Betty Bailey, бульвар Тараса Шевченка, 30, Kyiv (2026)

29/05/2026

A neuroscientist's guide to future-proofing your brain and thinking smarter in the 21st Century

In her new book, The 21st Century Brain, scientist Hannah Critchlow explores the overlooked skills that will be necessary to flourish in the age of AI – and how we can cultivate them.

With the world around us evolving at an ever-greater pace, you may fantasise about upgrading your brain to make sense of it all.

At face value, this would seem impossible: our grey-and-white matter has largely the same structure as that of our ancestors living in the Stone Age. If anything, our brains are a bit smaller: archaeological remains suggest they have significantly shrunk in the past 10,000 years.

Hannah Critchlow, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, UK, offers many reasons to be optimistic, however. In her new book The 21st Century Brain she describes how we can all cultivate the mental flexibility that will be necessary to navigate the challenges ahead.

"I basically wrote it for myself, so that I can make better decisions and improve my own life, especially as I go through middle age," she tells me. "But also for my parents, so that they can maintain a healthy brain into older age, and for my son, who's 10 now. What can I do to help his brain to flourish?"

Read on to discover her secrets for future-proofing your mind.

25/05/2026

Sleep tracking and longevity claims: The new era of wellness retreats

The new generation of hotel spas is selling treatments that promise better sleep, lower stress and longer, healthier lives.

Wellness travel once meant switching off at a hotel spa or a relaxing mud facial. But today, a growing number of retreat-goers are less interested in passive relaxation techniques and instead embracing fitness assessments, sleep tracking and longevity programmes.

The rising demand has hotels and resorts around the world adapting quickly. They are converting their spas from oases of relaxation into destinations offering programmes they claim can improve sleep, reduce stress and support longer, healthier lives. These programmes are now found worldwide, from Ayurvedic clinics in the Himalayan foothills to spas on Lake Como.

That desire to take greater control over his own wellness was what traveller San Priy was looking for when he booked Canyon Ridge's new Longevity8 programme in Tucson, Arizona – a four-day retreat built around diagnostic tests, consultations and activities such as hikes, walks and bike rides.

"I was feeling run down and wanted to take a more intentional approach to my long-term health instead of just reacting to stress," he said.

He's not alone – McKinsey's 2025 Future of Wellness survey found that six out of 10 people rank healthy ageing as a top priority, while the Global Wellness Institute describes wellness tourism as one of the fastest-growing segments in a $6.8tn (£5.5tn) industry.

The promise of "longevity" is tantalising, but it is also largely a wellness industry framework rather than a proven medical outcome. Even with little evidence that these treatments can actually increase lifespan, wellness travellers seem more than willing to fly across the world to find out.

18/05/2026

These breathing techniques could reduce your stress in minutes

Rooted in ancient practices, the modern science of breathwork is revealing how a few minutes spent focusing on your breathing can not only bring an instant dose of stress relief, but also benefit your health in the long term.

Breathing is the first and the last thing we do in life. It's a largely subconscious activity which our body carries out many times per minute in order to keep us alive and thriving. Yet an emerging realm of science is demonstrating that sometimes our bodies benefit from a little help to do it optimally.

This is the field of breathwork, an ancient art that has been practiced by different cultures for millennia. It ranges from techniques such as Indian pranayama, which looks to connect the mind and body by methods such as breathing through one nostril at a time, to Chinese qigong.

The overriding theme is that a more mindful approach to breath control, even if carried out for just a few minutes per day, can help calm and relax the body, with both immediate and long-term benefits.

"I like to describe breathwork as an ancient practice that is resurging in the modern day as the new mindfulness hack," says Abbie Little, a researcher in theoretical psychology and medicine at Griffith University in Australia.

Pregnant women or people with respiratory illnesses such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, should use caution before trying breathwork and consult with a medical professional. Both these groups have been excluded from previous breathwork or breathing exercise trials. However, there are thought to be many people who can potentially benefit.

