Huge Trash-Collecting Boom in Pacific Ocean Breaks Apart
A trash collection device deployed to corral plastic litter floating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii has broken apart and will be hauled back to dry land for
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Saving Water, Growing Food in the Saudi Desert
In 2016, researchers at Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal University began sounding alarms that the nation is about a decade away from running out of groundwater. The situation is still dire,
Read MoreSwedish Patient Tests Negative for Ebola
Health care officials in Sweden say a patient who was admitted to a hospital with a suspected case of Ebola was found not to be suffering from the highly infectious and potentially
Read MoreEbola Operations Resume in DRC’s North Kivu Province
Ebola control operations have been restored in Democratic Republic of Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu province, following pre-election protests late last year, the World Health Organization reports. Anti-government demonstrations preceding presidential
Read MoreSwedish Hospital Isolates Patient Amid Ebola Suspicion
A suspected case of the deadly Ebola virus has been reported by a Swedish hospital, officials said Friday, adding that the patient has been isolated. Region Uppsala, which oversees several
Read MoreInteresting Advances: Plastics That Become Fuel, and Cars That Clean the Air
Ending our dependence on carbon in all of its forms — especially plastics and petroleum products — is a fairly constant endeavor of engineers and entrepreneurs. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports
Read MoreAfter Historic Flyby, New Horizons Probe Treks Deeper on Hunt for Moons
After studying a space rock some 4 billion miles (6.4 billion km) from Earth, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft set off on a new hunt for moons in the solar system’s
Read MoreSign-ups Steady as US Health Law Case Goes to Appeals Court
The government says 8.4 million Americans have signed up for coverage next year under the Obama health law, reflecting steady enrollment even as supporters of the law appeal a court
Read MoreFlying Drones Deployed Against Nests of Asian Hornets
It has no natural predator. There are no plans to control its plague. Hailing from China by way of France, the Asian hornet (vespa velutina) is now taking over Spain’s
Read More2019 Promises to Be Big Year in Space
This year marks the 50th anniversary of mankind’s first steps on the moon, so it is fitting that there are a number of exciting projects pushing us back into space.
Read MoreNASA: Icy Object Past Pluto Looks Like Reddish Snowman
A NASA spacecraft 4 billion miles from Earth yielded its first close-up pictures Wednesday of the most distant celestial object ever explored, depicting what looks like a reddish snowman.
Read MoreIn Yemen, World’s Worst Cholera Outbreak Traced to Eastern Africa
Scientists have found that a strain of cholera causing an epidemic in Yemen — the worst in recorded history — came from eastern Africa and was probably borne into Yemen
Read MoreSpacecraft Opens New Year with Flyby on Solar System’s Edge
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft pulled off the most distant exploration of another world Tuesday, skimming past a tiny, icy object 4 billion miles from Earth that looks to be shaped
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence Helps Sniff Out Suspected Secret Nuclear Weapons Programs
Scientists with the complicated task of tracking secret nuclear weapons developments around the world are getting some help from a new and more-advanced artificial intelligence system. Nuclear explosions, even underground
Read MoreLow Carb? Low Fat? What Latest Dieting Studies Tell Us
Bacon and black coffee for breakfast, or oatmeal and bananas? If you’re planning to try to lose weight in 2019, you’re sure to find a fierce debate online and among
Read MoreExtreme Weather Becoming the New Normal
Extreme weather events are on the rise and climate change is playing a role in both the frequency and intensity of the bad weather the world is seeing. And as
Read MoreMars, Moon, and Asteroid Landings… A Look Back at the Year in Space
2018 was a busy year for space travel and exploration. NASA landed a research craft on Mars and China launched for the dark side of the moon. The International Space
Read MoreNASA Makes Space History With Distant Fly-By
Just 33 minutes into the New Year, NASA’s New Horizons probe made space exploration history, flying by the most distant body ever explored. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory,
Read MoreNigeria Targets 26 Million People in Yellow Fever Prevention Campaign
Nigeria’s campaign to vaccinate more people against yellow fever appears to be making headway. The government is partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF
Read MoreNigeria Targets 26M People in Yellow Fever Campaign
Nigeria’s campaign to vaccinate more people against yellow fever appears to be making headway. The government is partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF
Read MoreNASA Probe to Make History New Year’s Day
NASA scientists are getting a very special New Year’s Day gift. The New Horizons spacecraft is moving into unexplored space beyond Neptune to investigate objects so far out in our
Read MoreAnti-Government Protests in DR Congo’s North Kivu Province Hamper Response to Ebola Epidemic
The World Health Organization says violent protests in DR Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu Province are hampering efforts to control the spread of the Ebola virus. Protests erupted Thursday in response
Read MoreDRC Protests Hamper Ebola Epidemic Response
The World Health Organization says violent protests in DR Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu Province are hampering efforts to control the spread of the Ebola virus. Protests erupted Thursday in response
Read More2018: A Year of Climate Catastrophes and Controversies
The five hottest years on record have all taken place this decade, and it looks like 2018 will join their ranks. This year showcased the hazards of climate change, while
Read MoreConservationists Continue Fight Against Poachers, Climate Change
The world’s wildlife remains under increasing pressure because of human encroachment, the effects of climate change and — especially — poaching. It is estimated that the global wildlife trafficking market
Read MoreWHO: DRC Ebola Progress Will Be Lost if Violence Persists
Progress in fighting Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak, the second worst ever, will be reversed if fighting continues around the disease hot spots of Beni and Butembo, the head
Read MoreStudy: Migrants to Affluent Nations May Be Healthier Than Natives
International migrants who relocate to high-income countries to work, study or join family members are less likely to die prematurely than people born in their new homelands, a research review suggests. For the
Read MoreRace Plays Huge Role in Cleft Lip/Palate Deformities
A cleft lip or cleft palate is one of the most common birth defects worldwide. Before birth, babies can have a split, or cleft, in their lip and the roof
Read MoreAid Group: 10 Worst Climate-Linked Disasters of 2018 Caused $85B in Damage
From floods to extreme heat, 10 of the worst climate-linked disasters in 2018 caused at least $84.8 billion worth of damage, said a study released by the charity Christian Aid
Read MoreUS Legal Marijuana Industry Had Banner Year in 2018
The last year was a 12-month champagne toast for the legal marijuana industry as the global market exploded and cannabis pushed its way further into the financial and cultural mainstream.
