Bone is living tissue that constantly renews itself. Cells called osteoclasts remove old bone while osteoblasts build new bone, and estrogen helps keep the two in balance. As estrogen falls around menopause, removal can outpace rebuilding, and bones can become porous and fragile, a condition called osteoporosis. The loss often causes no pain until a fracture happens. In a US study of 862 women, bone density at the lower spine and near the hip dropped fastest from about a year before the final period to two years after it, then slowed rather than stopped. Because menopause is only confirmed after 12 months without a period, loss starts before anyone knows it. Risk also depends on body weight, smoking, alcohol and family history, and a bone density scan can assess it.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.