William Reville: The likely cause of the ‘rise’ in autismIt seems that most of the apparent increase in autism spectrum disorder is down to reporting practicesThu Jun 04 2015 - 10:23
Why you should never short-change a monkeyWe humans share an innate sense of fairness – and of righteous grievance – with other primatesThu May 21 2015 - 01:00
How music helps us to navigate a world full of conflictsOne hypothesis is that music helps us to reconcile our conflicted emotions when making choicesThu May 07 2015 - 01:00
Loneliness: the next big global health problem?It is predicted that loneliness could reach epidemic proportions by 2030 – and it is very bad for your healthThu Apr 16 2015 - 06:00
Belief in the multiverse: a form of blind faith?Physics and cosmology have veered down a non-scientific cul-de-sac, a leading physicist has arguedThu Apr 02 2015 - 10:07
Is there such a thing as a safe dosage of alcohol?Risks associated with high consumption are clear, but research shows mild drinking can have benefitsThu Mar 19 2015 - 11:45
The reason why modern teaching methods don’t workWhole-class teaching, in which childern learn to use their long-term memory, has been abandoned for a more personalised, naturalistic approach, and it’s been a disasterMon Mar 02 2015 - 10:11
Not enough running – and too much – is bad for your healthEven a little regular exercise can boost your health, but beware: pushing your body too hard is damagingThu Feb 19 2015 - 01:00
Why are so many social scientists left-liberal?A study argues that more diversity among academics would improve social psychology researchThu Feb 05 2015 - 01:00
George Boole at the intersection of science and faithThe research of the ‘father of pure mathematics’ was significantly motivated by his faithThu Jan 15 2015 - 01:00
How did humans come to dominate the Earth?Studies suggest that co-operation played a far bigger role than aggression, but is that to underestimate our bloodlust?Thu Dec 18 2014 - 10:31
William Reville: Let’s be mindful about the benefits of meditationMeditation can be helpful, but its efficacy depends on the ends for which it is usedThu Dec 04 2014 - 01:00
After death, is there light at the end of the tunnel?Resuscitation medicine can now revive people who have been dead for hours, and some of them have intriguing stories to tellThu Nov 20 2014 - 01:00
Ireland could benefit from greenhouse gas findingResearch indicates carbon emissions from grasslands are much smaller than current calculationsThu Nov 06 2014 - 01:00
The damage done by misconduct in scienceLoss of public trust will be the most serious consequence if misconduct is not eliminatedThu Oct 16 2014 - 01:00
The Greek island whose happy people ‘forget to die’It’s no myth: on Ikaria a mix of contentment, diet and social interaction extend life well beyond the normThu Oct 02 2014 - 11:20
Unleashing some of the genius that lies withinAre all brains preloaded with a reservoir of remarkable abilities that are lying dormant?Thu Sept 18 2014 - 01:00
The truth, the whole truth, about white liesLies told to spare people’s feelings are generally considered harmless, but some scientists disagreeThu Sept 04 2014 - 01:00
Beware the unproven claims of self-help cultureAvoid any approach that hasn’t been verified by independent data or that promises a quick fixThu Aug 21 2014 - 01:00
Mind and matter: tensions between the body and the soulMaterialists claim that the self is illusory and free will doesn’t exist, but many scientists disagreeThu Aug 07 2014 - 01:00
British body’s proposal to stop young people from smoking is unwiseThe British Medial Association’s move to block the sale of cigarettes to those born after 2000 is understandable but would prove counterproductiveThu Jul 17 2014 - 01:00
The brain likes to take the road it knows bestFamiliarity with the tried and tested can prevent us from seeking out more efficient solutionsThu Jul 03 2014 - 01:00
What if God were part of the natural order?Stephen Kosslyn once put forward the intriguing notion that God exists but is not supernaturalThu Jun 19 2014 - 01:00
Breaking the silence of those with brain injuryImagine the horror of being fully conscious but unable to communicate. Research is helping to break this barrierThu Jun 05 2014 - 01:00
