Was the black death actually Ebola fever?

Readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific concepts

Why do we find failure so difficult to bear?

Soignies, a Belgian rugby team who lost 356-3 to rivals Royal Kituro, are trying to get the result annulled. But only through failing do we discover ourselves

Yes, millennials are ‘dumbasses’ for being scared of vaccinations

Young Americans are the age group most likely to believe in a link between inoculations and autism. What we need is a vaccine against stupidity, says comedian Alex Edelman

For her family, her FGM was a cause of joy. For Mariam, it was day of horror

Egyptian campaigner tells how trauma of her own procedure led her to make different choice for her daughter, despite her mother’s objections

I witnessed FGM. That’s why I know we need to talk about it

I saw my cousin being cut and faced a wall of silence when I tried to discuss it: the only way we’ll stop FGM, no matter where it occurs, is by breaking down that silence

UN calls for FGM zero tolerance after a year in which the world woke up

Following 12 months of historic change and growing FGM awareness, UN calls for concrete action against cutting girls and women

My mother’s refusal to undergo FGM has given me licence to dream

To mark international day of zero tolerance for female genital mutilation, Miriam Jerotich tells how her mother gave her the freedom to define her own identity

Doctors and nurses to record FGM concerns on children’s NHS records

Moves to improve UK response announced amid fears in medical profession after controversial trial of doctor for female genital mutilation

FGM affects three times more people in the US than previously thought

Campaigners call for action to deal with ‘state of emergency’ as figures show more than 500,000 US women are living with or at risk from consequences

Republicans hope latest anti-Obamacare bill will be first to reach president’s desk

Decision to hold another seemingly meaningless vote comes ahead of more serious threat to the Act – the supreme court’s hearing of King v Burwell case