Behind the Headlines

No proof kids of lone parents are less intelligent

Friday May 3 2013

"Children brought up by two parents are more intelligent," is the baseless claim on the Mail Online website. The headline fails to acknowledge that the research the story is based on involved only mice...

111 helpline is ‘struggling’, NHS board concedes

Thursday May 2 2013

The Guardian’s headline "NHS 111 helpline 'failing to meet targets'," is just one of many about problems that the helpline, for people with non-emergency conditions, has had. A NHS paper on the issue does report some parts of the service are “struggling”…

2 comments about ‘111 helpline is ‘struggling’, NHS board concedes’:

Abnormal growth rate in womb linked to autism

Thursday May 2 2013

'Babies that are abnormally heavy or underweight are at 62% greater risk' of developing autism, reports the Daily Mail. The news is based on a large study of Swedish children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers…

New bird flu strain requires vigilance researchers warn

Thursday May 2 2013

Most of the UK media are reporting on a worrying new strain of bird flu in China – the H7N9 strain of the bird flu virus. According to the media, virology experts at a recent press conference warned that the virus "should not be taken lightly"…

Smoking increases risk of bowel cancer in women

Wednesday May 1 2013

BBC News has revealed that, "Women who smoke have a higher risk of cancer than men," reporting the results of a new study examining the relationship between gender and bowel cancer caused by smoking. The large-scale study found that smoking…

Breast implants may make cancer harder to spot

Wednesday May 1 2013

“Breast implants may harm breast cancer survival chances,” The Guardian warns, along with other media sources reporting on the same subject. It is important to stress that the research the media has reported does not suggest...

Hormone drugs can cut breast cancer

Tuesday Apr 30 2013

“Hormone treatments can cut breast cancer rates in at-risk women by 38%,” reports the Daily Mirror. The news, covered by much of the media, is based on...

Does fish in Mediterranean diet combat memory loss?

Tuesday Apr 30 2013

The health benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet have hit the headlines, with The Daily Telegraph reporting we should, 'Eat oily fish to prevent memory loss,' while the Mail Online focuses on how oily fish can keep the memory 'sharp'...

Have taller women evolved to have more babies?

Monday Apr 29 2013

“Taller, skinnier women have evolved to have more babies than their shorter counterparts,” the Mail Online website has claimed. It reports on research examining...

Parasite genes drive up antimalarial resistance

Monday Apr 29 2013

"New drug-resistant strains of the parasite that causes malaria have been identified," is the worrying news being reported on the BBC News website. Covering the same piece of research, The Guardian outlines the ongoing "scientific detective hunt in…