Inhalers that combine relieving breathlessness with preventing it seem to be the most effective option for reducing asthma attacks in young children

Severe lung inflammation has been linked to symptoms resembling post-traumatic stress disorder in mice, which could help us better treat and prevent the mental health condition

Novels need a gripping story to stay popular as the decades pass, but it seems that other less-obvious factors may also contribute to their lasting success

There are signs deep beneath the Pacific Ocean that an exploding star once sent cosmic rays blasting out towards Earth, and now we have an idea of which stars may be to blame

The rhythm of an infant's brain activity seems to put them in constant learning mode, whereas that of an adult may allow them to retrieve conceptual knowledge

Stratospheric temperatures in Antarctica are spiking, which could see strange weather unfold across the southern hemisphere in the coming months

When a key protein regulator dials down DNA repair mechanisms, our cells accumulate more mutations, which may cause us to age faster

The shared ancestor of our species, the Neanderthals and the Denisovans may be far older than we thought – which could completely change our understanding of humanity's evolution

Mixing nanoparticles into some common plastics made them harder to break and possibly easier to process, pointing towards a way to make better materials or packaging

The constant temperature and low humidity of a cave network in Saudi Arabia turned cheetahs, some of which died thousands of years ago, into mummies

Rising carbon dioxide levels have boosted the growth of trees in the Amazon rainforest over the past few decades, but it is unclear if this trend will continue

It is almost impossible to make cement without emissions, but carbon-capture-and-storage technology is finally being deployed to decarbonise the sector

Huntington’s disease has been successfully treated for the first time using a gene therapy, which may be available in the US as soon as next year

Since the 1970s, astronomers have predicted that Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, should be sending out hot wind – they have just caught the first glimpse of it

Thinking you don’t fit in is agonising, whether you are starting at university or changing jobs. Our advice columnist, David Robson, shares some tips to change how you feel

Surreal images from a new book, Microcosms, show how confocal microscopy that uses laser scanning creates a super-sharp new journey around mind-altering plants and fungi

Forget the tropes about how violence or maybe volcanic eruptions killed off our ancient cousins, The Last Neanderthal by Ludovic Slimak offers a very different take on how they died out

In this latest instalment of Future Chronicles, an imagined history of future inventions, Rowan Hooper explains how the creation of living solar panels transformed their impact on the world

Feedback is delighted to learn that researchers have discovered what Taylor Swift is accidentally doing to rescue the science of plants from mid-ness. Just take a look at her videos – sorry, botany teaching aids

We are quick to place ourselves on the extremes of the social spectrum, but the truth is that personality is more malleable than you think, says Claudia Canavan

From anger to hope, Kate Marvel and Tim Lenton explain how to tackle the tricky feelings aroused by climate change and harness them to take action

Simply listening to the experiences of women with conditions such as endometriosis will help to end the long-standing inequalities they face when it comes to medical progress

An array of 6100 ultracold caesium atoms controlled by lasers is the largest collection of qubits ever assembled, and researchers hope they can soon turn it into the world's most advanced quantum computer

Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more

Scientists have studied the genetics and lifestyle factors that enabled María Branyas Morera, officially the oldest person in the world until she died last year, to reach 117 years old

Scientific evidence is lacking to support the US government’s decisions to caution against using a common painkiller in pregnancy and fast-track the approval of an experimental medication for autism

Comparing a map of the neurons in a nematode worm - the connectome - with a map of how signals travel across those neurons has revealed a surprising number of differences, suggesting that the structure of the brain alone doesn't explain how it works

A fossil from about 66 million years ago reveals a species of dinosaur that is new to science, with claws that would have ripped through its prey's flesh

Although narcissistic personality disorder is rarer than you might think, psychological research suggests it can come in two different types, one of which may be underdiagnosed

Particles similar to axions, the leading candidate for dark matter that has long eluded detection, may have already been created in particle colliders – and remained hidden in the data

It has been suggested that lava tubes - underground tunnels carved out by molten rock - might be on Venus, and now we have direct evidence that this is the case

The revelation that endometriosis is linked to autoimmune disorders is opening up a whole new way to treat this painful and poorly understood condition

We used to think that deforestation in the Amazon would dry out the local climate, but the effects may be even more extreme and varied

Reading books and listening to audiobooks tap into different elements of cognition, each with their own benefits. So which one should you choose, and when?

