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For years I’ve been reading – with smugness – about all the health benefits being married confers: lower risk of heart attack and stroke, lower risk of depression, better cancer survival and reduced risk of dementia. But I was rattled to discover this week that a large new study found no such benefit when it came to dementia. In fact, the researchers found that singletons (whether never married or divorced) had a 50% lower risk of dementia compared with their married counterparts.
Thankfully, I don’t have to get a divorce to improve my odds of not getting dementia. Neurologist Avinash Chandra explains that the picture is a lot more nuanced than some of the reporting of the study suggests. Phew!
Political psychologists have ways of assessing leaders and, apparently, Keir Starmer stands out in three areas: “distrust”, “belief in his ability to control events” and “need for power”. Read here to find out why this matters. And read about the Zanclean megaflood, the largest flood in the history of the world: the one that broke through the Strait of Gibraltar and filled the then-empty Mediterranean Sea with water – in less than a year!
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Clint Witchalls
Senior Health Editor
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Lumi Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Avinash Chandra, Queen Mary University of London
Large study questions marriage’s protective effect on brain health. But the picture is complex.
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Flickr/10 Downing Street
Consuelo Thiers, University of Edinburgh
Starmer shares some traits with other prime minister, but differs in several key ways.
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Refilled in just a few years – or months.
Nasa / titoOnz / shutterstock
Daniel García-Castellanos, Instituto de Geociencias de Barcelona (Geo3Bcn – CSIC); Paul Carling, University of Southampton
New evidence supports theory of ‘Zanclean megaflood’ 5 million years ago.
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Health
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Alexander F Santillo, Lund University; Cassandra Wannan, The University of Melbourne; Dhamidhu Eratne, The University of Melbourne
Study suggests accelerated brain ageing is a factor in the development of schizophrenia – and can be measured using a simple blood test.
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Lee Sherry, University of Glasgow; Nicola Stonehouse, University of Leeds
Researchers are using virus-like particles to develop a safer, cheaper polio vaccine to help eradicate the disease once and for all.
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Science + Technology
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Amin Al-Habaibeh, Nottingham Trent University
With implants now capable of translating thoughts into words in just three seconds, the future is going to get very weird indeed.
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Alex Dittrich, Nottingham Trent University
The fascinating fight for survival among Antarctica’s tiniest animals.
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World
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Andrew Corbett, King's College London
Putting a European in place as the leader of Nato forces might seem like an easy option, but there are several major issues.
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Colleen Murrell, Dublin City University
A legal fight over a US news organisation’s ability to report from the White House has significant parallels to a new play on Broadway.
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Yoon Walker, SOAS, University of London
South Korea’s divided society will soon head to the polls to elect a new president.
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Arts + Culture
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Sophie King-Hill, University of Birmingham; Kieran McCartan, University of the West of England
The incident between the Ratliff brothers is minimised and some characters act as if it’s even normal.
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Alisa van de Haar, Leiden University
The discovery sheds new light on 17th-century literary, political and libertine culture.
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Business + Economy
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Linda Yueh, University of Oxford
Changing the UK’s fiscal rule to allow more cash to flow could take the pressure off – but it isn’t without risk.
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Alex Dryden, SOAS, University of London
It could be a sign that investors no longer see US Treasuries as a safe bet.
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