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When Imad Ahmed was growing up in London, he was saddened to find that some school friends would celebrate the festival of Eid on different days to his family. The reason is the surprisingly contentious issue of when the new crescent Moon is first sighted each month – an issue made more complicated in Britain by the frequency of cloud cover.
In Saudi Arabia, the new crescent Moon was declared last night, meaning for Muslims there (and those who follow the Saudi lead), the Ramadan month of fasting, prayer and communality starts today. For others, it will begin tomorrow or even Friday. Imad is now a PhD candidate researching the contested issue of the Islamic lunar calendar. He is also on a mission, with astronomer Emma Alexander, to unify the UK approach to Moon sightings.
The latest in our gripping series of Strange Health video podcasts has just dropped. This one introduces you to the millions of microscopic mites living in your skin right now. Read, watch and try not to scratch.
And new research has found that air pollution can raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
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Clint Witchalls
Senior Health Editor
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Top story
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Moon sighting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to confirm the official start of Ramadan, March 1 2025.
Shafiq Hashim/Shutterstock
Imad Ahmed, University of Cambridge; Emma L Alexander, University of Leeds
When Muslims arriving in the UK tried to sight the new crescent Moon, they would often struggle – in part due to a very British problem: the cloudy weather.
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Close-up of a demodex folliculorum mite: your skin is alive with company.
Kalcutta/Shutterstock
Katie Edwards, The Conversation; Dan Baumgardt, University of Bristol
Microscopic mites are part of human biology. Some live harmlessly in our pores but others can trigger allergies, inflammation or infection.
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Angel Gruber/Shutterstock
Eef Hogervorst, Loughborough University
A major US study links air pollution to Alzheimer’s risk in older adults. With fine particles far exceeding safe limits globally, the findings carry urgent implications.
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Politics + Society
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Niall Oddy, The Open University
Europe can manage without the US but it needs a reinvigorated conversation about its values.
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Martin Farr, Newcastle University
Unlike the Conservatives, Labour doesn’t have a history of toppling prime ministers.
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Arts + Culture
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Michelle Pfeffer, University of Oxford
Historically, what made eclipses politically dangerous was the speculation often attached to them.
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Oliver Bray, Leeds Beckett University
Dickens was drawn to women who were brilliant, expressive and creative.
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Paul G. Oliver, Edinburgh Napier University
Local music scenes are shrinking, and young performers lack opportunities to try out new material.
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Matt Jacobsen, Queen Mary University of London
A group of American high school friends discover an Aztec death whistle and, for reasons best known to them, give it a blow at a party.
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Business + Economy
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Renaud Foucart, Lancaster University
The Dink lifestyle is attractive: more money and time for yourselves. But on the salary of an average UK household, you won’t be able to buy an average house.
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Qing Wang, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Chinese consumer habits are changing, but heritage and soft power mean there’s still a huge opportunity for Scotch.
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Environment
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Cooper Malanoski, University of Oxford; Erin Saupe, University of Oxford
500 million years of fossils reveal how ‘escape routes’ along coastlines can decide who survives climate change.
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Janet Godsell, Loughborough University; Nikolai Kazantsev, University of Cambridge
The real cost of what we buy is often hidden but demanding greater transparency from brands is one of the most powerful climate actions available to citizens.
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Josie Geris, University of Aberdeen; Megan Klaar, University of Leeds
Capturing floodwater in the winter could help avoid summer droughts, research suggests.
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Pamela Buchan, University of Exeter; Alun Morgan, University of Plymouth
Sailing voyages help young people develop strong connections with the sea that can last a lifetime.
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Health
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Tom Bassindale, Sheffield Hallam University
Ostarine has become the most commonly detected Sarm in Wada laboratories, appearing in 114 athlete samples.
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Matthew Holland, University of Oxford
Five-thousand-year-old microbes reveal nature’s antibiotic arms race, and hold clues to both the threat of drug resistance and the cure.
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Science + Technology
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Josie Geris, University of Aberdeen; Megan Klaar, University of Leeds
Capturing floodwater in the winter could help avoid summer droughts, research suggests.
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Mingming Liu, Dublin City University
A virtual proving ground can help improve the ability of self driving cars to handle rare events on the road.
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Mark Grabowski, Liverpool John Moores University
Tails may have disappeared from our earliest ape ancestors due to a genetic mistake.
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The most clicked links from yesterday
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