Body Mass Index is not an infallible measureCalculate your BMI but also check the ratio of waist-to-hip circumference and be ultra- conscious of abdominal fatThu May 22 2014 - 01:00
So saturated fat is okay again? Not so fastA recent study into fat is not a green light to load up on steak and butter, one nutrition expert warnsThu May 15 2014 - 01:00
The bilingual brain is more nimble and efficientMultilingual people are better at reasoning and multitasking, and work faster and with less effortThu Apr 17 2014 - 01:00
Birds do it, bees do it – but how did T Rex do it?Stop sniggering down the back: the delicate question of how dinosaurs had sex remains a mysteryThu Apr 03 2014 - 01:00
Clever chickens come home to roostGrowing evidence should greatly trouble us when we consider how poultry is treated on factory farmsThu Mar 20 2014 - 01:00
Supplements in diet may do more bad than goodRecent Swedish research suggests that antioxidant dietary supplements may actually increase cancer risk in certain peopleThu Mar 06 2014 - 01:00
No evidence of threat to public health from power linesLatest studies fail to support claims that overhead cables represent a danger to the publicThu Feb 20 2014 - 01:00
The truth about fast food and getting fatAs studies show, it is unwise to demonise fast food but wise to eat it only very occasionallyThu Feb 06 2014 - 01:00
Philosophers must oppose arrogance of scientismOpposition to religion stems from the fact that many of these scientists are fundamentalist materialistsThu Jan 16 2014 - 01:00
Passive smoking: have the risks been overstated?The latest study in the US adds to the argument that links with lung cancer may not be as strong as previously believedThu Jan 02 2014 - 01:00
Thinking on obesity is overly simplisticThere is much more behind the obesity problem than sugary drinks and fast food. Genetics are keyThu Dec 19 2013 - 01:00
Little to show from 42-year war on cancerProgress has been slow because the roots of the disease hide in the fantastic complexity of our cellsThu Dec 05 2013 - 01:00
Science loses credibility if studies can’t be replicatedAn increasing proportion of the scientific literature is irreproducible, with major consequences for progressThu Nov 21 2013 - 01:00
What makes people fat? It’s not obviousThere are two competing theories to explain the causes of obesity, and they are about to be testedThu Nov 07 2013 - 01:00
Let’s open our minds and mouths to GM foodGenetic modification is still highly controversial despite extensive research having failed to produce evidence of harmThu Oct 17 2013 - 01:00
Theories on monogamy tend to be promiscuousTwo research groups area at loggerheads over the implications of their studies for human evolutionThu Oct 03 2013 - 10:16
Tackling Obesity with Processed FoodIt’s time to re-think the advice given to those struggling with obesity about what food is goodThu Sept 19 2013 - 01:00
A little light at the end of the global-warming tunnelThe potential of a new technology to slow down global warming does not excuse continuing paralysisThu Sept 05 2013 - 01:00
An imperfect scienceScience is the best tool available to allow us to pursue objective truths, but scientists are human like the rest of usThu Aug 15 2013 - 01:00
An essential step in growing human liversScientists have shown ‘proof of concept’ that a working human liver can be built in the lab from stem cellsThu Aug 01 2013 - 01:00
Incidence of monkeypox and cowpox on the riseA side effect of smallpox eradication is a lack of immunity to other strains that can be just as lethalThu Jul 18 2013 - 01:00
Blood-brain barrier vital to regulation of systemLearning how to open and close this intriguing gateway could lead to cures for many perplexing diseasesThu Jul 11 2013 - 00:00
When too much empathy is dangerousWhen empathy causes us to ignore logic or science, its consequences can be harmful to allThu Jun 27 2013 - 01:00
Is Europe on the verge of demographic collapse?Birth rates need to be 2.1 to ensure the species does not peter out. But modern life poses a threat to posterityThu Jun 06 2013 - 01:00
Amino acids and the beginning of lifeAmino acids have been detected in space and in meteorites that landed on EarthThu May 16 2013 - 02:00
A functional and essential debateIdentifying where personhood begins is vitalto the ethical debateThu May 02 2013 - 07:00
