Health
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Chinese robot passes national medical exams
Can artificial intelligence improve health care? A robot has stunned China by passing the country’s medical exam. This proves that machines are becoming better at being doctors.
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Deadly venom could cure cancer
Does nature give us the best medicine? Scientists are studying the deadly venom of a cone snail. It is venomous enough to kill a human in minutes, but it could also be used to cure diseases.
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Scientists cure diseases before birth
Scientists have used an amazing new technology to edit the genes of a human embryo and cure it of a rare disease. But what if they learned to tweak our genes to make us faster or smarter?
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Poor countries addicted to junk food
Is cheap food doing more harm than good? Hunger: a problem for many in poorer countries. Processed food is cheap and filling but also unhealthy. Poor countries have a new issue — obesity.
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Genetics dream: Personalised medicine for everyone
Britain’s chief medical officer wants doctors in the NHS to start using genome sequencing. This technology could work out why someone is unwell, and how to make them better. Is it a good idea?
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Excited or anxious? How to trick your brain in an exam
Which emotion did you feel before taking your SATs: excited, or anxious? Telling yourself you are excited could stop you feeling anxious and improve your performance. But can anxiety ever be...
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Brain injuries could mark ‘the end of sport’
A study into American football players may have found a way to spot brain injuries. More sports are coming under fire because they could damage participants’ health. Will people stop playing?
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‘Killer spuds’ cancer warning sparks risk row
Do roast potatoes, burnt toast and crisps really cause cancer? The British government has launched a campaign advising people to cut down. Many have ridiculed it as a scare story.
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Sugar named the world’s most popular drug
A new study has cast light on English children’s shocking sugar intake. Like many harmful drugs, sugar changes the brain and can be addictive. So should sugar be treated as drugs are?
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You’re cooking sprouts all wrong, says expert
They are the nation’s most hated vegetable, and yet Asda will sell 140 million Brussels sprouts in the two weeks before Christmas. Love them or hate them, why do we care so much about them?
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Italy shaken by ‘apocalyptic’ earthquake
This summer, families in central Italy woke to find the ground shaking beneath them. Many homes were destroyed. Earthquakes are fairly common in the area, so why can’t we see them coming?
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Charity warns of exam stress epidemic
ChildLine is a helpline children and young people can contact - and it is increasingly being used by students who are worried about passing their exams. How much do tests really matter?
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Feasts, fasts and a Pancake Day warning
Shrove Tuesday, ‘Pancake Day’, is a day to enjoy before the Christian fast of Lent. People eat pancakes and take part in parades. But are festivals like this still relevant?
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Doctors to strike as row over motives heats up
Soon, around 45,000 junior doctors in England plan to stop working. Thousands of operations will be cancelled, but the doctors say they have no other choice. Is it a selfish decision?
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‘No choice but to strike’, say junior doctors
Junior doctors have voted to strike in protest over changes to their pay, despite warnings that some patients may die as a result. Is being a doctor a job or something more important?