Strategic Messaging Aims to Combat Ebola in DRC
Two Ebola patients who fled a hospital quarantine area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo later attended a prayer meeting, potentially exposing at least 50 participants to the dangerous
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Artist Makes Art From Discarded Cosmetics
A British university student has created a range of watercolor paints made from discarded cosmetics. An example, she says, of how the so-called ‘circular economy’ can help improve the environment.
Read MoreHawaii Volcano Sends 3 Flows of Lava Into Ocean
Lava entered the ocean from a third flow Thursday, marking the third week of a Hawaii volcano eruption that has opened up nearly two dozen vents in rural communities, destroyed
Read MoreMapping the Oceans’ Floors by 2030
Oceanographers often say we know much more about the surface of the Moon and Mars than we do about nearly 70 percent of our own planet. That is because most
Read MoreHappy Snails Produce More Slime for Thai Farmers
In Thailand, the Giant African Snail, once condemned as a slimy pest that ruins crops, is now being bred for the same reason some people found them so unappealing in
Read MoreUS Health Chief Pledges More Action If Ebola Spreads
President Donald Trump’s top health official said Wednesday that the U.S. and global partners will “take the steps necessary” to try to contain a new Ebola outbreak, asserting that the
Read MoreLessons From Last Ebola Outbreak Guide Approach in DRC
When Ebola broke out in West Africa in 2014, no one was prepared. A potential vaccine had been in limbo since a previous outbreak a decade earlier. Governments dragged their
Read MorePlanet-Warming Gases Make Some Food Less Nutritious, Study Says
Rising levels of planet-warming gases may reduce key nutrient levels in food crops, according to a new study. Rice grown while exposed to carbon dioxide levels expected by the end
Read MoreSnails May Hold Clue to Treating PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a notoriously hard to treat mental state affecting both humans and animals. Its mechanism is still not completely understood, but scientists know that it
Read MoreDRC Prepares for Mass Ebola Vaccinations
Preparations are under way for a mass Ebola vaccination campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the Ministry of Health and international aid agencies hold a second day of
Read MoreNew Vaccine Might Be Game-Changer in DRC’s Ebola Fight
The Ebola outbreak that has killed more than two dozen people in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo could be as devastating as the one that hit West Africa several years
Read MoreIndian Innovators Convert Diesel Exhaust Into Ink To Battle Air Pollution
Supervised by young engineers, workers at the start-up company Chakr Innovation in New Delhi cut and weld sheets of metal to make devices that will capture black plumes of smoke
Read MoreKagame Touts Rwanda’s Health Care Successes
The government of Rwandan President Paul Kagame — accused by some of imposing authoritarian rule on the country — received almost unanimous praise for its strides in health care. Kagame
Read MoreSocial Media Under Microscope in Emotive Irish Abortion Vote
In homes and pubs, on leaflets and lampposts, debate is raging in Ireland over whether to lift the country’s decades-old ban on abortion. Pro-repeal banners declare: “Her choice: vote yes.”
Read MoreWHO Chief Unveils an Ambitious Agenda to Promote Health for All
In an energetic presentation, World Health Organization director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has kicked off the agency’s annual conference in Geneva by vowing to use his position to keep the world
Read MoreDRC Launching Ebola Vaccination Campaign to Stop New Outbreak
The Democratic Republic of Congo plans to launch an Ebola vaccination program Monday to stop another widespread outbreak of the deadly disease. More than 4,000 doses of vaccine have been
Read More3-D Printed Practice Organs Smooth Toddler’s Transplant
A sick toddler is thriving thanks to his father’s kidney and a practice surgery using 3-D printed organs. VOA’s Steve Baragona explains. …
Read MoreCongo: 3 New Ebola Cases Confirmed in City
Three new cases of the often lethal Ebola virus have been confirmed in a city of more than 1 million people, Congo’s health minister announced, as the spread of the
Read MoreProgress in Struggle to Save Animals From Extinction
Conservationists around the world are making great strides in rescuing animal species from the brink of extinction. Despite the recent death of the last male white rhinoceros, there is hope
Read MoreWHO: Ebola in Congo Not Yet Global Health Emergency
Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak does not yet warrant being declared a global health emergency, the World Health Organization announced Friday, as health officials rushed to contain the often deadly virus
Read MoreResearchers Take Two-Pronged Approach to Testing for Zika
Researchers at New York University College of Dentistry are taking a new approach to quickly identifying Zika and other infections. As Faith Lapidus reports, unlike currently available tests, the approach
Read MoreAfghanistan Attacks Threaten Health System Gains
Deteriorating security is forcing Afghanistan to spend more money on trauma care, rather than investing in women and children’s health, its health minister said Thursday. The government has come under
Read MoreDoes Our Galaxy Sound Like Funky Blues Music?
