By Jannette Rodríguez Pallares, Profesora Titular de Anatomía y Embriología Humana, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
My grandmother Leontina, who recently turned 100, still lives independently and remembers the birthday of everybody in her village. She is enviably healthy, has a remarkably sharp memory, and is likely a prime example of what scientists call a “super-ager”: someone over 80 with the memory of a 50 year old.
These gifted seniors have attracted the attention of scientists for decades, but a recent study has revealed new details about their exceptional brains.
Old brains in rude health
As we age, our…
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By Adi Imsirovic, Lecturer in Energy Systems, University of Oxford
The US-Israel strikes on Iran have launched one of the most dramatic conflicts in the Middle East in living memory. Aside from military targets, Iranian forces have attacked commercial shipping and infrastructure in the region. The objective is simple: to disrupt oil exports and weaken its opponents’ economies.
While the oil market is perfectly capable of absorbing short-term supply shocks, it is possible…
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By Andrew Gawthorpe, Lecturer in History and International Studies, Leiden University
Donald Trump has said he thinks the war with Iran will be over soon. In a phone interview with CBS News on Monday, March 9, the US president said: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much … we’re very far ahead of schedule.”
This seemed to mark a shift in tone from earlier statements in which Trump had insisted the war would continue until Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. Given Tehran’s defiant tone and continuing…
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By Vikram Niranjan, Assistant Professor in Public Health, School of Medicine, Health Research Institute, University of Limerick
Vaping was sold as the safe alternative to smoking. The evidence is now telling a more complicated – and more worrying – story.
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By Kate Irving, Professor of Clinical Nursing, Dublin City University
Alex Kornhuber, Principal Investigator, The Keepsake Chronices, Trinity College Dublin
Cathy Fowley, Principal Investigator, The Keepsake Chronicles, Dublin City University
With time, objects and careful listening, people living with dementia can still share the memories that shape who they are.
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By Alison Pilnick, Professor of Language, Health and Society, Manchester Metropolitan University
Imagine trying to ask a question and no one answers you. Or hearing people talk around you as if you are not really part of the conversation. For many people living with dementia in hospital, this is a common experience.
Dementia affects many aspects of communication. In the early stages, someone may struggle to find the right word to describe something. As the condition progresses, their speech can become harder for others to understand. But difficulty expressing thoughts does not necessarily mean that a…
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By John Nagle, Professor in Sociology, Queen's University Belfast
Edouardo Wassim Aboultaif, Assistant Professor, School of Law and Political Sciences, Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik (USEK) – AUF
Over the ten days of the renewed conflict in the Middle East, Beirut’s southern district of Dahiyeh has been targeted by Israel, which is looking to deal a knockout blow to Hezbollah. It’s not the first time the area has been bombarded. Dahiyeh was bombed by Israel during its 2006 war with Hezbollah, again in 2014 and yet again in 2024 and 2025. Now the Israel Defense Forces is bombing the area again.
The attacks mark the…
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By Jack McNamara, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Exercise Physiology, University of East London
Fitness advice spreads fast online, but not all of it is grounded in science. Research reveals which popular trends hold up and which don’t.
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By Yimin Wu, Associate Professor, Tang Family Chair in New Energy Materials and Sustainability, University of Waterloo
Instead of treating plastic purely as waste, new research shows that it can be transformed into something useful — acetic acid, a key component of vinegar and an important industrial chemical.
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By Christopher Lo, Associate Professor, Psychology, University of Toronto; James Cook University
At binz stores, surplus goods move downstream through a hidden retail ecosystem, giving products a second life and shoppers the chance to stretch their dollars.
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