Scotland’s beauty is too much for those who can’t resist the urge to concrete it over

We live in one of the happiest places on Earth, which is why it must be protected

UK’s small abattoirs struggle as profit margins are squeezed

Demand for locally sourced meat may be high but suppliers face uncertain regulatory and economic environment

Are we poisoning our children with plastic?

The chemical BPA is widely added to food and drink packaging, and more than 80% of teenagers have it in their bodies. But how dangerous is it?

Does cycling really damage men’s sexual organs?

Jessica Brown: New research refutes the theory that pressure from saddles can cause erectile dysfunction, and says cycling could actually improve performance in older men

High-vis, low-conflict: Kampala gets its first Critical Mass cycle ride

Uganda’s first ever Critical Mass is missing the air of protest normally found in Europe or the US. This may be for the best in a country where dissent is often quashed with rubber bullets and tear gas

Raw water: the unsterilised health craze that could give you diarrhoea

Its adherents say it is full of good things that ordinary filtered tap water has lost. Its critics say it might well give you ‘beaver fever’ – among other illnesses

‘I feel less stuffed after dinners – and less guilty’: why I stopped eating meat

My journey towards vegetarianism started 30 years ago for practical reasons, but the more I eschew animal products the better I feel about everything

David Davis’s ignorance: now that’s what I call health and safety madness

Austerity has already driven a coach and horses through environmental standards – and we haven’t even got to the Brexit cliff edge yet, writes the Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The Guardian view on the Nobel prize for medicine: about time

Editorial: The discovery of two interacting genes which make a body clock shared by all living things is a triumph that deserves its prize

Vivienne Westwood on her secret to staying young: bathe once a week

Fashion designer, 76, says not washing too much is the secret to seeming young, while her husband, Andreas Kronthaler, says he washes even less often