You really can die of sadness – and also happiness: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Dying of a broken heart was just a figure of speech until 2002 when Dr Hikaru Sato and colleagues at Hiroshima City Hospital described it in a study. Sato named the condition takotsubo cardiomyopathy. It was quickly dubbed “broken heart syndrome”. More …
Boris Johnson’s claim of a ‘mandate’ from the people isn’t accurate – here’s how prime ministers really get power: Boris Johnson’s time as Conservative party leader has come to an end, after a chaotic week marked by rebellion from his cabinet. But despite the wave of resignations and calls from his top ministers to step …
Boris Johnson breaks from his party in bitter resignation speech – what he said and what he really meant: Having apparently delayed the inevitable for as long as he could, Boris Johnson finally took to a podium outside 10 Downing Street on July 7 to say he would be stepping down as leader of the …
Barristers on strike: why criminal lawyers are walking out – and what they really get paid: For hundreds of years, barristers in England and Wales have ensured that parties in court are entitled to a fair trial with their own advocate presenting their point of view. This was an important step in establishing a fairer …
What it really meant to be punk in Britain: Peter Jordan/Alamy There is a current surge of interest in punk. The Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen topped the UK singles charts during the Platinum Jubilee. This was 45 years to the day after it controversially didn’t when originally released at the time of the …
Do optimists really live longer? Here’s what the research says: Women who reported themselves to have high levels of optimism lived longer on average. FamVeld/ Shutterstock Do you tend to see the glass as half full, rather than half empty? Are you always looking on the bright side of life? If so, you may be …
New right-to-buy scheme could trap people in poverty – here’s what could really make houses affordable: Shutterstock/Sam foster The UK government has announced plans to make mortgages available to people on benefits, allowing more of them to buy their own homes. Housing association tenants will also be offered the chance to buy their properties at …
Weight loss advice from GPs really can help people slim down and stay that way – new research: People lost almost 4kg on average when working with a GP. fizkes/ Shutterstock For people looking to lose weight, it can be hard to know where to start. Not only are there scores of commercial weight loss …
Climate change: efficiency labels really do encourage less energy use – but there’s a better way of using them: Energy labels are useful, but they could be made more effective. Shutterstock Reducing our energy use has rarely been so pressing. And one way we can do this is choosing the most energy efficient option when …
Why Britain really can’t afford to cut civil servants right now: Shutterstock A letter leaked to the BBC has revealed that the UK government aims to cut up to 91,000 civil service jobs over the next three years to save money. The letter, sent to civil servants by Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, sets out …
Is AI-generated art really creative? It depends on the presentation: Guy Bell Ai-Da sits behind a desk, paintbrush in hand. She looks up at the person posing for her, and then back down as she dabs another blob of paint onto the canvas. A lifelike portrait is taking shape. If you didn’t know a robot …
Sleep: here’s how much you really need for optimal cognition and wellbeing – new research: Most of us struggle to think straight after a poor night's sleep. Hank Grebe/Shutterstock Most of us struggle to think well after a poor night’s sleep – feeling foggy and failing to perform at our usual standard at school, university …
Do mushrooms really use language to talk to each other? A fungi expert investigates: Alexander_Volkov/Shutterstock Nearly all of Earth’s organisms communicate with each other in one way or another, from the nods and dances and squeaks and bellows of animals, through to the invisible chemical signals emitted by plant leaves and roots. But what about …
Could lead makeup really kill you? A scientist recreated centuries-old skin whitening recipes to find out – podcast: The Countess of Coventry, Maria Gunning, was rumoured to have died of lead poisoning from her makeup. Jean-Étienne Liotard via Wikimedia Can makeup really kill you? That’s the myth attached to Maria Gunning, the Countess of Coventry, …
Why you really wouldn’t want to have blue blood: Blood is red and there is no debating that, right? Wrong. Crabs, lobsters, spiders and octopuses all have blue blood. There are even tales of the blue people of Kentucky. The term “blue blood” has been used since 1811 to describe royal families and the nobility. …
Check out this Paternoster image: Really good exhibition by ?@MOLArchaeology ?on Roman archeology in the City. At Paternoster Square until the 29th. Image by avail via Instagram ift.tt/2kwyUnB Image automatically curated and published by www.free-mail.co.za – CLICK HERE to learn more about WP Robot for WordPress. Have you tried: Diving with Sharks?
Ukraine: Poland reminds the EU how vulnerable its border nations really are: When a Russian airstrike hit a large military base in Ukraine just 15 miles from the Polish border, it drew instant international attention. The attack stood at strategically given its proximity to the territory of a Nato member. Any attack on Polish soil …
Stopping violence against women starts with learning what misogyny really is: Inside Creative House/Shutterstock It’s now over a year since 33-year-old Sarah Everard was kidnapped while she walked home and killed by a police officer in London. Since then, we’ve also seen the case of Sabina Nessa, a primary school teacher also from London, was …