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Exposure to household air pollution from using wood or coal for cooking and heating is associated with higher risk of death from heart attack and stroke, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Around three billion people worldwide use solid fuels (e.g.

We have only known about the existence of the unusual yeti crabs (Kiwaidae) - a family of crab-like animals whose hairy claws and bodies are reminiscent of the abominable snowman - since 2005, but already their future survival could be at risk. New Oxford University research suggests that past environmental changes may have profoundly impacted the geographic range and species diversity of this family.

One of the Taforalt skeletons under excavation by Louise Humphrey of the Natural History Museum and part of the frontal of a LSA human skull. Photo Credit: Ian Cartwright, School of Archaeology. The discovery of DNA - the oldest ever obtained from ancient African remains, has shed light on the continent's prehistoric migration patterns and cultures.

Oxford University are to play a key role in ARIEL, a new research mission to better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets. Oxford University are to play a key role in ARIEL, a new research mission to better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets. The project was chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) from three academic proposals, with the final selection announced today, 20 March 2018.

Researchers have found that treating depression doesn't make cancer patients live longer, but it does make lives immeasurably better. A new study has shown that contrary to the findings of previous small studies, treating depression in cancer patients does not increase the length of life of people with cancer.

The research published considers the longstanding scientific question of how comets are able to radiate X-rays. A conundrum that is particularly puzzling, given that such emission is normally associated with very hot objects like the Sun, and comets are among the coldest objects in the Solar System. When comets travel through the Solar System they interact with Solar radiation, the Solar wind and the Solar magnetic field.

Changes in the structure and function of the hearts of people born prematurely may make them less able to cope with the pressures of exercise in adulthood, and could lead to increased risk of heart failure later in life. The findings from a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, may explain why people born prematurely are more likely to develop heart failure in later life.

An international team of researchers part-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke, tripling the number of genetic mutations known to increase stroke risk. Researchers carrying out the MEGASTROKE study, published , studied the DNA of more than 520,000 people from around the world, comparing the genes of those who had suffered different types of strokes with healthy volunteers.

Smoking is associated with significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to new research in China published in The Lancet Public Health . The prevalence of diabetes has increased almost 10-fold in China since the early 1980s, with one in 10 adults in China now affected by diabetes.

An Oxford University computer science team has developed original software which predicts clinical risk of drug-induced side effects for the heart with higher accuracy than animal experiments. Image credit: Shutterstock The march towards replacing animals in drug testing with computer simulations has made another significant step forward, with the development of new software which can predict the possible cardiac side effects of taking a new drug.

Research led by the University of Oxford has revealed how the complex cultural and social environment in developing countries can complicate the use of new diagnostic technologies to fight the global superbug crisis. The research, led by Dr Marco J Haenssgen at the CABDyN Complexity Centre and the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health,  involved a new finger-prick blood test (C-reactive protein) to help nurses and doctors decide whether their patients need antibiotic treatment.

The proportion of people experiencing heart disease and stroke who have five or more other health conditions quadrupled between 2000 and 2014, and the rise was not driven by age, new research by The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford has found. The study, which could have significant implications for the way healthcare is provided, analysed data on over four million people in the UK.

Whether idolised as heroes or demonised and labelled terrorists, throughout history people have been willing to die for their groups and the causes they believe in. But why?  Previous theories of extreme self-sacrifice have revealed that a range of factors fuel the decision, including collective identity, hostility from others outside of the group, kin psychology and in some cases diminished mental health and depression.

A new study has confirmed that the world's last breeding population of leopards in Cambodia is at immediate risk of extinction, having declined by 72% during a five-year period. The population represents the last remaining leopards in all of eastern Indochina - a region incorporating Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Scientists have discovered a thriving colony of more than three quarters of a million penguins on the Danger Islands in the Weddell Sea, East Antarctic Peninsula, where the impacts of climate change have not yet been felt and there is little human activity. While the islands were thought to be home to some penguin 'super colonies', the population size was previously unknown and widely underestimated.

Women with bigger waists relative to their hips face a proportionately greater risk of experiencing a heart attack than men who have a similar 'apple shape', new research from The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford has found. The study, of nearly 500,000 people who provided data to the UK Biobank, suggests that in both sexes, the waist-to-hip ratio is a better predictor of heart attacks than general obesity, as measured by weight relative to body size using the body mass index (BMI).

General Practitioners should encourage patients with hypertension to monitor their blood pressure at home and use those readings in their day-to-day care, recommend a team of experts writing in The Lancet. From the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Birmingham, the researchers report on a trial showing that when GPs base their medication adjustments on regular blood pressure readings taken by patients at home, blood pressure is significantly lower after 12 months when compared with those who are managed exclusively in the clinic.

A major study comparing 21 commonly used antidepressants concludes that all are more effective than placebo for the short-term treatment of acute depression in adults, with effectiveness ranging from small to moderate for different drugs. The international study, published in The Lancet , is a network meta-analysis of 522 double-blind, randomised controlled trials comprising a total of 116477 participants.

 New Oxford University research suggests that social media and the internet are not the root of today's fragmented society, and echo chambers may not be the threat they are perceived to be. In fact, only a small proportion of the population, at most, is influenced by echo chambers. The argument against echo chambers is well documented: helped by social media algorithms, we are increasingly choosing to interact in safe spaces, with people who think and act like us - effectively preaching our opinions to the converted.

The fossil Waptia from the Burgess Shale, Canada. New Oxford University research suggests that the mineralogy of the surrounding earth is key to conserving soft parts of organisms, and finding more exceptional fossils like the Waptia. Image credit: Yale University Fossils that preserve entire organisms (including both hard and soft body parts) are critical to our understanding of evolution and ancient life on Earth.