Author: Andrew Rogers

People who drink a couple of cups of tea or coffee a day may face a lower risk of dementia, scientists say. A large US study found that those who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of caffeinated tea daily had a 15–20% lower dementia risk over four decades than non-drinkers. The research, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, analysed health data from more than 130,000 participants. Caffeinated coffee drinkers also showed slightly less cognitive decline and better performance on some brain tests than those who chose decaf. No protective link…

BP faces renewed pressure from investors as it prepares to publish full-year results expected to show weaker profits. Analysts forecast earnings of about $7.5bn, down from nearly $9bn in 2024, after falling oil prices cut revenues for a third straight year. Crude prices dropped below $60 a barrel late in 2025, hitting fourth-quarter results particularly hard. Incoming chief executive Meg O’Neill is expected to outline a clearer strategy as shareholders question BP’s recent shift back towards fossil fuels. Activist investors, including Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility and Follow This, want BP to explain how it will manage spending as long-term…

Researchers say menstrual blood testing could provide a simple alternative to cervical screening.A sanitary pad with a sample strip can detect HPV, which causes most cervical cancers. The test could be used at home and avoid invasive clinical procedures.Millions of women currently miss cervical screening appointments. Researchers in China compared menstrual blood samples with clinician-collected cervical samples.They studied 3,068 women aged 20 to 54 between 2021 and 2025. The findings were published in BMJ.Pad-collected samples detected serious cervical abnormalities with 94.7% sensitivity. Clinician-collected samples showed similar accuracy at 92.1%.Negative results proved equally reliable for both methods. Researchers said menstrual blood…

A major review finds most statin side-effects listed on labels are not caused by the drugs.Researchers published the analysis in The Lancet after reviewing 19 trials with 124,000 participants.The study found strong evidence for muscle pain, diabetes risk, and four minor side-effects only.These included small liver test changes, mild liver abnormalities, urine changes, and tissue swelling.Researchers found no evidence linking statins to memory loss, depression, sleep problems, or nerve damage.The benefits of statins in preventing heart attacks and strokes far outweighed the risks.Lead author Christina Reith said statins did not increase common complaints compared with placebo.Experts called for updated labels…

Hidden-market sellers promote unlicensed weight-loss drugs through WhatsApp and Telegram giveaways. They offer injectable medicines such as retatrutide as competition prizes. Experts warn these promotions pose serious health risks. UK law bans the sale or advertising of unapproved prescription medicines. Some sellers disguise drug sales as fitness or coaching programmes. Researchers say these tactics bypass safeguards and endanger the public.

Researchers argue ultra-processed foods share key traits with cigarettes and need far stricter regulation.The study, by scientists from Harvard University, University of Michigan and Duke University, says UPFs are engineered to drive addiction and overconsumption.They point to design features that rapidly stimulate reward pathways, similar to tobacco products.The paper, published in Milbank Quarterly, links UPFs to widespread public health harm.Authors warn that marketing claims such as “low fat” act like historic cigarette health claims.They urge policies mirroring tobacco control, shifting responsibility from individuals to food manufacturers.

Toto Wolff dismissed rival complaints about Mercedes’s 2026 engine legality.He said competitors should “focus on themselves” after missing regulatory opportunities.Rivals claim Mercedes and Red Bull Racing exploit thermal expansion to boost engine compression while staying within rules.FIA discussed the issue but took no action.Wolff insisted the engine meets regulations and warned protests could still follow at Melbourne.

Scientists say cosmic dust may explain how organic matter reached early Earth.Fragments from dying stars regularly fall through Earth’s atmosphere as microscopic debris.At the University of Sydney, researchers now recreate this dust in the laboratory.PhD candidate Linda Losurdo produces cosmic dust from scratch using plasma physics.The dust contains CHON molecules, key chemical building blocks of life.Researchers debate whether these molecules formed on Earth or arrived from space.Lab-made dust helps trace how meteorites acquired organic material.The work may also inform experiments on early life beyond Earth.The study appears in the Astrophysical Journal.

Rising shipping, energy, and raw material costs could push up consumer prices during 2026, an industry body warned.Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply said cracks are forming in global supply chains.Its late-2025 survey showed supply disruption concerns at a two-year high.Procurement leaders expect the biggest price rises in shipping and logistics.Twenty-two percent reported transport cost increases above 10% by end-2025.Computer, transport, and electrical equipment prices are already climbing.CIPS said volatility now looks permanent, driven by geopolitics, tariffs, and trade tensions.

West Ham United banned a season-ticket holder after he helped hold up an anti-board banner at London Stadium.Joshua Wood received a five-match ban for breaching rules on banner size.The club said CCTV showed him retrieving an oversized banner from under his seat.The banner urged owners David Sullivan and Karren Brady to sell the club.Wood denied bringing the banner into the stadium and plans to appeal.