The University of Bath, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, has completed the largest-ever study on growth and biological maturation in global football.

The research, commissioned by the Scottish FA, explores how relative age and biological maturity influence talent identification and development across the Club Academy Scotland (CAS) system.

Findings suggest a significant selection bias toward early maturing players, which may lead to missed opportunities for talented but later-developing athletes.

A new pilot rule has been introduced within the CAS system, enabling clubs to group players by biological rather than chronological age - offering greater support for late developers.

The next phase of research will examine the relationship between growth-related injuries and player development, with injury prevention interventions to follow.

70% of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) cases go undiagnosed. Now, a study led by Hospital del Mar and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute has validated ten metabolites that are altered in patients with this disease. These metabolites can be identified through a simple blood test, which opens the door to their use in future population-based screening for suspected COPD. The study used artificial intelligence tools to determine which of these molecules yielded the most accurate results.

The simple daily habit of standing up more often may impact heart health for postmenopausal women, according to a new study from University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science.

Stimulating the vagus nerve with a device attached to the outer ear can help make compassion meditation training more effective at boosting people’s capacity for self-kindness and mindfulness, finds a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

 A new study led by researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that although many technologies claim to clean indoor air and prevent the spread of viruses like COVID-19 and the flu, most have not been tested on people and their potential risks are not yet fully understood.