Science & Health

Lenses collecting sunlight before it is beamed across the Jacksonville Jaguars' stadium in a test by Star Catcher (Credit: Star Catcher)

How solar energy could be beamed from orbit

Harvesting solar energy in orbit and beaming it down to Earth is a decades-old idea. Now, a raft of companies say they could make it a reality.

The dads helping daughters through their periods

A growing number of dads are challenging the unfounded stigma around talking to their children about periods.

Drone view of cruise liners awaiting dismantling in Aliau011fa (Credit: Umit Bektas/ Reuters)

The cruise ship graveyard caused by Covid

When Covid-19 took hold, cruise ship operators struggled to stay afloat. One option was to scrap older vessels – giving one photographer a unique perspective.

Skip short strolls – a longer daily walk is better for your heart, says study

ChatGPT shares data on how many users exhibit psychosis or suicidal thoughts

Willpower doesn't exist: Advice from BBC doctors busting wellness myths

How does changing the clocks affect our health?

Health Decoded

Do you need to drink electrolytes to stay hydrated?

Electrolyte-packed drinks are said to optimise health and hydration. But do we really need them?

7 August 2025

Explore More

The health benefits of drinking matcha tea

Why walking backwards can be good for your health

The hidden calories we consume without knowing

Simple tips for cutting back on ultra-processed foods

An immersive therapy that can improve your sleep

Eight simple steps to help you live longer

How your 'second brain' changes the way you think

Why you might be younger than you think you are

The 'healthier' sweetener that could replace sugar

A powerful way to improve your fitness

Why drinking coffee can benefit your health

How to change your personality traits with intention

How you can think yourself well

Why being a 'loner' could be good for you

An eating habit that helps you maintain a healthy weight

A simple practice that is good for stress

How immersion in nature can make you feel calmer

The upsides of being a 'weekend warrior'

The benefits of being a 'weekend warrior'

Why friendships are key to living longer

How to reset your brain with your breath

The vegetable that can protect you from cancer

How to reduce wrinkles and keep your skin healthy

A simple and tasty way to reduce wrinkles and keep your skin healthy

Why improving your nutrition will help you think better

The surprising benefits of self-soothing touch

How your gut microbes shape your health

Is cold water swimming good for you?

Why women 'need less exercise than men'

How 'tapping therapy' can help calm your mind

Can this mineral help reduce anxiety?

Subscribe to Health Fix

Health Fix

Trusted insights for better health and wellbeing rooted in science, every Wednesday to your inbox.

Fascinating reads

Young woman surrounded by points of light (Credit: Getty Images)

How your hormones control your life

Hormones play a vital part in keeping our bodies working properly. But they can also have a powerful – and sometimes negative – effect on our mood and mental health.

Illustration of a woman washing her hair under a shower while surrounded by bacteria and viruses (Credit: Emmanuel Lafont)

Billions of microbes are hiding in your shower

Your shower head and the pipes leading into it are a haven for bacteria and fungi. But some simple tricks can flush them down the drain.

A bright, multicoloured illustration of a small white figure holding is hand out to the brain waves of a large head which looks towards him (Credit: Ohni Lisle)

The millionaire AI bot that's fighting to become a person

In the past year, an AI made millions in cryptocurrency. It's written the gospel of its own pseudo-religion and counts tech billionaires among its devotees. Now it wants legal rights.

The treatment head of a histotripsy platform produced by HistoSonics (Credit: Erica Bass/ Rogel Cancer Center/ Michigan Medicine)

Destroying cancer with sound instead of surgery

Ultrasound has long been used for helping doctors see inside the body, but focused high frequency sound waves are offering new ways of targeting cancer.

A person with blonde hair, dressed in a white top, stands against a blue backdrop. Surrounding them are floating, orb-like structures resembling virus particles.

Late nights and packed lectures: Why 'Freshman flu' is so hard to dodge

It's not an actual flu, and it's rarely serious, but when thousands of students arrive on campus they bring a cocktail of viruses.

Three syringes, seemingly used, lying on a tattered orange blanket

How HIV cases soared by more than 1,000% in this tiny Pacific country

The small South Pacific nation is facing one of the world's fastest growing HIV epidemics.

More science and health

6 days ago

Magnesium: Can this 'miracle mineral' really help us sleep?

The global market in this supplement is worth almost £3bn - a figure set to nearly double over the next decade.

6 days ago

A young woman with long blond hair wearing glasses, a black T-shirt, and a black-and-white checkered dress. She is sitting at a desk or table and reading a book. Next to her is a bright, rectangular light therapy lamp. The light is illuminating her face and the book she is reading. Her nails are painted red with white polka dots.

How to cope with long winter nights when the clocks go back in UK

More than a million people in the UK experience symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder - but a project is aiming to help people in Orkney look after their mental health.

6 days ago

7 days ago

Slow-motion footage reveals secrets of snake bites

Scientists working out of a venom laboratory in Paris studied which snakes strike their prey fastest.

7 days ago

Two student astronauts on a Swiss mountain slope (Credit: Jordi Ruiz)

The astronaut school hidden in a Swiss mountain

Deep inside a Swiss mountain, a group of students spent some of the summer simulating what life might be like inside a lunar base. The BBC joined them before the "mission".

7 days ago