‘This looks like the real deal’: are we inching closer to a treatment for Alzheimer’s?

After years of setbacks, dementia researchers are getting excited about a new antibody drug called lecanemab. No one expects it to stop cognitive decline, but even slowing it would be a breakthrough

Acupuncture relieves back and pelvic pain during pregnancy, study suggests

Analysis shows significant benefits with no major side-effects for mother or baby but more trials needed ‘to confirm results’• [Update: the study on which this article reports was later withdrawn by the BMJ owing to ‘fundamental flaws’ in the research – see footnote]

Cold comfort: the science of staying warm in the energy crisis

Bills will cause many to think twice about turning on the heating this winter. How does the body adapt to cold – and will wearing a hat really help?

Butter chicken has helped me at every stage of my life – and has always united my family

I grew up eating this comforting, warming dish and it remains just as important to me today

Do I really need to drink almost 4 litres of water a day? I haven’t got the bladder for it

I used to laugh at my friends’ frequent toilet breaks. I have a lot more sympathy since I decided to stay properly hydrated, says Adrian Chiles

Why we all need to be a lot less hesitant about being kind

While researching a book on kindness, I found that being kind enhances the mood of not just the receiver – but the giver, too

A coup for poo: why the world’s first faecal transplant approval matters

Australia’s green light for the procedure opens up potential to treat bacterial infections, as well as other diseases

I learned so much about life and love from my cat that when she died I had her freeze-dried…

She was with me through tough times and I craved her presence after she’d gone. Getting her memorialised was the best way I could keep her with me

‘I’m eternally fascinated’: confessions of a ghost writer

Storyteller, nosy neighbour, bad therapist… a friendly ghost must be all these things, says Alexandra Heminsley

Unlocking the mystery of placental disorders and recurrent stillbirths

The winning essay in the Max Perutz science writing award 2022, published below, was written by Emily Cornish, a research training fellow and PhD candidate at University College London

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health