I wondered what kind of life you'd have to have led to pack out a church at 77 years of age. How full your life would need to draw such a crowd, asks Joyce Fegan

The part of the brain linking stress to the risk of heart attack and stroke has been identified for the first time, researchers say.

DIABETES LINK: Research linking diabetes to infection has been described as the latest piece in the puzzle for scientists hoping to develop a cure for the disease.

A Zika vaccine has come a step closer after three promising candidates were successfully tested in monkeys.

AbFab hellraisers Eddie and Patsy know the value of friendship. Margaret Jennings looks at the links between female friendship and wellbeing.

Eating potatoes or chips increases the risk of high blood pressure, research suggests.

Adopting a low-fat diet and foregoing guilty pleasures such as crisps and fry-ups may not be the best way to slim, a study has found.

EVER felt a bit light-headed after standing up? Most of us have experienced that momentary dizziness from time to time.

Babies in their first week of life are more susceptible to having a stroke than at any other time in their lives, but are also least likely to be diagnosed, according to a world expert in newborn medicine.

Opting for a gluten-free diet as a lifestyle choice rather than because of an actual intolerance to gluten is sending mixed messages to workers in the hospitality industry about what coeliacs can or cannot eat.

DNA from a Romanian who lived in a prehistoric “dark age”, when early modern humans and Neanderthals were neighbours, is strong evidence that the two groups interbred in Europe.

Scientists have found a protein they believe can help boost immunity to cancer and viruses.

Mobile gaming has become a multibillion-euro industry, with over 33% of time on phone spent playing games.

New scientific research on healing the body from within, may revolutionise the way we age, says Áilín Quinlan.

Half a pint of beer a day may help to keep heart failure away, research has shown.

Book lovers who enjoy relaxing with an ebook before going to sleep could be damaging their health.

We have a lot of belief and we are going to give it our very best shot.

Unlike any other birds, hummingbirds seek out sugary nectar. It’s allowed them to successfully fill a very specific niche in the animal world.

Lack of sleep was one of the many hazards of space travel not explored in the blockbuster movie Gravity.

Regular eye tests could in future be used to diagnose early-stage Alzheimer’s, research suggests.

Smoking cannabis alters the size and shape of two key brain regions involved in emotion and motivation, research has shown.

If you are a hairy diabetic who smokes and suffers from stomach cramps, blame your Neanderthal ancestry.

Some successful EU-funded Irish female scientists:

WHILE it’s long been known that physical activity massively reduces the risk of developing certain diseases, a major new study suggests exercise may also be as effective as drugs at treating conditions like heart disease and stroke.

Are cereal boxes more nutritious than cornflakes?

Electric lights, including those illuminating laptop computers, smartphones and tablets, often play a key role in causing people to sleep badly, a leading expert has said.

Electric lights, including those illuminating laptop computers, smartphones, and tablets, often play a key role in causing people to sleep badly.

A week after her father, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, allegedly set off a bomb at the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds, three-year-old Zahara Tsarnaev was seen happily playing on a slide in her grandmother’s yard in Rhode Island.

A federal jury in the US has awarded writer Patricia Cornwell nearly $51m (€38m) in a lawsuit against her former financial management firm and a former principal in the company.

An “adventurous” woman is being sought by a Harvard professor to give birth to a baby Neanderthal.

A potential cure for permanent deafness has been found by scientists using a drug that stimulates the inner ear.

AS A neurosurgeon, I did not believe in the phenomenon of near-death experiences. I grew up in a scientific world, the son of a neurosurgeon.

Ireland is one of the world's most inactive nations; a new global study reveals we're the seventh worst country for lack of exercise among 36 nations.

Forget fad diets — the most effective way to lose weight is by eating less fat and taking more exercise, a study has found.

MANY men are concerned about hair loss, but not everyone has the deep pockets of Wayne Rooney to seek a hair transplant.

Taking aspirin on a daily basis to reduce cancer risk should only be done under medical advice, according to the Irish Cancer Society.

Psychedelic drug LSD could be used as an effective method to treat alcoholism, scientists say.

Psychedelic drug LSD could be used as an effective method to treat alcoholism, scientists say.

Adele has undergone a throat operation to treat a condition that has caused her to cancel her tour dates.

DEPENDENCE on televisions, mobile phones and laptops may be costing Americans dearly — in lack of sleep.

Women who smoke heavily before the menopause, especially prior to giving birth, may significantly increase their risk of developing breast cancer, research suggests.

Men who eat a lot of saturated fat could be damaging their sperm, new research suggests.