All articles

A one-time gene therapy can markedly slow the progression of Huntington’s disease, potentially paving the way for the first ever treatment to alter the course of this rare, inherited brain disorder. · In a small trial of 29 people who were in the early stages of Huntington’s-related decline, participants who received a high dose of the therapy directly into their brains saw the disease slow by 75% over three years, compared with those in a…

This three-ingredient recipe is sweet and silky – and quick and easy to make · Based on a classic Turkish recipe, this pudding is sweet and silky, almost like a fig custard. The magic is that it only contains three ingredients: fibre-dense dried figs, milk and yogurt. You can add warm, earthy spices like cinnamon if you wish, but I like the natural flavour of the figs to come through. · Ingredients · - 200g soft dried figs - 250ml whole…

For centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria guided mariners to the bustling Mediterranean port and capital of Ptolemaic Egypt—a beacon of human ingenuity and a symbol of the ambition of the Hellenistic age. The Lighthouse, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was named after the tiny island at the harbor's mouth where it was built. Ancient Greek writers hailed it as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and it stood from the early third…

Losing the popular vote · Recent polls show the Coalition Government is losing the popular voter. · In fact based on those recent polls, if an election was held now, the Coalition Government would be relegated to the opposition benches. · So, why is this happening? · Why is that even after the two-terms of the last Labour Government where we saw the cost of living reach record highs, the rate of inflation reach record highs and the highest…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has pushed back against calls for her resignation from former Labour Finance Minister Sir Roger Douglas and economist Robert MacCulloch, telling The Platform she is sticking to a cautious fiscal path. · Willis said it was “surprising” to be singled out, arguing the government is doing what it was elected to do. · “Our fiscal plan has us getting the books back into surplus by the 2028/29 year,” she said, adding…

Alzheimer’s New Zealand is warning the country is “dangerously unprepared” for the coming surge in dementia cases, expected to more than double to 170,000 by 2050. · Chief executive Catherine Hall said community-based rehabilitative services run by 17 organisations are “woefully underfunded and under-resourced,” despite keeping people out of “much more expensive” hospital and aged-care systems. She estimated more than 30,000 people living with…

Usually affectionate, it was when Bruce Willis started to become indifferent to his family that his wife, Emma, started to worry about him. In her new book, The Unexpected Journey, she describes how, along with the changes in his personality, it was the small and subtle things, such as struggling with speech and developing a stutter, that made her realise that there might be something wrong. · The Die Hard actor has frontotemporal dementia…

On the remote Yamal and Gydan peninsulas of western Siberia, the landscape is marked by massive craters that look as though the Earth has blown holes in itself. While the origin story of these gas-emission craters (GECs) has remained somewhat of a mystery since the first one was discovered back in 2014, scientists now believe they know what's causing them. · These fascinating GECs – all rocky cylinders plunging as deep as 164 m (538 ft) and…

There's new evidence that cruciferous vegetables blunt spikes in blood sugar levels, which could be particularly important for those with type 2 diabetes or are at risk of developing the condition. It's another feather in the health cap of these foods, which have been shown to fight colon cancer and high blood pressure. · In a randomized, controlled, crossover trial led by Edith Cowan University (ECU), 18 participants with an average age of 68…

Family First has written to Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey, urging the government to restrict the use of puberty blockers in under-18s, citing the Ministry of Health’s own Evidence Brief. · It found “significant limitations in the quality of evidence” for their safety, efficacy, or reversibility. · In the letter, CEO Bob McCoskrie and strategic director Simon O’Connor said: “We strongly believe … that the government must regulate under…