As James Bond, he handled his fair share of gadgets.

Now Pierce Brosnan is carrying his love of modern technology into his personal life.

The 55-year-old actor is building a £6.5 million mansion in Malibu, California, which will be packed with enough electronic wizardry to make Q’s eyes light up.

A source said: ‘Pierce has always loved technology and playing Bond only cemented that love. He says this will be his dream house and it will have every possible boy’s toy imaginable, plus a few for his wife.

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We’ve long been told that getting enough calcium helps guard against osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones more likely to fracture. But study findings published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggest that meeting your daily calcium requirements may also keep cancer at bay.

According to the report, women and men with higher calcium intakes have a lower risk of digestive cancers, in particular colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer. It’s estimated that 21,500 Canadians were diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year. While previous research has explored the link between calcium and colorectal cancer, this is the first study to investigate dairy and calcium intakes in relation to total cancer and other digestive cancers.

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TV chef Heston Blumenthal has admitted he is baffled by what may have caused a health scare that forced him to close his three star Michelin restaurant.

The man dubbed the "culinary alchemist" for his scientific approach to cooking temporarily shut The Fat Duck while tests are carried out.

Around 40 customers have been taken ill over the past couple of weeks.

Blumenthal said that food poisoning had been ruled out but he took the decision to close the Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, as a precaution. 

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Passive smoking could increase the risk of developing dementia by nearly a half, researchers have found.

A study discovered that people exposed to high levels of second-hand smoke were 44% more likely to have damage caused to their brain – affecting things like memory and the ability to perform calculations.

Scientists had already established that smokers are at a greater risk of suffering from dementia, but the study – led by a team from Cambridge_University – was the first to look at the effects of passive smoking.

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Being overweight or seriously underweight as a teenager curbs life expectancy as much as smoking 10 cigarettes a day, a study suggests.

Swedish researchers followed 46,000 men from the age of 18 for 38 years.

Being obese or smoking more than 10 a day doubled the premature death risk, the British Medical Journal reported.

Being overweight, seriously underweight or smoking 10 or less raised it by 30% – and interestingly the fat non-smoker ran the same risk as the fat smoker.

Those who were underweight – with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18.5 – had no increased risk of dying early, regardless of whether they smoked or not.

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Almost 78,000 Britons develop cancer needlessly each year because of their unhealthy lifestyles.

Researchers found that they could have avoided the disease by eating better, drinking less alcohol and exercising more.

The report by the World Cancer Research Fund put Britain bottom of the four countries surveyed.

Record levels of drinking, growing obesity and sedentary behaviour are blamed for Britain having the highest proportion of preventable cancers.

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A team of British scientists believe they may have found a cure for potentially fatal peanut allergies.

A trial at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has resulted in a small number of patients now safely eating nuts on a daily basis.

The research involved the patients taking daily doses of peanut flour.

Starting with tiny quantities until their bodies built up resistance, the dose was gradually increased to help strengthen the resistance further.

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Animated comedy The Simpsons is to become the longest-running prime-time series in US TV history after makers Fox ordered another two seasons.

The show is currently in its 20th season which matches the record of Western drama Gunsmoke, shown on CBS, which ended in 1975.

The 21st season will begin in the autumn with the 22nd airing next year.

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US First Lady Michelle Obama wants to find a rescued Portuguese water dog as a pet for her daughters, People magazine has reported.

Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, were promised a puppy by their father, Barack Obama, when he was elected president, as a reward for all they had coped with.

The water dog, which does not shed hair, could be less aggravating for Malia who suffers from allergies.

Mrs Obama told the magazine the family were hoping to get the puppy in April.

She said water dogs were temperamentally "pretty good".

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Women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are at higher risk of breast cancer, a study has found.

Ending HRT leads to a 28% drop in the risk of developing the disease within one year, the research shows.

It suggests patients who spend at least five years taking a combination of the hormones oestrogen and progestin double their risk of breast cancer every 12 months.

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