African women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia – a dangerous pregnancy complication: Pre-eclampsia is a danger to pregnant women. It’s a complication characterised by high blood pressure and organ damage, arising during the second half of pregnancy, in labour or in the first week after delivery. It plays a major role in about 16% of …
Smokers have a higher level of harmful bacteria in the mouth – new study: A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 8 million people die annually from smoking related complications. Despite efforts by governments and various organisations to create awareness about the dangers, around 1.3 billion people still use some form …
Election 2024: the stakes are higher than they appear, so quality information is essential: With the UK heading for an election on July 4, it can feel like the result is pre-ordained. Labour has maintained a decisive poll lead for over a year and nothing Rishi Sunak does appears to shift the dial. But below …
The idea that US interest rates will stay higher for longer is probably wrong: The 0.4% rise in US consumer prices in March didn’t look like headline news. It was the same as the February increase, and the year-on-year rise of 3.5% is still sharply down from 5% a year ago. All the same, this …
Cancer: people living in England’s poorest areas at higher risk of death – new study: Those living in London had the lowest risk of dying from cancer. namtipStudio/ Shutterstock Nationally, the risk of dying from most cancers is falling thanks to improvements in screening, diagnostics and treatment. But new research shows stark health inequalities still …
GCSE and Higher results show worsening gap between richer and poorer pupils: pandemic assessment shows we should reconsider exams: DGLimages/Shutterstock The difference in average GCSE English and maths results between poorer and richer pupils – the so-called “attainment gap” – is the largest in England in over a decade, according to a recent government analysis. …
Young people with sexual or gender diversity are at higher risk of stopping their HIV treatment because of stigma and harsh laws: Ending the AIDS pandemic – particularly in eastern and southern Africa – cannot be achieved unless more resources are channelled to meet the needs of key vulnerable populations. This is one of the …
COVID in kids: younger children and those from deprived areas are at higher risk of being hospitalised – new research: Rido/Shutterstock At the heights of the pandemic, particularly since 2021, many children and teenagers admitted to hospital had COVID. However, it was never clear what proportion of them were in hospital because of COVID, indicating …
Breastfeeding linked to higher GCSE results: how to understand the nuance behind the numbers – and the lack of support for parents: kryzhov/Shutterstock Recently published research has found a link between breastfeeding for longer and higher GCSE grades. We know from previous research that across a whole population, breastfeeding can help support health and development. …
Refugee camps are at higher risk of extreme weather – new research: Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, home to one million Rohingya refugees, is prone to flooding. Sk Hasan Ali/Shutterstock Around the world, climate change, violence and poverty are forcing people from their homes. The UN’s refugee agency estimated that by mid-2022, there were 103 million …
Exercise linked to higher pain tolerance – new study: The most active participants had the highest pain tolerance overall. Maridav/ Shutterstock Many benefits come from regularly exercising, including stronger muscles, lower risk of disease and improved mental health. But a recent study suggests that exercise may have another unexpected benefit: it might make us more …
Sudan: the longer the conflict lasts, the higher the risk of a regional war: Saudi security officers stand guard off the seaport of Port Sudan in April 2023. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images The 2019 Sudan uprisings that ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir and installed a military-civilian transitional government gave hope that the northern African …
ChatGPT is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment: With proper teaching, students can use ChatGPT to develop their arguments and build their essays. Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock The COVID-19 pandemic was a shock to higher education systems everywhere. But while some changes, like moving lectures online, were relatively easy to make, assessment posed a much bigger …
Bad dreams in children linked to a higher risk of dementia and Parkinson’s disease in adulthood – new study: Pressmaster/Shutterstock Can children’s dreams foretell events that will happen nearly 40 years into the future? Yes, according to the results of my latest study published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal. More specifically, it showed that children …
Female football players are at much higher risk of career-ending ACL injuries – the science on why: Beth Mead dribbling the ball v Germany in the Women European Championship Final 2022. photographyjp/Shutterstock Women’s football is riding high. Not only are fans celebrating the success of the England team at the Arnold Clark Cup and Euro …
People with light skin are at higher risk of skin cancer. How to reduce sun exposure: Anastasiya Parfenyuk/Shutterstock Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to the sun – specifically solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation or rays. These can damage the cells in the skin and cause them to mutate. This causes skin cancer. …
Ditch the 4×4 – THIS Solar 5×5 is Much Cheaper and Has a Much Higher ROI: Let’s first warn sensitive readers that we will be using two South African swear words extensively in this article: Eskom and Loadshedding. If you have a weak heart or are prone to uncontrolled bursts of anger when things go …
Free online courses could be a path to higher education in African countries but awareness is low: Open and distance learning were specifically designed to allow anyone, anywhere to access higher education. Alistair Berg/Getty Images Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the largest regions in the world and has the lowest rates of participation in higher …