Health
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More than a quarter of UK adults are obese
One of the biggest studies ever of the obesity crisis in Britain is published today. It shows that the average British adult is overweight and faces a much higher risk of serious illness.
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Measles sweeps back as fake science spreads
One of the world’s most infectious diseases is showing signs of rampant growth, says new research out today. This is partly due to the willingness of millions to believe in medical myths.
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Human conversation is dying, research shows
It’s not just that we spend more time on FaceTime, WhatsApp, Snapchat and Skype. Evidence suggests that many of us choose digital communication over face-to-face. Is this a tipping point?
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Divorce on demand to make ending marriage easy
Yesterday, the UK announced a divorce law revolution that would make it easier for couples to split without a painful “blame game”. Is the world’s most revered institution on its last legs?
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Shock report: poor diet deadlier than smoking
For many, the Easter holidays will be crowned by a feast: chocolate eggs and an epic roast. But a major new study says bad eating, high in fat and sugar, now kills more people than smoking.
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Wales to ban parents from smacking their kids
Is this a good idea? Corporal punishment of children — including smacking — is outlawed in 54 countries around the world. But some parents say it is a loving way of disciplining their kids.
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Violent crime: ‘a disease rotting our society’
Yesterday, Theresa May summoned politicians, police and experts to an emergency summit on knife crime at Downing Street. Amidst the debate, four common myths tend to come up again and again.
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The misunderstood genius of Vincent van Gogh
Does genius go hand-in-hand with “some touch of madness”? Aristotle thought so. No one exemplifies the idea more than Van Gogh, who has a new exhibition in London. But is it really true?
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#Nemesis: ‘better than a friend or a lover’
Everyone needs a nemesis. Or do they? Social media is abuzz with the idea. And history is full of arch rivals who pushed each other to be better — or drove each other to death.
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Queer Eye takes on the world’s ‘miserable men’
Can five gay men save masculinity? The third season of Netflix’s Queer Eye is released today. Its mission: to help struggling men who “can’t articulate what they’re truly feeling.”
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Women at risk in a world still made for men
On International Women’s Day, a new book is shedding light on how everything from smartphones to stab vests are designed for the “average” man, with dangerous consequences for women.
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Hopes rise for disease-free world by 2100
A British man has become the second person in the world to be cleared of HIV. Not long ago this killer virus was incurable. How long before disease itself becomes a thing of the past?
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Report finds work has become the new religion
Teenagers say having a job they enjoy is twice as important as getting married or having children, according to a major new American survey. But anxiety and depression are rising steeply.
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Police turn to ‘precogs’ in knife emergency
In the face of the crisis over knife crime, Britain is developing “predictive policing” technology akin to the sci-fi movie Minority Report. The plan is already proving controversial.
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Calling all men: feminism can save your life
Is feminism good for men? A growing pay gap at hundreds of British companies has sparked a debate about gender equality. But a more feminist society could be good for men too.