A few small changes can help lower stress hormones in healthy people, while for those living with chronic health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, breathwork can improve symptoms and lower inflammation. For most of us, small tweaks to the rate, rhythm and regularity of breathing can make an immediate difference.

So how can you begin to reap the benefits? The BBC takes a closer look at the fast-developing science of breathwork – and breaks down five different breathwork techniques you can try yourself.

07/05/2026

From ego-ridden team to complete package - why PSG pose ultimate test

Luis Enrique's expertise at rebuilding a culture as well as a football team means Arsenal will confront the complete package when they meet Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final.

"Shoot us into the final" was the slogan emblazoned on a giant banner unfurled by Bayern Munich's fans in an electric atmosphere on Wednesday, as their side tried to overturn a 5-4 deficit from the classic first leg in Paris.

But it was PSG who obeyed the message, delivering a third-minute hammer blow when Georgian genius Khvicha Kvaratskhelia raced down the wing before setting up Ousmane Dembele to lash a finish high past Manuel Neuer.

Harry Kane's late equaliser on the night could not even be described as a consolation, coming only seconds from the end.

Moments later PSG were able to celebrate reaching a second successive final - and the chance to retain the crown they won so brilliantly by beating Inter Milan 5-0 last season.

Luis Enrique danced on the Allianz Arena turf, as he did after the 2025 final, with PSG delivering the latest compelling evidence they must be counted among the great sides of recent memory.

Arsenal will be confident in their first Champions League final for 20 years, but there is no escaping the fact they face a mammoth task on 30 May in Hungary.

And that is because Gunners boss Mikel Arteta must overcome a master strategist and inspirational footballing architect in his PSG counterpart Luis Enrique.

04/05/2026

Nature vs nurture: How much of our personalities are determined at birth?

Laurie Clarke delves into the devilishly complex forces that shape our personalities – and the new research revealing ever more about how our genes do, and don't, make us who we are.

In 2009, Abdelmalek Bayout faced a nine-year prison sentence in Trieste, Italy, for stabbing and killing a man who had mocked him in the street. Aiming to reduce the sentence, his lawyer made an unusual legal argument.

His client's DNA, he said, indicated the presence of the "warrior gene", a mutation that decades of scientific research had tied to aggressive behaviour. Because of this, the argument went, he couldn't be held fully accountable for his actions. The appeal was successful: a year was sheared off Bayout's sentence.

From the 1990s, evidence had accumulated of some kind of link between violent behaviour and a variant of a gene called monoamine oxidase A, or MAOA. By 2004, it had earned the media-friendly moniker of the "warrior" gene.

Since then, however, our understanding of how genes influence traits and behaviours has deepened significantly. "Initially, people thought that behaviours were influenced by a few genes with very large effects," says Aysu Okbay, assistant professor of psychiatry and complex trait genetics at Amsterdam UMC in the Netherlands. "That has been completely debunked."

20/04/2026

Should you really trust health advice from an AI chatbot?

For the past year, Abi has been using ChatGPT – one of the best known AI chatbots – to help manage her health.

The appeal is clear. It can feel impossible to get hold of a GP and artificial intelligence is always ready to answer your questions. And AI has comfortably passed some medical exams.

So should we trust the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok? Is using them any different to an old-fashioned internet search? Or, as some experts fear – are chatbots getting things dangerously wrong, putting lives on the line?

Abi, who is from Manchester, struggles with health anxiety and finds a chatbot gives more tailored advice than an internet search, which will often take her straight to the scariest possibilities.

"It allows a kind of problem solving together," she says. "A little bit like chatting with your doctor."

Abi has seen the good and the bad side of using AI chatbots for health advice.

When she thought she had a urinary tract infection, ChatGPT looked at her symptoms and recommended she go to the pharmacist. After a consultation she was prescribed an antibiotic.

Abi says the chatbot got her the care she needed "without feeling like I was taking up NHS time", and was an easy source of advice for someone who "struggles a lot with knowing when you need to visit a doctor".

