Readers reply: Which organisms are most beneficial to humans without us realising?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

I submitted my day to fate – and plunged headfirst into bananas and burpees

In an age in which the algorithm constantly guides us towards things we already like, I tried to stop being a control freak, imprisoned by my preferences. It wasn’t easy, writes Emma Beddington

What does stress really do to our bodies – and when does it become a big problem?

From an elevated heart rate to weakened immunity, experts explain the hidden physical costs of chronic stress – and why our bodies aren’t built to stay on high alert

From mountain photography to ice-climbing – try it all at this summer festival in the French Alps

Improve your mountain skills by day and party by night at the Arc’teryx Alpine Academy in Chamonix

Sound baths are supposed to help relax and ‘soothe’ your nervous system. But do any of these claims ring true?

Social media is awash with clips of people paying to be ‘bathed’ in sound. But what’s the science behind the practice?

I gave up coffee and acquired a Pro Plus habit – now I have the energy of a 15-year-old

With my usual espressos off the menu, I was looking at a future of sluggishness and headaches. Then I embraced an alternative caffeine delivery system, writes Zoe Williams

Very difficult and extremely cool: how to start doing pull-ups

Long considered an important milestone in one’s fitness journey, pull-ups build upper body strength and look impressive in the gym

My egg, my wife’s womb, our baby: how we found our way to lesbian motherhood

When Leah and I planned a family, we wanted to be as mutual as possible. Could reciprocal IVF – Leah carrying an embryo made from my egg – be the way forward?

‘They’ve invented a spurious pseudo-disease’: why are so many men being told they have low testosterone?

Social media influencers and booming men’s health companies are pushing the hormone as an answer to all ills. But is ‘low T’ really problematic – or something created to sell men a cure to a problem they don’t have?

I made my husband ill with a few words – nobody is immune to the power of the nocebo effect

My prank demonstrated how our minds can adversely affect our health, and scientists are increasingly showing that negative thoughts can produce very real symptoms, says science writer Helen Pilcher