Health

Bilingualism was previously thought to confer an element of protection against age-related cognitive decline. Image credit - Pexels, licensed under CC0

16 January 2019

Claims that bilingualism keeps brains young could be ‘wishful thinking’

Speaking two languages is a highly valuable skill but is an unlikely defence against age-related cognitive decline as previously thought, according to new research on ageing and bilingualism.

Professor Luke O’Neill, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

interview | health | frontier research

09 January 2019

Understanding immune system switches will spark new drugs

Identifying the chemical switches that turn different parts of our immune system on and off is opening up new avenues for treating diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis – and potential new uses for discarded drugs, according to Professor Luke O’Neill, an immunologist at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Diagnosing dyslexia before children start to read would be the 'holy grail' for researchers. Image credit - Jay Inslee, CC BY-ND 2.0

health

08 January 2019

Noise and motion links to dyslexia pave way for early diagnosis

Most children are able to learn language almost effortlessly. But for those with communication disorders such as dyslexia, mastering their native tongue can be a challenge. Researchers are exploring how links with noise, language and motion could help diagnose problems earlier and pave the way for better treatment.

health

05 December 2018

Extended napping could cause cognitive decline in older people

Regular naps may be one of the privileges of retirement but research is pointing to napping as a contributor to cognitive decline. Scientists are now testing the idea that older people should instead meditate or learn a language to preserve brainpower and wellbeing.

Early diagnosis of acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) paves the way for treatment. Image Credit: National Cancer Institute

health

04 December 2018

Scientists can predict rare leukaemia 8 years before symptoms begin

A study of more than half a million blood samples has allowed scientists to pinpoint the risk factors for a rare type of leukaemia, enabling them to predict if someone will develop the disease eight years before symptoms appear and opening the door to preventative treatments.

An estimated 224 million children worldwide are overweight or obese. Image credit - Tony Alter, licensed under CC BY 2.0

health

05 November 2018

Nature or nurture: How do we end child obesity?

A smartphone app that challenges children to engage in healthy behaviour, and genetic studies that investigate risk factors for obesity, are taking a nature and nurture approach to tackling one of the biggest epidemics of our time – childhood obesity.

More than half of the total food waste in the EU, some 88 million tonnes in total per year, comes from households and the food service and retail industries. Image credit - Taz, licensed under CC BY 2.0

health | industry

29 October 2018

Food scraps to become dairy and meat substitutes

Finicky eating habits and wasteful processes have led to a system that discards millions of tonnes of food each year, but new approaches are salvaging the scraps we never see to make products that people will want to eat.

Dr Helbich hopes his research will help urban planners to design neighbourhoods that promote good mental health. Image credit - Dr Helbich

health | interview

10 October 2018

Studies linking green space to lower suicide risk are ‘just a snapshot’

Research suggests that where we live can affect our mental health but Dr Marco Helbich, an urban geographer at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, believes these studies only offer a limited snapshot of our lives. Using a smartphone app and register data, he is tracking people through their daily routines and their residential history to see whether mental health is affected by where we live, work and socialise. His findings could change how we design our cities.

Kidney disease often lacks symptoms until it is at an advanced stage. Image credit - Kristoffer Lindskov Hansen, Michael Bachmann Nielsen and Caroline Ewertsen, licensed under CC BY 4.0

health

02 October 2018

Tissue engineering is no quick fix for kidney disease, but early intervention can help

Recent advances in kidney research have yielded dramatic headlines touting scientists’ ability to grow kidneys in the lab. But some experts worry that hype about tissue engineering is excessively raising patients’ hopes.

Sensors placed throughout a retirement home helped the ENRICHME robot to keep track of the movements and activities of residents taking part in the project’s trial. Image credit - ENRICHME

ict | health

25 September 2018

Memory-jogging robot to keep people sharp in ‘smart’ retirement homes

A robot that reminds older people where they have put things and helps them exercise has been used by residents in three retirement homes in a trial to combat cognitive decline in later age.