The lubricating effect of melting water on glaciers will have only a “minor” role in future sea-level rise, according to new research.

A two billion-year-old riddle of how the basic building blocks of life were formed has been solved by scientists in Ireland, it was announced today.

STEM cells taken from human fat can be transformed into smooth muscle cells, offering a way to treat many kinds of heart disease, gastrointestinal and bladder ills, US researchers reported this week.