Can Vitamin D Prevent Cold & Flu?

“PRONE to sniffles? Some vitamin D might help. More than 3 million people in the UK would avoid having colds and flu every year if they took vitamin D supplements. That’s according to an analysis of data from nearly 11,000 people. The analysis used data from 25 clinical trials and found that vitamin D supplements can cut the proportion… Read More

The Krebs Cycle: Metabolic Reactions & Early Life

“A primeval version of the metabolic processes that all life uses to survive could have arisen spontaneously on Earth in the absence of enzymes, according to a new study. This suggests that key parts of metabolism are older than life itself and could have emerged easily on early Earth. Metabolism describes the complex network of chemical reactions that enable organisms… Read More

Does Mental Health Screening for Soldiers Work?

“MENTAL health screening doesn’t help soldiers with psychological problems after they return from war. So says the first test of such check-ups. The surprise result suggests other kinds of psychological screening, on school children or new mothers, for instance,may also be flawed. Several nations perform psychological check-ups when military personnel get home. There are calls for the UK to do so too. But… Read More

Some Interesting Facts about the Fluids We Drink

“Fancy a drink? At some point today the answer will be yes. The average adult drinks about 1.7 litres of fluids a day: water, tea, coffee, soda, milk, fruit juice and more. But our ideas of what we should be drinking are clouded by urban myths, wishful thinking and dubious health claims. Time to mix in some fact.” (Adee et al.,… Read More

Can Bombs Help Create Life?

“SOME bombs can help create life.” (Karath, 2017, p.16). “A series of miscalculated bombing raids aimed at an airport created more than a hundred ponds near the village of Apaj in central Hungary. The bombs fell on a type of habitat called sodic meadows, which give rise to a saline environment when covered in water. In all, 274 species, including turtles and water… Read More

Old Food, New Food & Lifespan: Any Link?

“YOU are what you eat – so does eating old food make you old? It sounds far-fetched, but experiments on mice, flies and yeast suggest that it might. The fundamental causes of ageing aren’t understood. One leading idea is that throughout life, our bodies accumulate cellular damage. Vadim Gladyshev at Harvard University wondered whether this damage can be acquired through food. Food… Read More