Same-day test helps doctors detect hidden infections in critically ill children

" The fact that they had a test there available to her was paramount. It saved her life," said Stacey.

Norman McCubbin obituary

My brother Norman McCubbin, who has died aged 77, was a scientist who worked at the forefront of experimental particle physics.

How an accelerating Earth led experts to adopt the leap hour

After decades of discussion, quibbling and worrying about clocks in computer systems, the world’s official timekeepers have voted to replace what many viewed as a tiresome correction: the leap seco…

Neanderthal remains may be earliest human ancestor find killed by a spear

A smooth round hole in the shoulder blade of a Neanderthal who died more than 70,000 years ago may be the oldest evidence so far of a human ancestor being killed by a wooden spear.

Was Neanderthal life violent? This wound suggests lethal fighting was more common

A Neanderthal who died 75,000 years ago may have been struck through the chest by a sharpened wooden spear, archaeologists say.

Severe drought declared in parts of southern England

Image source, Reuters

Cyril Hilsum obituary

Cyril Hilsum’s research into stable liquid crystals and the devices in which they could be used paved the way for the flat-panel television and computer screens that are now ubiquitous in homes, of…

Essential items to stock in your medicine cabinet for cold and flu season

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The F1 pit stop that helped save lives

Image source, Getty Images

My contraceptive coil saved my life after it revealed I had cancer

When Caroline Bailey was suffering with sharp, stabbing pains in her stomach, she thought it was being caused by her contraceptive coil.

UK temperatures to rise to 23C before autumn chill sets in

Image source, Peter Byrne/PA Wire

I'm 12 and I want to try protein powder - should I?

Twelve-year-old Ben is desperate to try protein powder but there's one hurdle: me, his mum.

Davina McCall says memory loss after brain surgery was like 'advanced Alzheimer's'

TV presenter Davina McCall has said she experienced symptoms similar to "advanced Alzheimer's" following brain surgery.

New team to save Antarctic port from climate change

Image source, Helen Annan/UK Antarctic Heritage Trust

World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey

Figure caption, Artefacts from the ship were found just off the coast of Kekova Island

Stop making sense: focus on sounds to help learn a language, study suggests

If you want to get really good at French, Arabic or Hungarian, don’t start with rote learning vocabulary and grammar, focus on how they sound instead, research suggests.

More tea? How Scotland's crops of the future could be set to change

Image caption, Susie Walker-Murno has been growing tea on her family farm in Angus since 2007

Trill seekers: can scientists use AI and tutors to help birds remember lost songs?

Listening to birdsong is one of life’s great joys, but when researchers heard a particular tune emerging from a tree in a Buenos Aires park, they were especially jubilant. This arrangement was amon…

One way to protect coral reefs? Bring back seabirds

At Palmyra Atoll in the remote Pacific Ocean, wildlife refuge manager Paige Mino observes red-footed boobies. Scientists have found a surprising link between the seabirds and the health of the surr…

Women ‘more likely to be told autoimmune conditions are psychological’

Women with autoimmune conditions are up to 74% more likely than men to be told their symptoms are psychological or psychosomatic, and face much longer waits for a diagnosis and treatment, a study s…

Did you solve it? The treacherous puzzle of the round table

Earlier today I set you these six puzzles. Here they are again with solutions.

As a scientist, here's what worries me about the suspected Russian plague victim | Devi Sridhar

In pandemic preparedness work, scientists like to focus on the technical challenges: identifying pathogens, diagnosing infections, understanding their effects and developing vaccines and treatments…

Here's what to know if you're unsure about your measles immunity status

Measles is the most contagious disease known. It can rip through a population without immunity like wildfire. Just look at what's happening in Pennsylvania, says Patsy Stinchfield, executive direct…

Roman fort found in Wales could prove myth of emperor’s camp is real

Magnus Maximus, the Roman emperor who ruled Britain in the fourth century, led his troops against the Picts and Scots, but a theory that he also established a military camp near Frenni Fawr hill in…

Country diary: Fungi season is here, so I head – yes – to the beach | Nigel Brown

Dapperlings and toughshanks, bonnets and brittlegills, bird’s nests and fairy clubs. Fungi season has begun, and for me it is heralded by the “fungus foray” held at Bangor University’s Treborth Bot…

Could you spot cancer symptoms in children?

