The school route to healthier eating

Offering nutritious meals to students can improve diets and counter obesity across Europe. By  Ali Jones When the lunch bell rings at the Sancta Maria primary school in the Belgian city of Leuven, standard packed meals aren’t on the menu for dozens of hungry children. Instead, the pupils receive freshly prepared, hot organic vegetarian fare … Read more

Smell trouble: the fight for the powers of the nose

Researchers are seeking to ensure that people retain their ability to detect scents. By  Bárbara Pinho A decade ago, in a field of orange trees in southern Greece, Stéphane Tawil realised that he had lost his sense of smell – completely. Tawil was with friends who were remarking on the perfumed scent of oranges. But … Read more

The trek to save many women from cervical cancer

Home-test kits and mobile labs for detecting a tumour in tissue near the uterus are improving healthcare in remote or marginalised communities. By Vittoria D’Alessio Magdalena Rothova is on the frontline of a fight in the EU to reduce deaths from cervical cancer, which tens of thousands of women in Europe develop each year. She … Read more

Brain-harming chemicals seen in clearer light with fresh findings

EU researchers have identified new ways that certain substances can interfere with people’s hormone system and brain development. By Gareth Willmer Professor Joëlle Rüegg is breaking new ground in a quest to learn more about how everyday chemicals can impair brain development in people, including infants, by interfering with their hormones. An expert in environmental … Read more

Nuptials notice: foods and robots are getting married

Edible electronics are being developed to assist rescue operations and go inside hospital patients, setting the stage for all-consuming tech to become consumable. By  Anthony King Professor Dario Floreano is a Swiss-Italian roboticist and engineer engaged in a bold research venture: the creation of edible robots and digestible electronics. However counterintuitive it may seem, combining … Read more