Many people are still shielding from COVID – and our research suggests their mental health is getting worse: Many vulnerable people are continuing to shield to minimise their risk of catching COVID. Marjan Apostolovic/Shutterstock Shortly after the pandemic was declared in March 2020, more than 2 million people in the UK were advised to shield …
Politicians live longer than the populations they represent: new research: Joe Biden is the oldest person to be sworn in as US president. New research shows politicians are likely to live longer than the populations they represent. BiksuTong / Shutterstock In many countries, inequalities in income and wealth have been rising since the 1980s. It …
Hedgehog conservation: how to make a garden nest box appealing – new research: Coatesy/Shutterstock When large patches of woodland are swallowed by urban sprawl or when households replace long grass with artificial turf or refurbish buildings to repair cracks and crevices, wildlife populations are robbed of potential places to rest, breed and hibernate. That’s why …
Long COVID: female sex, older age and existing health problems increase risk – new research: shurkin_son/Shutterstock About 2 million people in the UK currently have long COVID, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. In the UK, long COVID is defined as “signs and symptoms that continue or develop after acute …
Struggling with positive thinking? Research shows grumpy moods can actually be useful: Even anger serves a purpose. TeodorLazarev/Shutterstock As psychiatry, which uses medical and biological methods to treat mental disorders, has largely overtaken psychotherapy, which relies on non-biological approaches such as conversation and counselling, psychotherapists have sought alternative challenges. One common approach is to focus …
Human disruption to Earth’s freshwater cycle has exceeded the safe limit, our research shows: Scott Book/Shutterstock Green water – the rainwater available to plants in the soil – is indispensable for life on and below the land. But in a new study, we found that widespread pressure on this resource has crossed a critical limit. …
Girls’ mental health has been affected more than boys’ during the pandemic – new research: Mental health issues in children are linked to poorer educational outcomes. Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock Evidence has shown that the COVID pandemic has impacted women’s mental health more significantly than men’s mental health. For example, lockdowns and the stress of home schooling …
Celibacy: its surprising evolutionary advantages – new research: Nature wants us to reproduce, so how come celibacy evolved? Carsten ten Brink/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND Why would someone join an institution that removed the option of family life and required them to be celibate? Reproduction, after all, is at the very heart of the evolution that shaped us. …
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 …
UN sustainable development goals failing to have meaningful impact, our research warns: Kiara Worth/IISD/ENB, Author provided In September 2015, leaders from 193 countries gathered in the UN assembly hall in New York to plan nothing less than “transforming our world”. This was the birth of the sustainable development goals, which aimed to “free the human …
London’s Olympic legacy: research reveals why £2.2 billion investment in primary school PE has failed teachers: The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London were billed as the “Legacy Games”. The euphoria in the lead up was palpable. London was poised to host a global event that, through the power of sport, promised to have …
Socially isolated people have differently wired brains and poorer cognition – new research: People who are isolated from others do worse on cognitive tests. sfam_photo/Shutterstock Why do we get a buzz from being in large groups at festivals, jubilees and other public events? According to the social brain hypothesis, it’s because the human brain specifically …
New research: how refugees leading city walking tours helps increase their sense of belonging: Connecting local sights with personal stories of being a newcomer to the city creates more meaningful experiences for visitors. Prawrawee Lim | Shutterstock Worldwide, one person becomes forcibly displaced every three seconds. The thinktank the Institute for Economics and Peace estimates …
Molecular research could help Nigeria solve a host of health problems: Molecular research like that conducted at the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria is key to medical breakthroughs. PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images Our world and everything in it is made up of innumerable tiny molecules. These molecules …
Cost of living crisis: what research says about the potential psychological impact: SB Arts Media | Shutterstock Over two thirds – 69% – of low-income private renters in England will be unable to eat and heat their homes at least one day per week because of rising living costs, the UK charity Crisis recently warned. …
Decisive people don’t make better decisions – new research: Shutterstock I’ve always been an indecisive person. What to wear, which menu item to pick, when to do house chores; always thinking through scenarios, before committing to even the most trivial of choices. If this sounds like you, you’re certainly not unusual: many people struggle with these …
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 …
How to express yourself if you want others to cooperate with you – new research: Be inclusive and informal. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Collective action is often the key to creating dramatic social or environmental changes, be it reducing pollution and waste, diminishing overfishing by sourcing alternatives, or getting more scientists to openly share their data …