Starfish Making Comeback After Syndrome Killed Millions
Starfish are making a comeback on the U.S. West Coast, four years after a mysterious syndrome killed millions of them. From 2013 to 2014, Sea Star Wasting Syndrome hit sea
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8 Eastern US States Sue EPA Over Air Pollution
Eight Eastern U.S. states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency, demanding that it order tougher controls on some Midwestern states over air pollution blowing eastward. New York state Attorney General
Read MoreBeijing Tops China’s ‘First Green Development’ Index, but Sinks in Public Opinion
China published its first “green development” index on Tuesday, listing regional governments which promote environmentally friendly development, with Beijing coming out top, though it came second-to-last in a survey of
Read MoreScientists Toughening Coral Against Climate Change
Coastal communities around the world depend on coral reefs for food, storm protection and tourism. But many reefs are suffering under the onslaught of climate change. Scientists are fighting back,
Read MoreMuscle Stem Cells Respond Differently to Aging and Injury
Why do our muscles recover from injury, but lose mass and strength as we age? A new study looked for the answer to why muscle stem cells respond differently to
Read MoreWith AIDS, 2017 Saw One Step Closer to the End
The year 2017 saw amazing advances in some areas of medicine and avoidable setbacks in others. VOA’s Carol Pearson has the highs and the lows in this report. …
Read MoreAlexa, Where’s Santa?
Amazon’s diligent, computerized know-it-all is the latest technology to enlist in NORAD Tracks Santa, the military-run program that fields phone calls and emails from children around the world eager to
Read MoreScientists Experience Mars on Earth in Utah
For those interested in experiencing life on the Red Planet, the time has come. There are four operating stations in the world where the environment on Mars is replicated: in
Read MoreTribe Will Move From Shrinking Island to Louisiana Farm
Louisiana officials have chosen a sugar cane farm as the next home for residents of a tiny, shrinking island, a move funded with a 2016 federal grant awarded to help
Read MoreIndonesian Health Officials Launch Diphtheria Vaccination Campaign
In the face of a diphtheria outbreak in parts of Indonesia, authorities have embarked on an immunization drive to slow the advance of the dangerous respiratory disease. VOA’s Kevin Enochs
Read MoreNASA Astronaut, 1st to Fly Untethered in Space, Dies at 80
NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless, the first person to fly freely and untethered in space, has died. He was 80. He was famously photographed in 1984 flying with a hefty spacewalker’s
Read MoreHomegrown African Climate Model Predicts Future Rains — and Risks
One big problem confronts Africa as it tries to predict how its weather patterns will shift in the face of climate change: Almost all the climate models for the continent
Read MoreUN: Rohingya Refugee Children in Bangladesh Face a Nutrition, Health Crisis
A nutritional survey of Rohingya refugee children at a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, found high rates of malnutrition and other debilitating, life-threatening health problems. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac calls
Read MoreThailand Battles Drug-Resistant Malaria Strains
While progress has been made against malaria, the mosquito-borne disease kills more than 420,000 people each year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Now, drug-resistant malaria strains in Southeast Asia could threaten
Read MoreOverdose Deaths Soar, Cut Life Expectancy for 2nd Year
U.S. deaths from drug overdoses skyrocketed 21 percent last year, and for the second straight year dragged down how long Americans are expected to live. The government figures released Thursday
Read MoreIron-Fortified Beans Winning Customers in Rwanda, Uganda
A recent study by the Global Nutrition Report 2017 shows that eating beans bred to contain more iron boosts memory and attention in college-going women in Rwanda. The specially biofortified
Read MoreMilitants in Lake Chad Region Block Polio Program
Scientists warn a campaign to eradicate polio in central Africa is falling short because of upheaval in the Lake Chad Basin area, where the Boko Haram militant group remains active.
Read MoreSurvey: Rohingya Refugees Fear for Health, Safety
A survey by the U.N. refugee agency reveals heightened worries by the Rohingya refugee population in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh over their health and safety. It has been nearly four months
Read MoreWorld Meteorological Org.: Arctic Warming Appears Irreversible
The World Meteorological Organization reports 2017 is on track to be among the three hottest years on record, just behind the two preceding years. While 2017 may only emerge as
Read MoreStudy: There’s No Fail-safe Way to Prevent Dementia
A new study has dashed hopes that people may be able to protect themselves from dementia through medicine, diet or exercise. “To put it simply, all evidence indicates that there
Read MoreStriking a Chord, Researchers Tap Brain to Find Out How Music Heals
Like a friendly Pied Piper, the violinist keeps up a toe-tapping beat as dancers weave through busy hospital hallways and into the chemotherapy unit, patients looking up in surprised delight.
