Eating a healthy diet as a child is linked to girls having their first menstrual period at an older age than those who consumed a less healthy diet, according to a new study published in Human Reproduction. The findings remained unaltered by the girls’ body mass index or height, both of which have been associated with the earlier onset of periods. The study has implications for health in later life as it is well known that women who started their periods at an early age may be at higher risk for diabetes, obesity, breast cancer and diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Your optimal amount of sleep may depend on where you live, new University of British Columbia research has found. An analysis of sleep data and health outcomes for nearly 5,000 people in 20 countries revealed that the hours of sleep required for good health varies significantly across different cultures, challenging the common belief that everyone needs the same amount. The study was the first to investigate whether people from countries with shorter sleep durations suffer from worse health, and it found no evidence that this is so.

Termites — infamous for their ability to destroy wood — are rarely welcomed into rainforests that have been painstakingly replanted. But a new paper suggests that termite transplants may be necessary to help regenerating forests to thrive. 

Published May 6 in the Journal of Applied Ecology and led by scientists from Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the study found that termites are not thriving in replanted rainforests in Australia. Because decomposers like termites are essential for recycling nutrients and carbon, the researchers worry that the insect’s slow recovery could hinder the growth and health of the young forests.