Using the quantum states of particles of light as currency could make for unforgeable transactions, and a new experiment has added a way to save some of that quantum money for future use, too

The rate that our heart or liver ages may differ from that of our immune or hormonal systems, and now it seems that a single blood test could break that down

Ice core records of atmospheric hydrogen reveal a huge rise in concentration since the Industrial Revolution which has contributed to global warming – and could sway the debate over hydrogen as a fuel

Data from more than 18,000 people suggests that where excess fat is stored in the body influences its effects on brain structure, activity and health

For the first time, researchers have mathematically proven that a quantum computer can solve a particular task faster than an ordinary computer, in a way that can never be beaten

Hormone replacement therapy used within five years of the onset of menopause is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while starting it later in life is associated with an increased risk

A sand quarry in Ecuador has yielded South America’s first amber with bio-inclusions, including a spider's web and a collection of mosquitoes, beetles, flies, wasps and biting midges that lived 112 million years ago

Mutations can result in viruses that infect cells, but can't copy themselves without help from other viruses - now it seems these cheats may outnumber normal viruses in a third of influenza cases, reducing the severity of infections

Two experiments with different quantum computers showcase their growing ability to simulate materials and quantum matter that have so far proven elusive in the lab

Rejigging the meal choices on offer in a canteen can prompt people to make healthier, climate-friendlier decisions

Taking vitamin D2 supplements seems to reduce levels of vitamin D3 in our body

Chimpanzees are consuming significant levels of alcohol from their diet of ripe fruit and the finding may help explain the origins of humans’ taste for alcohol

The photos tell an unusual rescue story – the release of the critically endangered Javan slow lorises into Ujung Kulon National Park on Java Island, Indonesia, last month.

Taking care of your body’s nutritional needs after training doesn't have to be a headache. Grace Wade sums up three key pillars she uses to refuel with confidence

Ian McEwan’s excellent What We Can Know is set in a UK largely swallowed up by rising seas. Emily H. Wilson explores the story of a scholar hunting a great lost poem – which may have something to with climate change

We are still waiting for the retro-futuristic tech and social revolutions envisioned in science fiction’s old gold, writes Annalee Newitz – not to mention advances in reproduction

Making all shampoo or detergent bottles look the same isn't anti-capitalist, and it's the only way to make a truly circular economy for plastics, says Saabira Chaudhuri

Steven Pinker’s new book When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows makes a compelling case for common knowledge. Shame the politics muddies the waters

There are more centenarians now than ever before. But more must be done to address inequalities that prevent people from having a realistic chance of hitting this milestone.

Feedback was amazed to hear that dog ownership could cause a hurricane across the other side of the world. Or are we barking up the wrong tree?

A fossil from about 108 million years ago reveals an early member of the pachycephalosaurs, a group of dinosaurs with bizarre protrusions on their skulls that may have been used in combat

Using a suction device to stretch the skin seems to increase its permeability and stimulate immune cells, which could allow vaccines to be administered topically

While most countries have seen a steady decline in suicide rates, the United States has witnessed the opposite, with suicides jumping almost 30 per cent since 2000

An asteroid called 2023 CX1 underwent a single explosion, hinting that it had an unusual structure that might be more damaging on the ground

A set of 29 stone tools, including blades and points for hunting, butchering and cutting wood, were found neatly arranged as if carried in a leather pouch that decayed

Half a decade since the arrival of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we're still learning about its complications, with the latest research suggesting that long covid may disrupt menstrual periods

Evidence shows that eating a longevity diet can dramatically lengthen your lifespan – and the sooner you start, the more of a difference it makes

To be truly fit in older age, you need to work on specific aspects of your fitness – and research shows that it’s never too late to reap the benefits

Our friendly – and not so friendly – gut bacteria lie at the core of healthy ageing. Research is now revealing what it takes to maintain a youthful microbiome

It’s not just diet and exercise that governs how well you age. Your mindset, social connections and sense of purpose make a big difference, and it’s never too late to start working on them

Many of us know people who live into their 90s, but hardly anyone makes it to 100. Studies are now revealing that factors that really make a difference

Tech millionaire turned longevity pioneer Bryan Johnson devotes more than 6 hours a day to trialling different methods to turn back the clock. Can the rest of us learn anything from his radical approach?

