What if we stopped treating social care like a service? A small village community in Yorkshire showed me another way
Members of the Esk Valley Community baking bread. Esk Valley Community Within an hour of arriving in Botton, a small, picturesque village in the UK’s North Yorkshire moors, I was standing in a farm field shovelling hay. Alongside me were my friend Max*, his father, a co-worker named Richard, two volunteers and several learning-disabled residents […]
Does timing matter when you take supplements? Here’s what the evidence says
everydayplus/Shutterstock Supplement shelves can give the impression that almost everyone needs something. Yet for generally healthy adults, a review of 84 studies found that routine vitamin and mineral supplements offered little or no protection against cardiovascular disease, cancer or early death. Taking a supplement without a clear reason may also cause harm. High doses of […]
Aliens at 40: from wearable cameras to exoskeletons, here are the technologies the film predicted
Director James Cameron’s acclaimed sci-fi movie Aliens turns 40 in August. It’s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s claustrophobic breakout hit Alien, made in 1979. Where the original featured one terrifying creature, Cameron’s movie features hundreds – and pits them against a squad of space marines. A host of intriguing technologies make an appearance, including interstellar […]
Five fiction books that will help you understand Ukraine
Ukrainian literature offers a rich way into the country’s history, culture and identity. As more Ukrainian works become available in English translation, readers have an expanding range of voices and perspectives to discover. But where to begin? Here are five books to help get you started. These five books take readers through time and across […]
How damaged teeth can reinforce stigma and disadvantage: conversations with street sex workers
The Belle statue is a bronze monument at Oudekerksplein in Amsterdam. Unveiled in March 2007 by artist Els Rijerse, it honors sex workers worldwide. Its plaque reads, “Respect sex workers all over the world.” Bumble Dee/Shutterstock For women involved in street sex work who took part in our research, damaged or missing teeth were more […]
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: a queer slasher about trauma and desire
In Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Gillian Anderson plays Billy, a reclusive actress famous for playing a classic “final girl”. That’s the last woman left alive to confront the killer in a slasher movie. “It’s all about flesh … and fluids,” she explains when discussing the appeal of the fictional Camp Miasma franchise, […]
Why Gaza peace deals keep unravelling
Destroyed buildings in a neighbourhood of Gaza City in March 2025. Gaza – Survival Journey / Shutterstock Donald Trump’s Board of Peace published a 15-point roadmap for Gaza in late July in which Hamas would hand its weapons to a committee of Palestinian technocrats, certified by an international verification body, and Israel would withdraw from […]
Over 75% of UK wetlands have been destroyed – restoring them would help prevent wildfires
Firefighters have been battling a vast wildfire in the hills above Blaenavon in south Wales, spreading across more than 4,000 hectares, for three weeks. Around 200 military personnel were called in to support exhausted fire crews as more fires broke out across the south Wales valleys. Smoke from Blaenavon could be seen from Cardiff and […]
Why long gaps between meals may not be healthy for older people – new study
Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock.com Going for much of the day without eating is often promoted as a way to improve health or lose weight. But a new study suggests that long gaps between meals may have different effects on older adults – especially those in the oldest age groups. For the study, my colleagues and I followed […]
Cabin crew at greater risk of radiation-based cancer than nuclear technologists
photobyphotoboy/Shutterstock.com What jobs are most associated with deaths from radiation-related cancer? Surprisingly, the answer is cabin crew and pilots – ahead of nuclear technologists, whose work involves handling radioactive materials used in medical imaging and treatment. That’s the finding of a new study that analysed more than 12.7 million death records from 2020 to 2024, […]