The Inherited Mind by James Longman review – a moving memoir of mental illness in the family

The TV reporter’s struggles with depression and the suicide of his father, whose own father killed himself, prompt this incisive, highly personal investigation

Why is it so hard to go to bed? Maybe science has the answer

I’m an intractable bedtime procrastinator. Why do the sensible thing when I can just lie on the couch, phone in hand, however exhausted I am?

Wallowing in a soup of despair? Try ‘lemonading’ to buck the gloom

Linda Geddes spends a week with a clown, a comic and some toddlers to test the science behind the uplifting power of play

Bacteria transferred during intercourse could help identify sexual assault perpetrators, scientists say

Genital microbiome or ‘sexome’ leaves specific signature even when barrier protection is used, which could be traced in absence of DNA material

Elon Musk put a chip in this paralysed man’s brain. Now he can move things with his mind. Should we be amazed – or terrified?

An accident left Noland Arbaugh paralysed, but Musk’s Neuralink brain implant allows him to control computers with his thoughts. Is it a life-changing innovation that could help millions – or the start of a dystopia where a billionaire can access our thoughts?

Scientists find that things really do seem better in the morning

UCL study into mental health and wellbeing finds that people generally feel worse at night and on Sundays

Quiet, please! The remarkable power of silence – for our bodies and our minds

Our increasingly noisy world has been linked to cardiovascular disease, anxiety and depression, as well as hearing loss. But that’s not the only reason we need more peace and quiet in our lives

All in the mind? The surprising truth about brain rot

Is screen use really sapping our ability to focus and lowering our IQs? The scientists who have actually analysed the data give their verdict

Would you let AI choose your outfits?

Chloë Hamilton explores the possibilities, with surprising results…

‘The two of us book a karaoke room for an hour. It’s like tiramisu for the soul’ What’s on your dopamine menu?

From a ‘starter’ of dishing out compliments to a ‘dessert’ of smashing laptops in rage rooms, scientists and authors share 15 portion-sized ideas for a positivity boost

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health