Lifelogging technologies: quantified truths?

GrrlScientist: Lifelogging uses modern digital technologies to record, track, measure and share everything from heartbeats to heartbreaks. An exhibition at Science Gallery Dublin uses science, art and technology to explore the ethics, consequences and potential future uses of lifelogging

Facebook removes ‘feeling fat’ status option and emoji after campaign

Social network responds to petition from anti-body shaming group to get rid of status option and double-chin emoji

Nowhere to run: did my fitness addiction make me ill?

Scarlett Thomas was a born-again fitness fanatic, religiously measuring her performance in daily stats and graphs. Then she started to feel dizzy – was her Fitbit fighting back?

Students used to take drugs to get high. Now they take them to get higher grades

The use of ‘smart drugs’ to boost mental performance is rife in British universities. So can we all benefit from ‘having an edge’, or is it just another form of cheating?

Would you pay for a little peace and quiet?

Oliver Burkeman: ‘What does it say about the world that there’s money to be made in giving people a few minutes to hear themselves think?’

Fitness bands ‘less accurate than smartphones’ in counting steps

Study finds fitness bands incorrectly estimate number of steps by up to 22.7% while phones only get it wrong by, at most, 6.7%

Would you let a stranger wake you up with a phone call?

A new app, Wakie, promises that the ‘mental engagement’ offered by a call from another, random, user is an effective wake-up strategy – but does it work? We tested it for a week

Need a wee and have nowhere to turn? Yes, there’s an app for that

Airpnp claims to have solved the age-old problem of needing to urinate at short notice by connecting users to bathrooms, for a price. But does it actually work?

The quiz of you: what were you like in 2014? Take our tests (no cheating)

Were you productive, mindful, healthy – and did you win the internet?

Ebooks at night won’t help you sleep tight, US study finds

Alison Flood: Harvard researchers say light-emitting ebooks negatively affect our sleep and lead to next-day grogginess

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health