How to make a genius

The Medical Research Council's lab is a world leader. So what's its secret? By Lee Elliot Major

Want to live to be 100?

The islanders of Okinawa live longer than anyone else on the planet. And they stay fit, active and happy long into old age. Now a new book reveals their secrets. Emily Wilson reports.

Butt out

Theodore Dalrymple on why hospitals are wrong to stop patients smoking

The fright of your life

Spiders, snakes, premature burial - Harriet Stewart faces our worst fears with Phobias: Fighting the Fear by Helen Saul and Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear by Jan Bondeson

Mind the bollocks

Testicular cancer is the commonest form of the disease in young men. When did you last check yours, asks Angela Neustatter

Slow burn

Most cancers are invisible, internal. Melanomas are on show, easy to spot. And they're quickly cured, as long as they are caught in time. So how come 1,500 of us are killed by them every year? Sarah Boseley on why checking your moles regularly could save your life.