Race, education, age, body mass don't make a difference when it comes to catching a cold -- but being happy does. A new study finds people who are happy, calm, lively or show other positive emo...

Firefighters are at a far higher risk of developing certain cancers than people in many other professions, US research suggests. A University of Cincinnati team said exposure to substances such as...

Forget Borat. Kazakhstan is hoping to become a powerhouse in Central Asia. President Nursultan Nazarbayev has built himself a brand new capital city in the middle of the steppes as a symbol of his cou...

Eating a low- carb, high-fat diet for years doesn't raise the risk of heart disease, a long-term study suggests, easing fears that the popular Atkins diet and similar regimens might set people up for...

Scientists have discovered a surprising way of improving memory: passing electricity through the brain while you are asleep. They have found that mild electrical stimulation at the right frequency imp...

No wonder pigeons never get lost on the way home. According to psychologists, who spent five years exploring the limits of the birds' brains, the creatures have remarkably good memories. The extent...

Vesuvius has been quiet for the last 62 years -- and that's cause for concern. Italian authorities are preparing for the next eruption of the most dangerous volcano in the world....

When Tracey Naly shops for beauty products, she reads the label to make sure it doesn't contain alcohol because it dries her skin. Naly's friend, Katie Fordham, admits that she doesn't really check...

Our skies in 20 years' time could be a lot quieter, if research by engineers on "silent aircraft" really takes off. Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI) engineers have been working on new styles of planes...

A machine has been invented to encourage children to work out while they are playing computer games. The Step2Play step exercise machine links directly to a child's computer games console....