Read MoreStudy: Work in Space Does Not Seem to Shorten Astronauts’ Lives
Although space travel exposes astronauts to forms of radiation that are uncommon on Earth, and that are linked to cancers and heart problems, a U.S. study suggests this doesn’t significantly shorten their lives.
Read MoreIsrael to Allow Medical Marijuana Exports
Israel’s Parliament has unanimously approved a law to permit exports of medical marijuana, allowing Israel to tap the lucrative global market. Israel will become the third country, after the Netherlands
Read MoreRussian Law Enforcement Investigate ISS Capsule Hole
A Russian cosmonaut who explored a mysterious hole in a capsule docked to the International Space Station says Russian law enforcement agencies are investigating what caused the opening. Sergei Prokopyev
Read MoreIn South Africa, HIV’s Patients Survive Disease But Are Weary of Its Toll
South Africa has the world’s largest antiretroviral therapy program with over 4 million people receiving treatment. But the ARV drug therapy, regarded by many as a panacea for HIV, is
Read MoreMost Babies Born With Cleft Condition Could Die Without Surgery
One of the most common birth defects in the world is a cleft lip. It’s essentially a gap in the upper lip where the skin didn’t grow together. Babies with
Read MoreTons of Dead Fish Wash Up in Rio de Janeiro Lagoon
Residents of a high-end neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro woke up to the unpleasant smell of 13 tons of rotting dead fish floating in the city’s Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.
Read MoreAlba the Albino Orangutan Returned to Jungle in Indonesia
The world’s only known albino orangutan climbed trees, foraged for food and began building a nest after being released into a remote Borneo jungle more than a year after conservation
Read MoreNASA Satellite Will Measure the World’s Forests
Forests are often called the lungs of the planet because they produce so much oxygen. But they also store huge amounts of carbon. NASA scientists want to know exactly how
Read MoreExperts Call for Inclusion of Pregnant Women in Vaccine Research
Pregnant women have been systematically overlooked in the development and deployment of new vaccines, undermining their health and their communities’ safety, according to guidelines released this month by an international
Read MoreVehicles, Guns Are Leading Causes of Death for US Youth
Motor vehicles and firearms kill young Americans more than any other cause, like disease, which has significantly declined, according to a new study. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that
Read More9 US States Seek to Stop Trump Administration’s Atlantic Oil Testing
Attorneys general from nine U.S. states sued the Trump administration on Thursday to stop future seismic tests for oil and gas deposits off the East Coast, joining a lawsuit from environmentalists concerned that
Read MoreItalians Find Evidence of Largest, Oldest Meat-Eating Dinosaur
Italian paleontologists say the largest and oldest meat-eating dinosaur ever to have been found was from what is now the northern area of Lombardy. In the scientific journal PerrJ, the Italians
Read MoreFDA Panel Backs Prescribing Overdose Reversal Drug With Opioids
An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday narrowly recommended prescribing the opioid overdose reversal drug, naloxone, along with addictive painkillers. The panel voted 12-11 in
Read MoreEuropean Officials Agree on Ban of Some Single-use Plastics
Plastic knives just won’t cut it any longer, if the European Union has its way. The 28-nation bloc moved closer to banning single-use straws, plates, cutlery and cotton swabs, after
Read MoreNine In 10 Babies Born With A Cleft Condition Could Die Without Corrective Surgery
One of the most common birth defects in the world is a cleft lip. It’s essentially a gap in the upper lip where the skin didn’t grow together. Babies with
Read MoreNASA’s 1st Flight to Moon, Apollo 8, Marks 50th Anniversary
Fifty years ago on Christmas Eve, a tumultuous year of assassinations, riots and war drew to a close in heroic and hopeful fashion with the three Apollo 8 astronauts reading
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