Osteoarthritis: how stimulating the muscles with electricity may help manage the condition
EMS training could be particularly beneficial for people with osteoarthritis who have limited mobility or pain. roibu/ Shutterstock An estimated 595 million people globally are living with osteoarthritis. This makes it one of the leading causes of pain and disability. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, in which tissues in the joint break down over […]
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease develops over decades – and we are missing the window to prevent it
CI Photos/Shutterstock Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is one of the world’s leading causes of death, responsible for 3.5 million deaths in 2021 alone. It is often thought of as a disease of older smokers. But that picture is too simple. COPD usually develops slowly over many years, often long before symptoms become obvious. […]
What it would have been like to experience the dinosaur-killing asteroid armageddon: a blow-by-blow account
serpeblu/Shutterstock A great Tyrannosaurus rex strides through the conifer trees of her territory, sniffing the air. She picks up the scent from the carcass of a dead horned dinosaur, Triceratops, that she was feeding on yesterday. She walks over and strips off some more shreds of meat, but the smell is foul even for her. […]
Nudge theory was all about taking responsibility – but it allowed big business to look the other way
Piyaset/Shutterstock Feelings of despair at the state of the world can be overwhelming. Social and environmental problems persist, but political discourse is polarised, divisive and often ineffective. A couple of decades ago, some behavioural scientists – ourselves included – began to think there might be a better way of addressing these challenges. Instead of relying […]
What your local council can actually do to tackle the climate crisis
The UK’s local elections saw the Green Party gain 440 councillors across England and win its first two elected mayors. They will join many councillors from all parties who will have to confront the same question: what can any one local authority actually do about climate change? If they ask what they are required to […]
Can plants hear? Latest research offers new insights
DOERS/Shutterstock Researchers at MIT have suggested that rice seeds can hear the sound of rain, according to a new study. MIT calls it “the first direct evidence that plant seeds and seedlings can sense sounds in nature”. Perhaps surprisingly, the effects reported in this new study are not as radical as they may appear. Playing […]
Can the assisted dying bill be brought back? It’s possible – but supporters face four challenges
Despite MPs backing proposals last year to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, the plan did not become law. The bill failed to complete its passage through the House of Lords – not because peers voted against it, but because a relatively small number proposed an unprecedentedly large list of amendments. As a result, […]
What happens when scientists trust AI more than colleagues?
Shutterstock/PeoplesImages Artificial intelligence has crossed a threshold in the modern workplace. It is being used for everything from helping employees manage schedules to supporting financial forecasts. A similar shift is now unfolding inside research laboratories. There is currently a boom in national initiatives to accelerate the integration of AI into science. These include the US […]
Screens are part of modern parenting – five tips for healthy use
airdone/Shutterstock Screens are everywhere in children’s lives. They use them at school and at home. They see screens used by their parents as they work on laptops, use phones to arrange playdates or look up outings or recipes on tablets. Managing screen time can be difficult when – as recent guidelines published by the Department […]
Nature restoration isn’t often top of the political agenda – here’s how Wales does it
Gwenffrwd and Dinas nature reserve in Wales. Andy Williams photos/Shutterstock Nature is critical for our national health, wellbeing and security. Most national leaders haven’t really taken this on board yet because it is just too big an issue to handle. But, as I explore in my new book, this happens partly because many western societies […]