Ian Sample Science editor

She walked into the world on high-heeled mules, but as Barbie’s many careers gathered pace, her feet became more planted on the ground, researchers say. A rare analysis of nearly 3,000 Barbies released over 65 years found that high-heeled incarnations […]

Doctors in the US have become the first to treat a baby with a customised gene-editing therapy after diagnosing the child with a severe genetic disorder that kills about half of those affected in early infancy. International researchers have hailed

A more precise form of prostate cancer surgery nearly doubles the chances of men retaining erectile function afterwards compared with standard surgery, according to the first comprehensive trial of the procedure. Doctors in five UK hospitals assessed the surgical approach

People who develop type 2 diabetes face an increased risk of some of the most lethal cancers, including liver and pancreatic tumours, with the greatest rises in women, research suggests. The analysis of health records from 95,000 people found that

They are prized for making the commute more bearable and shielding against the din of daily life. But noise-cancelling headphones have come under scrutiny after audiologists raised concerns that overuse might impair people’s hearing skills. While the technology has clear

Smokers are being urged to kick the habit for 2025 after a fresh assessment of the harms of cigarettes found they shorten life expectancy even more than doctors thought. Researchers at University College London found that on average a single

The science of happiness has spawned hundreds of thousands of studies, surveys, books and reviews, but what reliably lifts the spirits, to what extent, and who benefits most are still far from nailed down. Now, psychologists have drawn up plans

People who want to lose meaningful amounts of weight through exercise may need to devote more than two-and-a-half hours a week to aerobic training such as running, walking or cycling, researchers say. The finding emerged from a review of 116

Losing weight can be a frustrating game: after months of successful slimming, the kilos may soon pile on again, leaving people back where they started. No one factor drives the yo-yo effect, but new research points to fatty tissue as

Doctors have launched a major study to understand why a small percentage of cancer patients beat the odds and survive long after being diagnosed with some of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Eight NHS cancer centres are joining