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40,086 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

The campaign against David Southall

A look at the controversial paediatrician's many battlesIn the late 1980s, David Southall was feted by his peers for proving, with the help of hidden video cameras, the almost inconceivable – that mothers could deliberately injure their children. He became the world expert in the diagnosis of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy – now known as fabricated or induced illness (FII) – which is hard to...


WEDNESDAY 5. MAY 2010


Sleeping for less than six hours can cause early death, study finds

Researchers find 'unequivocal' link between lack of sleep and increased risk of premature deathSleeping consistently for less than six hours a night can cause an early death, but too much sleep could also mean problems, according to a study that claims to have found unequivocal evidence of the potential harm from abnormal sleep patterns.The research, by academics in the UK and Italy, analysed data...


TUESDAY 4. MAY 2010



MONDAY 3. MAY 2010


Science Weekly podcast: The role of science policy in the general election; plus how chimps cope with death

How will your vote affect the future prospects for science in the UK? And in the event of a hung parliament, will the parties' attitudes to science play any part in negotiations? Researcher Martin Robbins has been finding out in his Litmus Test series in which all the main political parties were challenged to answer some thorny questions about their science policies. We also bring you ... battle...


SUNDAY 2. MAY 2010


Woolly mammoth's survival secret? Antifreeze blood

DNA study on remains shows physiological trick that enabled mammoths to live in sub-zero temperaturesMammoths had more than woolly coats to protect them from the frigid conditions of their sub-zero stomping grounds, scientists have discovered.The extinct beasts had a form of antifreeze blood that kept their bodies supplied with oxygen in the sub-zero temperatures, according to a study of DNA...