Childhood cancer symptoms can be easily missed - here's what to look out for

‘A living hell’: how Los Angeles got taken over by mosquitoes

Los Angeles might be best known for blue skies, beaches and film premiers — but for the last several years it’s held another, unenviable distinction: the most mosquito-infested city in America.

Sweating the details: Sauna's potential health benefits draw scientists' interest

Sauna scientists Dr. Hans Hägglund (from left), Earric Lee and Ashley Mason take a steam in the Japanese sauna at The Well in Oslo, Norway. They are part of a group of international researchers stu…

'I watched Apollo 17 launch with Neil Armstrong'

Image source, Dermot Gethings

I was told I had depression for 14 years until I got sectioned - it was bipolar

Prof Danny Smith, chair of psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh, told the BBC that better "screening" was needed by health professionals, such as asking about symptoms like mania and if patien…

Nuclear war and malicious use of AI threaten end of humanity by 2100, says Lancet assessment

Humans could become extinct by the year 2100 due to malicious use of AI or nuclear conflict, according to a new global risk assessment.

Northern Lights stun UK down to England's south coast

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / Jonny Gios

Ongoing lawsuits allege GLP-1s can cause serious harm. But we don't know how often

Shelley and Todd Engel. The Engel family hide caption

What happens when you grow up not knowing your family medical history?

When Aaliyah found a lump in her breast, she was anxious to find out if she had inherited an increased risk of cancer.

Weekend showers and sunshine for UK ahead of warmer temperatures next week

Image source, Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

Ada Yonath obituary

For years, the crystallographer and biochemist Ada Yonath had to contend with the disdain and sometimes derision of many of her contemporaries after she set herself the challenge of mapping the mol…

A student hated reading for years. Her podcast explores finding the right diagnosis

Seventh Grader wins student podcast challenge with dyslexia story

You have a higher chance of getting cancer at a younger age than your parents. So what went wrong? | Devi Sridhar

In the field of global health, we often talk about each generation living longer and healthier lives than their parents. We’ve seen this in the gains in life expectancy, the sharp decrease in child…

Margaret Hamilton, whose software sent humans to the moon, dies at 90

Margaret Hamilton sits in mock-up of Apollo the command module on display at MIT in 1969. File/AP hide caption

Suicide is up among Black Americans. We need to talk about it.

My brother took his own life on May 10, 2010. Rarely a day goes by that I don't think of him. But just because I thought about him, it didn't mean I could talk about him. For a long time, I couldn't.

Astronomers detect mysterious burst of energy from a galaxy far, far away

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a mysterious flash of energy was released into the universe.

4 people on NASA's Crew-12 mission return to Earth after 8 months in space

NASA's Crew-12 members gather for a portrait in the pressure suits they wore while departing the International Space Station inside the Space X Dragon spacecraft. From left, Roscosmos cosmonaut And…

'My donated Brummie accent gives me confidence'

A man who appealed for help to no longer sound like a "character from Star Wars" says he has found his calling.

Covid, Brexit and Liz Truss mini-budget led to lasting decline in mental health, study finds

Brexit, Liz Truss’s mini-budget and other “shocks” over the last 10 years have led to a serious and lasting deterioration in the UK population’s mental health, research has found.

Why hotter summers are making British potatoes smaller

" There will be fewer potatoes grown going forward. They are a very expensive crop to grow," says Tim when the BBC visits his farm near Helmsley.

How a scientist used Britpop to reach Mars

Image source, Getty Images

Margaret Hamilton, whose software helped land Apollo 11 on the Moon, dies at 90

The computer scientist behind groundbreaking research that helped land Nasa's astronauts on the Moon, has died aged 90.

UK bluefin tuna comeback shows nature can recover, says WWF

Image source, Henry Kirkwood/WWF-UK

Teenager becomes first person to have testicular tissue transplant in UK

Surgeons have performed the first testicular tissue transplant on a teenager in the UK, offering hope that boys left infertile by chemotherapy could one day have biological children.

What is the pneumonic plague?

The ancient word "plague" is back in the headlines.