Advances in contraception further the sustainable-development goal of family planning.

Misoprostol can prevent and treat postpartum haemorrhage. But because it can also cause abortions, availability of the cheap medication is often tightly restricted.

Access to affordable birth control can improve the social and economic status of women and their communities, especially in low-income countries.

Sperm communication, surprises in abortion statistics and other highlights from clinical trials and laboratory studies.

‘Set and forget’ devices are the most effective forms of birth control available. But few people choose to use them.

Access to fertility treatments is limited by the cost in both high- and low-income countries. But new technologies and attitudes aim to fix that.

Shareen Joshi explains that faith-based organizations around the world are working with governments and secular institutions to promote birth control.

The development of male contraceptives has slowed in the past decade, but some preliminary studies are showing promise.

Martha Bailey says providing free access to birth control for everyone would go a long way towards the creation of a fairer and more equitable society.

Innovative forms of contraception could offer more choice for controlling fertility.

The world’s population is estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050. Providing everyone with a nutritious diet and protecting the planet requires a global response.

Laboratory-grown meat has been stuck in the experimental stage. For it to become a commercially viable industry, tissue needs to be grown efficiently at scale.

By 2050, an estimated 10 billion people will live on Earth. To provide them with a healthy diet, eating habits need to change.

Researchers are working out how to achieve a widespread change in eating behaviour.

Increasing the amount of protein produced through aquaculture is essential to feed a growing global population. But scientists want to ensure the industry grows sustainably.

A way to estimate household food waste, the unintended consequences of environmental interventions and other highlights from research.

Jessica Fanzo says that food systems must evolve and governments must work together if people are to be kept nourished during a global pandemic.

Brain function and food are thought to be connected through the community of microorganisms that live in the gut.

Scientists are pursuing sustainability strategies for intensifying production to tackle food security and environmental crises.

A condition whose impact goes far beyond adverse reactions.

The two technologies might ultimately bring an end to ‘may contain’ food labels, which consumers find confusing.

‘Itch-proof’ cosmetics, keeping inflammation-causing T cells in check, and other highlights from allergy and immunology studies.

An unusual reaction to mammalian meat is challenging the immunological understanding of allergies.

Researchers are looking beyond allergen immunotherapy to help people whose pets make them sneeze.

Early disruptions in the composition of the gut microbiome can directly influence digestive and immune function in ways that put children at greater risk.

Early oral exposure to some allergenic foods is now seen as a key prevention strategy, but tackling inhalant allergies remains a challenge.

Bullying, anxiety and depression can have a huge impact on the lives of people with allergies and their families.

Advances in treatment and a better understanding of the cancer mean people with the disease are living longer.

The disease is now recognized as several distinct cancers. Some researchers think that this will lead to more tailored treatments.

Treatments that help the immune system fight multiple myeloma are emerging fast, but the number of people who relapse remains.

Researchers are amassing evidence about the best ways to treat the precursor condition before it develops into active disease.

Black people are more likely to develop multiple myeloma and to die from it than white people. Why these differences exist and what can be done to lessen them is the subject of ongoing research.

Immunotherapy that targets a hair-follicle protein, genetic changes that underlie disease development and other highlights from clinical trials and laboratory studies.

Could viruses such as the one used in the measles vaccine be used to treat multiple myeloma?

There is encouraging news in the fight against the world’s most deadly form of cancer.

Refining immunotherapy, evaluating the benefits of screening, and other highlights from clinical trials and laboratory studies.

It is not a disease just for old men any more.

Technologies that count tumour cells in the blood promise to improve survival times.

S. Vincent Rajkumar says there is enough evidence to begin testing, and treating, people at high risk of the disease much earlier.

The disease remains highly lethal but advances in immunotherapy and targeted drugs bring a flicker of hope.

Machine learning systems for early detection could save lives.

Communities sharing particular types of the disease are helping steer research towards better therapies.

Metastasis to the brain is usually a swift death sentence but researchers are developing ways to make it less lethal.

Efforts to reduce the use of existing drugs and incentives to invest in research could help combat resistance to antimicrobial drugs.

A lack of financial incentive has meant large pharmaceutical companies have left the market

Worries about antimicrobial resistance and disease outbreaks have pushed farms to decrease drug use and improve hygiene.

David Wallinga says that US policymakers should follow Europe’s example to reduce the misuse of antibiotics in the agriculture sector.

A microscopic molecular drill, a machine-learning system for drug discovery and other highlights from clinical trials and laboratory studies.

Public-health experts hope that by reducing the spread of disease, society can cut back on its use of antibiotics.

James K. Martin argues that, to find new antibiotics, researchers need to leave the old molecules behind and take different approaches.