I used to be ashamed of being a fangirl. Now I see how joyous and creative it was

Lady Gaga was my idol, but I didn’t dare tell anyone. Now a new wave of books and films shows us why female obsession is such an important part of growing up

Autistic scholar Temple Grandin: ‘The education system is screening out visual thinkers’

By favouring verbal thinkers, says the author and animal scientist, essential skills are being lost. Her new book aims to demonstrate the power of processing information in different ways

‘I was in a horror film, unsafe. And the person I was in danger from was me’: the truth about severe postpartum anxiety

Days after my baby was born, I was overwhelmed by raw terror. Soon, my son and I were living in a specialist unit. This is what I learned

Cheap, delicious – and only three years out of date: my week of eating food past its best-before

Some buy it to save money; others to save the planet. The market for ageing food is booming – but what’s it like and is it safe?

MPs call for menopause health checks at 45 and free HRT in England

All-party group report on menopause also calls for more workplace support and training for health workers

Strangers to Ourselves by Rachel Aviv review – rewriting the language of mental illness

The New Yorker writer tries to redefine attitudes through a quintet of studies of troubled people from around the world

‘Everyone seemed at ease’: how art is making hospital visits less painful

Some of life’s hardest moments are spent in hospital, but two organisations are working to ease that with ingenious designs. Mina Holland explains how art has been a lifeline

Microplastics found in human breast milk for the first time

Exclusive: Researchers concerned over potential health impacts of chemical contaminants on babies

Parents urge UK universities to reveal student suicide rates

Inquest to be held into death of Harry Armstrong Evans, who was at University of Exeter

‘It feels like fresh air to my ears’: can brown noise really help you concentrate?

Some people use it to improve their focus while others use it to drop off to sleep. The writer Zadie Smith says she listens to it day and night. But what is brown noise? And does it work?