Interstellar space is mostly a vacuum, so there is no medium that can carry sound. In other words, space is totally silent. But astronomers have often associated the movement of
Read MoreCongo Ebola Virus Moves From Rural Area to Urban One
The World Health Organization reports one confirmed case of the deadly Ebola virus in the city of Mbandaka, a city of more than one million 150 kilometers from Bikoro where
Read MorePregnant Rhino in San Diego Could Help Save Subspecies
A southern white rhino has become pregnant through artificial insemination at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park — giving hope for efforts to save a subspecies of one of the
Read MoreUS Births Hit a 30-Year Low, Despite Good Economy
U.S. birth rates declined last year for women in their teens, 20s and — surprisingly — their 30s, leading to the fewest babies in 30 years, according to a government
Read MoreRebels With a Cause: Women Bikers Saving Lives in Nigeria
Whenever the all-female Nigerian biker group D’Angels hits the streets, people would stare in amazement at the sight of women on motorbikes. So they made up their minds to use
Read MoreOxygen Presence in Distant Galaxy Sheds Light on Early Universe
After detecting a whiff of oxygen, astronomers have determined that stars in a faraway galaxy formed 250 million years after the Big Bang — a rather short time in cosmic
Read MoreSpacewalking Astronauts Tackle Pump Work at Space Station
NASA astronauts took a spacewalk Wednesday to shuffle around a couple of space station pumps. Popping out early, Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold quickly began rearranging the International Space Station’s
Read MoreStudy: US Insurers Unprepared for Climate Change Disasters
Most U.S. insurance companies have not adapted their strategies to address the dangers of climate change, making them likely to raise rates or deny coverage in high-risk areas, said a
Read MorePoland Ready to End Extensive Logging in Pristine Old Forest
Poland’s environment minister has decided to stop the extensive logging in one of Europe’s oldest forests that has been declared illegal by a top European Union court, authorities said Tuesday.
Read MoreCalifornia Sets Sights on Solar Power
California has become the first U.S. state to require solar installations on most new homes, by the year 2020. Mike O’Sullivan reports that the state is leading a national effort
Read MoreVietnam Pollution Comes at a Price
The air quality in Vietnam overall does not quite rival that in China or India when it comes to pollution. But it is bad and getting worse. And all that
Read MoreWHO: Congo Approves Use of Experimental Ebola Vaccine
Congo has agreed to allow the World Health Organization to use an experimental Ebola vaccine to combat an outbreak announced last week, the WHO director-general said Monday. The aim is
Read MoreNew Effort Being Launched to Eliminate Trans Fats Globally
A new global health plan is being rolled out by the World Health Organization, along with a health initiative called Resolve to Save Lives. The goal is to prevent half
Read MoreWorld Bank Head Calls for Business-like Focus on Health, Education
The fight against poverty needs to focus aggressively on the health and education of the young and vulnerable, said non-government organization and development officials who spoke at the Milken Institute
Read MoreAustralia Steps up Effort to Save Vulnerable Koalas
A koala hospital and new wildlife reserves are the focus of one of Australia’s boldest plans to protect the vulnerable marsupial. Almost 25,000 hectares of state forest will be set
Read MoreSongbirds Could Help Unravel Human Speech Disorders
Scientists at Rockefeller University in New York discovered that the brains of songbirds use a similar process as humans do when learning to make sounds. And, as a result, VOA’s
Read MoreNASA to Send Tiny Helicopter to Mars
NASA is planning to send a tiny autonomous helicopter to Mars on its next rover mission to the red planet. The space agency announced Friday that the helicopter will be
Read MoreCreating Milk Alternatives for Animal Babies
Aardvarks are not the most attractive animals. They have rabbitlike ears, a kangaroo tail and a nose like a pig. But they are mammals, and that means they feed their
Read MoreHow Close Is Electric Aviation?
Electric-powered ground transport is slowly but steadily taking over from one based on fossil fuels. Electric cars, buses, bikes, scooters, even electric skateboards are growing more common on streets around
Read MoreTrump Administration Prescribes Remedy for Headache of High Drug Prices
America will not be “cheated” by foreign countries that “extort” unreasonably low drug prices from U.S. companies, declared President Donald Trump on Friday. Rolling out an ambitious blueprint to significantly
Read MoreSpaceX Launches New Rocket Primed for Future Crewed Missions
An updated version of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, tailored for eventual crewed missions into orbit, made its debut launch Friday from Florida’s Cape Canaveral, carrying a communications satellite for
Read MoreChina’s Multistory Hog Hotels Elevate Industrial Farms to New Levels
On Yaji Mountain in southern China, they are checking in the sows a thousand head per floor in high-rise “hog hotels.” Privately owned agricultural company Guangxi Yangxiang Co Ltd is
Read MoreClimate Change Talks Stall Ahead of December 2018 Deadline
Two weeks of climate talks organized by the United Nations ended Thursday as countries failed to resolve differences about implementing the Paris climate accord. The negotiations will resume in Bangkok
Read MoreEven Young Men Who Smoke Have Increased Stroke Risk
Young men who smoke are more likely to have a stroke before age 50 than their peers who avoid tobacco, a small study suggests. Smoking has long been linked to
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