AI tools including Perplexity and Open AI’s GPT-4 often provide one-sided answers to contentious questions, and don’t back up their arguments with reliable sources

Trapping ultracold atoms with laser light let researchers magnify and then image the wave functions of atoms that were previously too close together to look like anything but a blob

Inflammation is a vital part of the immune response, but it seems that the system can sometimes go awry, resulting in chronic inflammation that has been linked to conditions such as cancer

Experiments on Earth indicate some common species of bacteria and fungi could survive for several days on the moon's surface, suggesting missions must take stronger precautions to avoid contamination

For at least 10,000 years, humans across South-East Asia were being carefully preserved after death by being smoke-dried – a tradition that continues to this day in some cultures

The UK government has announced a raft of tiny nuclear power projects, while Russia, China and a host of tech giants are also betting big on small nuclear reactor designs. Does the idea make sense and can they really be built any time soon?

While Mars today only has a wispy remnant of an atmosphere, it may once have had one hundreds of times thicker with a pressure three times that on Earth

Chamkaur Ghag is on a mission to find the 85 per cent of the universe’s matter that we haven’t yet identified. He details his hopes for the major scientific experiment – and what the future could hold

The global health and economic benefits of covid-19 vaccines came to between $5 trillion and $38 trillion in their first year, showing an incredible return on investment

As drones have risen to prominence on the battlefield, so too has electronic warfare, in which adversaries attempt to mask, jam or trace radio signals. Now, a new stealthy radio device could help give people the edge, letting them fly drones without detection

Changes in rock formations from before and after the mass extinction event 66 million years ago may reflect how dinosaurs acted as ecosystem engineers, shaping vegetation and even the meandering of rivers

Trial participants who received an increased weekly dose of Wegovy lost 19 per cent of their body weight in a year on average, but also saw a higher risk of painful skin sensations and nausea

A 1.3-kilometre swim by a jaguar is the longest ever confirmed, but the cat's motives for making the journey are unclear

Childhood obesity rates have surpassed those of undernutrition for the first time, suggesting efforts to combat malnutrition will have to shift gears.

A study of festivalgoers suggests that drinking beer and sharing a bed makes you more attractive to mosquitoes

The gas giant has been measured for the first time in decades, trimming 8 kilometres from its diameter

Astronomers have struggled to explain why a long and thin cloud forms above Mars’s Arsia Mons volcano each year, until now

Ancient remains from a cave in Serbia show that Neanderthals were hunting mountain goats 300,000 years ago, adding to evidence of their ability to adapt to different environments

A hidden world of quantum metrologists ensure that everyday devices perform safely and correctly, but their work is never done

An archaeological dig in northern England shows iron and lead processing continued and even increased after the departure of the Romans

By combining the information storage capabilities of DNA with a design inspired by a cassette tape, researchers have created a storage medium that can hold 36 petabytes of data

Feedback is mystified by a new way to assess interstellar visitors and the risks they pose, be they lumps of ice or alien craft. Just pray they don’t top out on the Loeb Scale

There are three key nutrients that all plants need – nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium – but in different amounts. So finding fertiliser that suits all your plants might seem tricky, but there is a simple solution, says James Wong

Not only are children starting puberty earlier, they face a digital world where, for good and bad, most of their interactions are internalised. How We Grow Up is scary, illuminating and hopeful, says Chris Simms

There is growing opposition to environmental policies around the world, but could researchers have found a way around this, asks Graham Lawton

An exceptionally loud collision between two black holes has been detected by the LIGO gravitational wave observatory, enabling physicists to test a theorem postulated by Stephen Hawking in 1971

For women going through perimenopause, there is no shortage of advice on how to deal with the symptoms – but which strategies show real results, and which are social media hype?

Cleaning up air pollution has saved millions of lives, but it has also given us an inadvertent taste of a nightmare climate scenario. The race is on to understand how bad it could be – and how to swerve the worst effects

Constant loss of smell, facial pain and a blocked nose are a reality for the 10 per cent of people living with chronic rhinosinusitis, a disease long-neglected by research. Targeting the nasal microbiome, though, is offering hope

The planet TRAPPIST-1e lies in its star’s Goldilocks zone, where water remains liquid – and an analysis suggests it might have a nitrogen-rich atmosphere like Earth’s

A strange kind of geometry governs how particles move inside matter. Now, for the first time, physicists have uncovered its full shape – and it could transform how we design materials

Photographer Nicole Tung captures the tough world facing South-East Asia’s fishers and their families in this series of images, which won her the Carmignac Photojournalism Award for fieldwork

Feedback remembers Godzilla, and feels a little nervous about the wasp nest found at an old nuclear weapons site in South Carolina