Social media’s push for the perfect muscular body is fuelling a new form of disordered eating — and young men are most at risk: Young men are most likely to follow eating habits consistent with Mode. Elkhophoto/ Shutterstock From celebrities and influencers to everyday people, social media is full of content that showcases perfectly toned, …
Britain’s net zero construction workforce is already at risk of being burnt out: Kittirat Roekburi/Shutterstock The pressure of decarbonising industrial sectors is weighing on workers. The UK’s Labour government seeks a low-carbon and homegrown energy supply by 2030. The scale and pace of this transformation is unprecedented in the country’s power sector, and will involve …
Insect trafficking poses a risk to wildlife and human health: Rhino beetles are just one insect species being traded illegally. Lightboxx/Shutterstock Four men were recently arrested and fined for attempting to smuggle more than 5,000 ants out of Kenya. Aiming to sell them as part of the exotic pet trade, these ants were being stored …
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 …
Bacteria in your mouth may hold clues to your brain health and dementia risk – new study: Could the bacteria in your mouth predict whether you are at risk of dementia? Emerging research suggests that the bacteria living on your tongue and gums may affect how the brain works and how it changes as we …
Why splash pools can be an infection risk for kids: In the heat of summer, many parents take their children to splash pools or splash pads and other recreational water parks to cool down. But indoor aquatic facilities – with their fountains and spraying jets of water – can often be just as popular over …
The menopause can increase your likelihood of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension — but exercise can help lower risk: Combined strength and endurance workouts improved several of the risk factors associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Yiistocking/ Shutterstock The menopause affects all women differently – and each person’s experience is unique. While some women …
Mpox in the DRC: children are at high risk – health expert explains why: The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that children, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are at higher risk from the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports confirm that children under five account for 39% of …
Avalanches can grow 100 times larger under the sea than on land – here’s why they’re a risk to the internet: ZHMURCHAK/Shutterstock Underwater avalanches are powerful natural events that happen all the time under the surface of the ocean. They are impossible to see and extremely difficult to measure, which means we know little about …
Tanzania’s dams: flood risk depends on how they’re planned and operated: The Rufiji River, which drains into Tanzania’s south-east coast, experienced a major wave of flooding in April 2024. The flooding caused tragic loss of life and affected at least 88,000 individuals. More than 28,000 hectares of crops were damaged. There has been much debate …
South Africa: Gold mine pollution is poisoning Soweto’s water and soil – study finds food gardens are at risk: For 140 years, gold mines in Johannesburg, South Africa have been leaking wastewater contaminated with heavy metals. The acid mine drainage from Johannesburg’s estimated 278 abandoned mines and 200 mine dumps includes uranium (a radioactive metal), …
Antibiotic use on Kenya’s dairy farms is putting consumers and animals at risk: Farmers often use antibiotics to keep their livestock healthy. They’re sometimes used as “quick fixes”, to avoid more costly management measures like regular disinfection, waste management, routine vaccination or provision of clean drinking water. Animal husbandry now accounts for about two thirds …
Grenfell should have been a wake-up call – but the UK still doesn’t take fire safety seriously because of who is most at risk: In March 2023, a fire in Tower Hamlets, east London, claimed the life of Mizanur Rahman, a 41-year-old father-of-two from Bangladesh. Five fire engines and 35 firefighters attended the call to …
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 …
River deltas are threatened by more than climate change – leaving hundreds of millions of people at risk: The Irrawaddy delta, Myanmar. lavizzara/Shutterstock Perilously situated between rising sea levels and pressures from upstream lie coastal river deltas and their roughly half a billion inhabitants. These regions have played an important role in societal development since …
Climate tipping points are nearer than you think – our new report warns of catastrophic risk: lugazzotti / shutterstock It’s now almost inevitable that 2023 will be the warmest year ever recorded by humans, probably the warmest for at least 125,000 years. Multiple temperature records were smashed with global average temperatures for some periods well …
The vast majority of us have no idea what the padlock icon on our internet browser is – and it’s putting us at risk: The padlock icon which appears in most internet browser address bars. Robert Avgustin/Shutterstock Do you know what the padlock symbol in your internet browser’s address bar means? If not, you’re not …
AstraZeneca sued over jab: could it be down to a misunderstanding of how risk is calculated?: A multi-million-pound landmark “vaccine damage” case is set to take place in London’s High Court. The test case is being pursued by Jamie Scott who suffered a severe brain injury in April 2021 after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The …