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Could discoveries of alien life ever change the human psyche in how we view ourselves and each other?

Could discoveries of alien life ever change the human psyche in how we view ourselves and each other?

The tar-like mineral substance has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine, but the evidence of its efficacy is limited – and some products may contain harmful heavy metalsGender biases embedded in the way social media algorithms serve us content are well documented: algorithms have been found to amplify misogynistic content and unduly objectify women’s bodies, and are often cited as a driver of political polarisation between young men and women.If you are online and of the male persuasion, you are more likely than me to have encountered videos extolling the supposed masculine benefits of substances such as shilajit and ashwagandha. Interest in shilajit has taken off in recent years, in no small part thanks to square-jawed men who pose with jars of the stuff in TikToks and Instagram posts, looking like perfect caricatures of virility with their fastidiously groomed facial hair and inexplicable shirtlessness. Continue reading...

With public satisfaction in the NHS just 21%, one area has a plan to shake up its services that could reduce GP waiting lists, as well as unblock hospital beds - but can it really work nationwide?

With public satisfaction in the NHS just 21%, one area has a plan to shake up its services that could reduce GP waiting lists, as well as unblock hospital beds - but can it really work nationwide?

Good uses for nettles | Noisy restaurants | Playfair code | Evil OfficeAt my father’s funeral (Ted Ellis, a former Guardian country diarist), we had some sturdy nettles mixed with the flowers on the altar. They also appear as a cure-all in an old family herbal. So I happily endorse Claire Ratinon’s recommendation to leave a patch in your garden (Don’t rush to rip out your nettles – here’s three ways to put them to good use, 28 March). My mother also swore by a few stings to prevent joint pain. She lived to 90.Mary StiffWestwood, Broadclyst, Exeter• I love reading Grace Dent’s reviews, but could she mention how noisy a restaurant is? My friends and I are getting older, and find that more and more restaurants are noisy: hard surfaces, music, tables too close together. It can transform the food and the experience. Alicia BakerHighgate, London Continue reading...

Eight participants – most of them ‘lesbian first-timers’ – are invited to shed shame and revel in pleasureGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastEight women are lying in a room in a mansion in Mount Martha, a wealthy suburb an hour out of Melbourne. Their heads are in the middle of the circle, their bodies splayed out like a multi-pronged sundial. Slowly, as Jordana Ezra guides them, they insert a finger into their vaginas. As they breathe, they push a pressure point.“Go to noon … press in, breathe,” she says. “And now, three o’clock.”Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Dolphins circled their capsule after it landed off the coast of Florida.

Dolphins circled their capsule after it landed off the coast of Florida.

The debate has sparked a wider dilemma about the broader purpose of welfare

The debate has sparked a wider dilemma about the broader purpose of welfare