Pope signals shift away from Catholic church’s prohibition of condoms

Pontiff reported to say in book-length interview that condoms could be justified 'in the intention of reducing the risk of infection'

Neural stem cells injected into the brain of a stroke patient in world first

Researchers hope the brain stem cells will stimulate the growth of new neurons and reduce inflammation caused by the stroke

Children with autism have distinctive patterns of brain activity

Researchers say they have identified a unique 'signature' of autism in the brains of children with the condition

Living in the moment really does make people happier

Psychologists have found that people are distracted from the task at hand nearly half the time, and this daydreaming consistently makes them less happy

Common painkillers could be linked to male reproductive disorder

Scientists find link between mild painkiller use in pregnancy and raised risk of having a son with cryptorchidism

Vision chip: ‘People looked like ghosts’

Miikka Terho describes how he lost his sight and the learning process after surgeons fitted an electronic chip to restore it

Vision chip restores sight to blind man

The chip, which contains 1,500 light-sensitive elements, replaces damaged cells in a blind person's retina

Immune discovery opens up new line of attack against viruses

The immune system has been found to target viruses inside cells, suggesting new strategies against infections including the common cold and winter vomiting bug

1000 Genomes Project completes first map of human genetic variation

Thousands of human genomes are being used to catalogue the full diversity of human DNA in the 1000 Genomes Project

Hungary: Midwife Agnes Gereb taken to court for championing home births

Gynaecologist faces five years in Hungarian prison, prompting protests over authorities' hardline childbirth policy