UK leaders struggle to hold on to their position. The World Bank ranks nations around the world on governance indicators – and its data show that, on certain metrics, voters in the UK may […]
The enduring mystery of Scotland’s medieval cannibals
An engraving of Sawney Bean by I. Basire after J. Nicholls (1741). WikiCommons Cannibalism is one of the biggest taboos throughout history. The idea of eating one of your own species tends to fill people with disgust and horror. Yet, cannibalism has happened for many reasons, including warfare and religious rituals. Reports of cannibalism are […]