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
Primitive human eggs matured in the lab for the first time
Human eggs have been removed in their most primitive state and brought to maturity in the lab for the first time, potentially boosting fertility treatments.
Opioids that hit different brain target could be less addictive
Researchers have determined how morphine derivatives bind to the kappa opioid receptor, which should enable safer painkillers to be developed
Light pollution is set to double between now and 2050
The first global “light census” shows that the area affected by artificial lighting is growing by 2.2 per cent every year, posing risks to wildlife and human health
China’s dreadful air pollution seems to have got a bit better
While China’s capital Beijing is once again suffering a severe smog, a new study suggests that nationally pollution has fallen 21 per cent over two years
Europe and the US were most responsible for deadly heatwave
A lethal heatwave that struck Argentina in 2013 was made more likely by climate change – and greenhouse gases from Europe and the US played the biggest role
What drove the WHO to make Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador?
The new head of the World Health Organization caused a backlash by handing Zimbabwe's despotic leader a role. Why did he make such a misstep, wonders Luke Allen
How to clean up the dirty water Puerto Ricans are drinking
Nearly a month after Hurricane Maria, many people on Puerto Rico are still without clean drinking water and have resorted to wells on a contaminated site
Air pollution blamed for 500,000 early deaths in Europe in 2014
The biggest source of harm was particulate matter from domestic stoves, but nitrogen dioxide from cars is also linked to many premature deaths