Sweetness of woodruff lingers down the ages

Country Diary: Benthall Edge, Shropshire This plant has had a symbolic, medicinal and folkloric importance for centuries

Royal Institution’s new director Sarah Harper: we must show gold standard for science

Second woman to be appointed in RI’s 218-year history identifies role, in era of fake news, to supply trusted data across many issues from health to climate change and robotics

‘You can taste it in the air’: your stories of life in polluted cities

Readers shared their experiences of living in cities affected by air pollution – from the curse of the ‘Delhi chest’ in India’s capital to celebrating blue sky in Shanghai

Health fund HCF divests from fossil fuels, saying industry harms members

In Australia-first move, private fund to pull $20m out of fossil fuel companies in acknowledgement climate change harms health

The treadmill is 200 this year – high time it got a makeover

Virtual reality projections of natural environments, sounds and scents would vastly improve the indoor running experience - and have a positive impact on our wellbeing too

How I ended up in the jungle with deadly hornets in my hair

When a swarm of giant hornets descended upon me in West Papua I feared I was going to die. Fortunately, a local was at hand with an antidote. Or so I thought

The importance of urban forests: why money really does grow on trees

Mature trees clean air, lower stress, boost happiness, reduce flood risk – and even save municipal money. So why are they cut down when cities develop – and how should the UN’s new urban agenda protect them?

Blood and bandages: a healer in the hedgerow

Country dairy: Wenlock Edge, Shropshire Even though the woundwort has lost its place in the pharmacy, bees visit these late flowers for the nectar tucked inside them

Burger King and KFC called out for lagging behind on antibiotic-free meat

A new report grades fast food chains on their efforts to curb the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which kills 700,000 people worldwide each year

Toxic chemicals in household dust linked to cancer and infertility

Scientists find scores of harmful chemicals in indoor dust including phthalates linked to developmental problems in babies