Eating less red meat protects against endometriosis
Minimising red meat consumption seems to protect against endometriosis, according to a study of more than 80,000 women who were followed for two decades
Seals only sleep with half their brain when they’re out at sea
Northern fur seals mostly sleep with half their brain while they’re at sea, but sleep with all their brain while on land – unlike any other animal studied
People adapted to the cold and got more migraines as a result
A gene variant that helps humans cope with colder climates also seems to have put people living in northerly regions at a higher risk of migraine
Congestion charge can cut childhood asthma attacks by half
A congestion charge in Stockholm not only cut levels of air pollution, it halved the number of children admitted to hospital with asthma attacks
GM worms make a super-silk completely unknown in nature
Thanks to a spot of genetic hacking, silkworms can make a new form of silk not found in nature that includes a synthetic amino acid. It could be used in medicine
The frogs bouncing back after almost being wiped out by disease
A few amphibian species in Panama are recovering from near-extinction, after apparently evolving resistance to the deadly chytrid fungus
Electrodes fitted behind your ear can make you walk faster
A type of electrical skull stimulation makes us step out faster with longer strides – a finding that could help people with balance disorders to walk more easily
Leopards that live in cities are protecting people from rabies
Wild leopards wander into the Indian city of Mumbai to prey on feral dogs – and in doing so they stop the dogs biting people and passing on the rabies virus
Bats spread Ebola because they’ve evolved not to fight viruses
Bats can carry viruses like Ebola and Marburg that are lethal for humans. This may be because, in order to fly, their bodies have given up on fighting such viruses
Cycling in later life makes you less likely to have a bad fall
Riding a bike into your older years means stronger legs, better balance and a lower risk of falls that injure and kill millions of elderly people