Behind the Headlines

Absent fathers linked to depression risk in girls

Thursday May 16 2013

“Study shows girls with absent fathers more likely to develop depression," the Mail Online has revealed. It reports on a large UK study that found that girls whose biological fathers were absent during the first five years of their childhood…

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Human embryo stem cells cloning breakthrough

Thursday May 16 2013

"Human embryonic stem cells created from adult tissue for first time," The Guardian reports, while the Daily Mail's front page leads with the somewhat fanciful warning that new research raises the "spectre of cloned babies"…

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Drug combination offers hope for osteoporosis

Wednesday May 15 2013

“Double drug hope for brittle bone sufferers”, reports the Daily Mail. This headline follows a small but well-designed trial of treatments for postmenopausal osteoporosis…

'Broken' body clock may be linked to depression

Wednesday May 15 2013

"Depressed people are out of sync with the rest of the world because their body clocks are broken," reports the Mail Online website, while The Independent claims that depressed people live in a "different time zone"…

Is the rise in neurological deaths due to modern life?

Tuesday May 14 2013

'Technology, food additives and air pollution are causing people to develop dementia earlier than ever,' reports the Mail Online website. But this is a claim with little to no evidence to support it. The study the Mail reports on looked at...

Angelina Jolie's surgery to 'reduce breast cancer risk'

Tuesday May 14 2013

Writing in the New York Times, actress Angelina Jolie has announced that she has recently undergone a preventative double mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction surgery, as genetic testing showed she had a high risk of developing breast cancer…

Could a good mood make you eat more food?

Tuesday May 14 2013

‘Research has found emotional eaters tend to eat more when happy’, reports the Mail Online website. The news is based on a small study looking at whether experimentally altering mood has an effect on the amount of calories a person eats…

Novel coronavirus 'limited' spread between people

Monday May 13 2013

The World Health Organization has released a statement warning that the new SARS-like coronavirus, first detected in the Middle East, is likely to be able to spread through close person-to-person contact…

No proof that red hair raises skin cancer risk

Monday May 13 2013

'Redheads are at increased risk of skin cancer even if they don't spend time in the sun,' is the headline on the Mail Online website. The story refers to a discussion piece in a journal that outlines theories about the results…

Young blood may help rejuvenate old hearts

Friday May 10 2013

The Daily Mail claims a study has found a ‘Vampire treatment that rejuvenates ageing hearts’. But before you go to grab your cloak and false pointy teeth, the research it reports on was actually in mice…