Vast quantities of gold could be salvaged from old mobile phones using a simple chemical method, a study shows. Current methods for extracting gold from old gadgets are inefficient and can be hazardous to health, as they often use toxic chemicals such as cyanide, researchers say. Electrical waste – including old mobile phones, televisions and…

Asthma costs the UK health service at least £1.1 billion each year, researchers have estimated. The findings are the result of the most comprehensive study of the state of asthma in UK to date. Researchers found that at least three people die each day from asthma attacks. Experts say the majority of asthma deaths are…

Scientists have shed light on why life on Earth took millions of years to recover from the greatest mass extinction of all time. The study provides fresh insight into how Earth’s oceans became starved of oxygen in the wake of the event 252 million years ago, delaying the recovery of life by five million years.…