‘Hidden’ group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health
Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics
Your BMI can’t tell you much about your health – here’s what can
People classed as “overweight” according to BMI can be perfectly healthy. But there are better measures of fat, and physicians are finally using them
Specific cognitive training has ‘astonishing’ effect on dementia risk
A type of cognitive training that tests people's quick recall seems to reduce the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease
Jeff Goldblum should make a film about this legendary mathematician
Paul Erdős was one of the most prolific mathematicians to ever live, known for showing up at the door of others in the field and declaring they should host and feed him while they do maths together. His radical life should be immortalised by Hollywood in a comedy biopic, says columnist Jacob Aron
Physicists can now take control of ‘hidden’ friction in devices
One type of friction can waste energy even when two perfectly smooth surfaces move against each other, but researchers are getting a handle on how to attenuate or stop it completely
Seafarers were visiting remote Arctic islands over 4000 years ago
The first people to reach the Kitsissut Islands off the north-west coast of Greenland were Indigenous peoples, who crossed over 50 kilometres of treacherous water
Weakening ice shelf has caused crucial Antarctic glacier to accelerate
The flow of ice at Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica has sped up dramatically due to the disintegration of the ice shelf in front of it, and this could lead to faster sea level rise
Physicists warn of ‘catastrophic’ impact from UK science cuts
Science funding cuts in the UK are expected to be a "devastasting blow" for physics research, affecting international projects such as particle detection experiments at CERN
Why exercise isn’t much help if you are trying to lose weight
When we exercise more, our bodies may compensate by using less energy for other things – especially if we eat less too
Synchronised volcanic eruptions on Io hint at a spongy interior
Five volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io erupted simultaneously, spewing a mind-boggling amount of lava onto the surface and giving us clues to what may lie underneath