13/04/2026

The blue light from your phone isn't ruining your sleep

For a decade, we've been told our screens are wrecking our sleep. The real culprit is far bigger than the glow from your phone.

I have spent the last few weeks strapping on a pair of special orange safety goggles three hours before bed. They're made of thick, uncomfortable plastic that casts the world in a dull amber glow, making it hard to see anything blue. But I don't stop there. I cover the windows with blackout curtains and switch off all my lamps, one by one. In their place, I exclusively light my apartment with candles. My sleep routine is deranged, but it's for an experiment. I found out what happens when you banish blue light.

The world has grown increasingly panicked about this photochromatic fiend over the past 10 years. We're told that our phones, TVs, computers, tablets and LED light bulbs expose us to a perverse amount of blue light. Supposedly, this ruins our sleep by disrupting the natural rhythms of daylight that influence our internal body clock. There's science to back some of this up, but recent studies and analysis suggests that things are a lot more complicated. In fact, chances are good that you've fallen for some serious misconceptions on this subject. Experts tell me it's unlikely that light from your phone is ruining your sleep.

The research is mixed. Those features designed to dial down blue light on your phone at bedtime, for example, are probably doing very little to improve your sleep. But the lighting of modern life really can have a huge effect on your sleep. What would it take to make a change?

I wanted the truth. So, I called the experts and dove into the science.

08/04/2026

Want to improve your memory? The right type of exercise can give it a boost

A brief bout of physical exercise can create "ripples" of activity in your brain that help you store and retrieve memories.

Memory can be such a fickle thing. Whether trying to remember people's names, recall a list of items you need from the shop or preparing for an important exam or job interview, information that was in your head one minute can flutter out the next.

But there's an easy way you can give your memory an instant boost when trying to learn new information – jump on an exercise bike for a few minutes or take a brisk walk.

Research shows that we can improve our memory by doing aerobic exercise, or cardio.

It's long been known that exercise boosts cognition – as I covered in my newsletter course Live Well for Longer. Physical activity improves how well we perform on tasks and strengthens brain areas vulnerable to ageing, potentially slowing down cognitive decline.

13/03/2026

Why Namibia's green energy dream could be a red flag for penguins

A near pristine desert and coastal wilderness in Namibia could soon host a huge hydrogen production facility, raising hopes for jobs but also fears for the unique plant and animal life of the region, such as rare succulents and endangered African penguins.

It is part of the government's plan to become a green hydrogen superpower, exporting a clean-burning fuel that could help cut emissions elsewhere.

Hyphen, a joint venture led by the Germany-based green energy group Enertrag, says Namibia has the "world class" solar and wind power potential needed for large-scale, competitive production.

Hydrogen, a highly flammable gas that produces heat and water when it burns, can be used to refine petroleum and make chemicals, metals and fertilisers. It is usually produced with fossil fuels, however when renewable energy sources are used instead the hydrogen is labelled "green".

06/03/2026

'She loved painting people living life out loud': Why critics scorned Beryl Cook's 'saucy' paintings

Jolly, kitsch and b***y, Beryl Cook's paintings were loved by the British public but derided by the art establishment. One hundred years after her birth, a new exhibition argues for a radical reassessment of her work and legacy.

By any measure, Beryl Cook's career arc was impressive. A self-taught artist, she didn't pick up a paintbrush until her late 30s and was 49 when she had her first exhibition. But by the time she died in 2008, aged 81, Cook had created more than 500 works and become one of Britain's most popular artists.

Cook's work wasn't just prolific, it was ubiquitous. Anyone who grew up in the UK in the past 50 years will have seen her paintings. Perhaps not in a gallery, but on greetings cards, tea towels, prints, calendars, postage stamps and drinks coasters. Her characters were even turned into a BBC cartoon, Bosom Pals. Cook's signature figures – ordinary working-class people, often female and ample of flesh – are instantly recognisable. And they are always having fun; in pubs and cafes, on the beach, at karaoke nights, in the bingo hall.

Betty Bailey

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