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I have spent more than I care to admit on useless haircare products, but even the worst of them beat some of the treatments uncovered by Stefan Hanß, a senior lecturer at the University of Manchester. His team’s research shows that Renaissance haircare books still carry invisible biological traces left behind by their readers.
The results reveal what people actually did with these remedies, not just what was written down. Rosemary and watercress appear next to hair-loss cures. Human waste shows up near extreme baldness treatments, which made perfect sense at the time. Most astonishing of all, the pages carry signs of human immune responses, suggesting sick bodies handled these books while seeking cures.
Also today, we learn what may have happened on board an ancient “party boat” in the waters of Alexandria. And why so many young people in China are hugging trees.
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Katie Edwards
Commissioning Editor, Health + Medicine
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Still life with a ledger, a skull and other objects. Oil painting, 1766.
Wellcome Collection
Stefan Hanß, University of Manchester
New biochemical techniques offer unmatched insight into early modern medicine, as traces of plants, animals and even human waste have been sampled from pages.
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Divers examining the wreck.
Christoph Gerigk ©Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation
Damian Robinson, University of Oxford; Franck Goddio, University of Oxford
Pharaohs may have used this vessel to hunt hippopotami.
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Forest therapist Xinjun Yang enjoys tree hugging in Beijing.
Xiaoyand
Akanksha Awal, SOAS, University of London
In Beijing, while many of the ancient trees are fenced in by the local government to protect them from damage, the newer ones are still available for people to touch and gather around.
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World
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Ming Gao, Lund University; Tabita Rosendal, Lund University
China’s growing appetite for durian is giving this famously divisive fruit political power.
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Politics + Society
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Michael Sanders, King's College London; Julia Ellingwood, King's College London
It’s important that policies work for the people who need them, without wasting money on untested approaches.
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Frank Chouraqui, Leiden University
In practice, most of our experiences of shared realities are not involved in truth. Think of myths, neighbourly feeling, or the sense of community.
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Arts + Culture
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Alice Vernon, Aberystwyth University
Benson’s mother was Mary Sidgwick, whose brother Henry was a founding member and first president of the Society for Psychical Research.
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Anna Walker, The Conversation; Jane Wright, The Conversation; Naomi Joseph, The Conversation
There’s been a lot of great releases in 2025 but these three have left a lasting impression.
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Alexander Sergeant, University of Westminster
A story about reframing your view on life and finding a lot to live for.
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Mark Durden, University of South Wales
This much-loved photographer was a keen observer of the human condition.
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Genevieve Johnson, Newcastle University
Mary Ann Macham’s story is an example of a larger phenomenon of Black American refuge in Britain in the 19th century.
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Dušan Radunović, Durham University; Daniel O'Brien, University of Essex
The exceptional historical film has had such a profound impact on western visual culture that many may not realise how deeply its language is rooted in mainstream cinema.
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Eleri Sian Jones, Bangor University
Research reveals the hidden psychological and social challenges triathlete mothers face when returning to sport after childbirth.
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Business + Economy
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Nessa Keddo, King's College London
AI wants to get to know you better, and then sell to you.
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Environment
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James Painter, University of Oxford
Articles on net zero used to always explain the scientific background. But not anymore.
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Rowland Atkinson, University of Sheffield
Inequality is damaging the cohesion needed to fight climate change.
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Health
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Dipa Kamdar, Kingston University
From cholesterol chemistry to muscle pain fears, this guide unpacks how statins work, who they help most, and why concerns persist despite strong evidence.
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Eef Hogervorst, Loughborough University
Research linking cheese and cream to lower dementia risk has made headlines, but the story is more nuanced than it might sound.
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Science + Technology
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Neil Saunders, City St George's, University of London
No complicated formulas are needed to solve these puzzles – just your imagination and a bit of patience.
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Barry Smith, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Even the traditional five senses don’t operate in silo.
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