Suppose we could live forever? How would we prioritise our time? Would we retire? In Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman playfully and beautifully describes different theories of time. In one of his vignettes, he writes
Putting children in the centre of our society acknowledges that all aspects of our future capacity depends upon us having the majority of our children and youth able to participate to their full potential
As a child health researcher and advocate, there are many situations which make me anxious in Australia in 2014. Child abuse and neglect is apparently rising, as are substance abuse and mental health problems in both young people and their parents (probably linked) and the resulting irreversible fetal alcohol group of disorders
The health and wellbeing of children and youth are any country’s most crucial future concern (Stanley, Prior, & Richardson, 2005). Measuring health (or ill-health as we usually do!) and wellbeing (or ill-being!) gives us an indication of the success of our society in providing those environments (physical, social, emotional, cultural and economic) that are positive for healthy child development
As we move from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic into a ‘post-Covid’ world, it gives us an incredible opportunity to move to a more equitable and sustainable world, one that is courageous in making decisions to address climate change. A world that is healthier for our children and for those ‘not yet born’
It took over 10 years and US$3 billion to sequence the first human genome. Next generation sequencing (NGS) technolo- gies have made it possible to replicate this feat in a matter of days and at a fraction of the cost, and have led to an explosion in our understanding of the genetic determinants of health. Genomic testing is set to transform healthcare, from disease diagnosis to personalised risk assessments, tailored treatments and preventative interventions. Where are we going to be in 2050, and what challenges lie ahead?
As an undergraduate student, I encountered an unexpected love; a love for cell biology and a compartment found within the confines of each of our cells, the mitochondrion. For cell biologists like myself, the term ‘mitochondria’ can evoke a feeling of enquiry and a reminder of the joy we experienced when learning about these marvellous cellular compartments. But for many, their first encounter with the term ‘mitochondria’ comes with a feeling of confusion and despair, often associated with their diagnosis, or that of a loved one with a mitochondrial disease
What is this ‘physical activity’ thing people keep talking about? Simply put, physical activity is movement of the body (this may be your upper or lower body or both) which expends energy. It is important to remember that physical activity does not just mean exercise!
There is a saying that you can never dip your toe into the same river twice. The same applies to the brain because at a quite fundamental level it is continuously changing. Indeed, it is somewhat incredible that throughout our lives we are able to maintain a more-or-less unified concept of who we are given there is little constancy of substance to anchor this most basic of notions
It is important that we look after ourselves throughout life to live the healthiest life we can. Yet the reality is life demands often mean we cannot prioritise our own health enough. Between work and family we often don’t have the time to think much about our health until around midlife, which is the life stage when most of us have a few key realisations