Health

Why Bolivian hunter-gatherers have the healthiest arteries

She was, it turned out, a 3,500-year-old Egyptian princess, her mummified skin leathery brown, her coffin over 10 feet long and lavishly carved.

But when researchers slid Princess Ahmose Meryet-Amon’s body into a CT scanner, they found, at least in one respect, she was not so different from some 92 million un-royal Americans: Her arteries were hardened and blocked by plaque. The researchers also examined the shriveled blood vessels of over 100 other mummies from Egypt, Peru, the American Southwest, and the Aleutian Islands — and found similar signs of cardiovascular disease.

'Huge advance' in fighting world's biggest killer

The results of the large international trial on 27,000 patients means the drug could soon be used by millions.

The British Heart Foundation said the findings were a significant advance in fighting the biggest killer in the world.

Around 15 million people die each year from heart attacks or stroke.

Bad cholesterol is the villain in heart world - it leads to blood vessels furring up, becoming easy to block which fatally starves the heart or brain of oxygen.

It is why millions of people take drugs called statins to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol.

Self-repairing heart tissue breakthrough brings hope for cardiac patients

Doctors James Hudson and Enzo Porello from the University of Queensland worked with German researchers to create the samples in a laboratory, and will use them to study cardiac biology and diseases.

"The patented technology enables us to now perform experiments on human heart tissue," Dr Hudson said.

Up until now researchers have had no "living" tissue to study, but now scientists have a viable, functioning heart muscle to work on.

Dr Hudson said it would help them model the cardiovascular disease, screen new drugs and investigate heart repair.

Lesbians 'told they did not need cervical screening'

This results in half of all eligible lesbian and bisexual women never having had a smear test, they said.

The human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes most cervical cancers, can be transmitted through lesbian sex.

Cervical cancer charities say all women, no matter their orientation, should have regular cervical screening.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups say women regularly face barriers to accessing healthcare and can have poor experiences when they do.

Who orgasms most and least, and why

But why does this gender gap exist, and what can be done to achieve orgasm equality? After all, about 40% of women experience sexual dysfunction, associated with a chronic difficulty in achieving orgasm.

Experts are offering some answers.

World's heaviest woman 'smiling again' after weight reduction surgery

"She is very happy, she started dancing in her bed," Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala told CNN. "Her smile has come back."

Before she traveled to India for her operation, Eman weighed 1,102 pounds (500 kg) and she'd barely left her bedroom in more than two decades, her family said.

Over the last couple of years she'd been confined to her bed after a stroke severely impaired her speech and mobility.

Are nuts healthy?

Nuts are rich in heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, which lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol; plus, they are a good source of phytosterols, compounds that help lower blood cholesterol.

They are packed with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium.

Why hot chillies might be good for us

Chillies come in many shapes, colours, sizes and strengths, but one thing they have in common is the burning sensation they cause in your mouth, eyes and any other part of your body into which their juices come into contact.

Although most people think that the hottest part of a chilli is its seeds, in fact it is the white spongy layer you find inside, called the placenta. Bite into this and you will really feel the burn.

That burning sensation is mainly caused by a chemical called capsaicin, which is found in tiny glands in the chilli's placenta.

Hack your brain to remember almost anything

But in some ways, he's just as forgetful as the rest of us.

"I still forget plenty of basic things, like where I left my keys," said Mullen, a medical student at the University of Mississippi.

Ireland protests abortion ban on International Women's Day

Traffic ground to a halt in parts of Dublin Wednesday as women and abortion rights activists sang along to Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" during a raucous dance party on O'Connell Bridge.

After sundown, a second, separate demonstration -- also in protest of abortion rights -- commenced with Irish police estimating 10,000 to 12,000 people on the capital's streets.