A surgical knife that can detect when it is cutting through cancerous tissue is being tested in hospitals, raising hopes that the spread of cancer left behind after surgery could soon be curbed more successfully.

26-yearold Imperial College student had put his medical career on hold to travel to the country to help injured civilians

Almost half of all children and teenagers in the UK and other countries hit by swine flu in 2009 succumbed to the virus, a study has shown.

Another scientific discovery?

QPR manager knows defeat to Southampton today would leave them marooned at the bottom

In one of the most dramatic improvements in the nation's health, deaths from heart disease have halved since the 1980s – but the gains have not been shared equally and the "health gap" between the wealthiest and poorest communities has widened among older people, researchers say.

The economic costs of carrying out the proposed badger cull to prevent TB in cattle will be greater than the financial benefits, and the taxpayer will pick up the bill, experts have concluded in an economic assessment of culling.

If you are reaching for your handkerchief it might be too late to stop the spread of flu, research suggests.

A sign of excellent research is the positive effect it has on our society

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is the BBC's new face of space – and she's come a long way from a council estate. She tells Steve Connor why inner-city kids should build a hi-tech economy

Magic mushrooms could one day be prescribed for depression after Professor David Nutt, the controversial sacked government drugs advisor, claimed research on healthy volunteers proved what a mistake it was to abandon therapeutic psychedelic drugs more than 50 years ago.

Silicon anode technology is set for use in laptops, phones, even cars – sparking an electric revolution on the roads