By Alice Klein Parents of young children have less sleep, money and free time Phil Fisk/Getty When it comes to who is happier, people with kids or those without, most research points to the latter. But a new study suggests that parents are happier than non…
By Graham Lawton Blaine Harrington III/Getty THE mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, earlier this month was widely reported as a racially motivated attack by a white supremacist. That is almost certainly what it was: shortly before it happen…
By Clare Wilson Breast cancer may not be linked to heavy drinking Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Could the health risks from booze be overblown? A new study has found that low levels of alcohol do not cause cancer, and even heavy drinking doesnt cause breast cancer c…
By Clare Wilson Campaigners say organs are being taken from prisoners in China Getty Fifteen studies about transplanted organs by researchers in China have been retracted this month due to concerns the work may have used organs from executed prisoners. Thr…
By Adam Vaughan Saiga antelope now live only in Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia Rostislav Mashin / Alamy The US and Mongolia are backing a ban on the trade of a critically endangered antelope that has seen its numbers on the central Asian steppes devastat…
By Chris Stokel-Walker Small pieces of plastic do marine animals no good at all Tunatura/Getty An army of tiny magnetic coils could dissolve microplastics from water, and possibly help us clean up waterways and oceans. Microplastics are used in all sorts …
By Alice Klein Diamonds may not be forever, but some contain signatures of very, very old rocks Antony BurnhamDiamond from Collier kimberlite A unique haul of diamonds that formed incredibly deep underground has been found in Brazil. What is more, they con…
By Donna Lu Robotic shorts save energy while walking or running Wyss Institute at Harvard University Sportswear is getting a robotic upgrade. A new exosuit, which is worn like a pair of bike shorts, makes both walking and running more energy efficient. Ph…
By Ruby Prosser Scully The team found DNA (red) and an enzyme (green) on the surface of human gallstones (yellow) Munoz et al./Immunity It has long been known that gallstones grow from crystals in the gallbladder, but it has been unclear how these stick to…
By Michael Marshall Cave bears didn’t last long, once humans moved in next door bogdanhoria/Getty The huge cave bears that once roamed Europe started to disappear just after modern humans arrived. The finding from a new genetic analysis suggests that our a…
By Andrew Barron Josie Ford TWO things are clear about human sexual orientation. First, it is biological; second, it is complex. Sexual behaviour, identity, attractions and fantasies don’t line up neatly. Consistently, biologists fail to recognise this. In…
By Lilian Anekwe Dog walking may put some people at risk of catching Lyme disease Tony Hobbs / Alamy People diagnosed with Lyme disease in England and Wales tend to be older, white women living in rural, relatively affluent areas. An analysis of hospital …