Read MoreGene Therapy for Rare Form of Blindness Wins US Approval
U.S. health officials on Tuesday approved the nation’s first gene therapy for an inherited, rare form of blindness, marking another major advance for the emerging field of genetic medicine. The approval
Read MoreUS EPA Seeks Comment on Carbon Rule Replacement
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday issued a notice that it wants public input for a possible replacement of Obama-era regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants that
Read MoreUN Urges Afghan Warring Sides to Facilitate Crucial Anti-Polio Drive
The United Nations is calling on all parties in the Afghan conflict to facilitate health workers in conducting Monday’s urgent polio vaccination campaign in a volatile southern district with the
Read MoreCritics Accuse New Foundation of Acting as Smoke-Screen for Big Tobacco
Controversy is swirling around the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. This new non-profit organization has come under intense criticism from health agencies and anti-tobacco campaigners who accuse it of acting
Read MoreTrio Liftoff From Kazakhstan, Head for Space Station
A trio of U.S. and Japanese astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut blasted off from Kazakhstan on Sunday for a two-day trip to the International Space Station, a NASA TV broadcast
Read MoreDoes Pentagon Still Have a UFO Program?
The Pentagon acknowledged Saturday that its long-secret UFO investigation program ended in 2012, when U.S. defense officials shifted attention and funding to other priorities. But whether the Advanced Aviation Threat
Read More‘Transgender,’ ‘Science-based’ Now Reportedly Among Taboo Words at US Health Agency
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is reportedly banning a list of seven words or phrases in official documents, sparking a flood of reaction on social media platforms. Policy analysts
Read MoreIndian Retirees Maintain Independence, Fun and Freedom Later in Life
Young people come from around the world to work in Silicon Valley, California. As these workers build a life away from home, many struggle with how to bring their aging
Read MoreVitamins Can Be Inhaled, But Should They Be?
A Los Angeles-based company claims it is turning people’s bad habits into good ones with a range of vape-able vitamin supplements. But medical experts say there are no studies yet
Read MoreTrump Revisits Rules Protecting Miners From Black Lung, Cancer
President Donald Trump’s mining regulators are reconsidering rules meant to protect underground miners from breathing coal and rock dust — the cause of black lung — and diesel exhaust, which
Read MoreJudge Blocks Trump Attempt to Trim Access to Birth Control
A federal judge in Philadelphia on Friday ordered the Trump administration not to enforce new rules that could significantly reduce women’s access to free birth control. Judge Wendy Beetlestone issued
Read MoreStudy: Cannabis Component May Treat Psychosis
An ingredient in cannabis called cannabidiol or CBD has shown promise in a clinical trial as a potential new treatment for psychosis, scientists said Friday. In research involving 88 people
Read MoreNext Generation of Detection Dogs Could Sniff Out Complex Explosives
Research funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research is helping give sniffer dogs the skills they need to detect complex modern explosives. Faith Lapidus reports. …
Read MoreScientists Working on Writing Five-day Forecast for Solar Storms
Charged particles from the sun are responsible for the brilliant auroras at the earth’s poles. But there can be cases of too much of a good thing. When huge solar
Read More1 Billion Treated in Battle Against Painful Tropical Diseases
A pledge by health and development experts to tackle neglected diseases that blind, disable and disfigure millions of the world’s poorest people has spurred tremendous progress in five years, a
Read MoreSpace Capsule With 3 Astronauts Returns to Earth
Three astronauts returned to Earth on Thursday after nearly six months aboard the International Space Station, landing on the snow-covered steppes outside of a remote town in Kazakhstan. A
Read MoreStudy: Drought Caused California Mountains to Rise
A study of California’s Sierra Nevada during the state’s extreme drought has led NASA scientists to new conclusions about how our planet stores water. The study by NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Read MoreBritish Baby With Heart Outside Body Survives 3 Surgeries
English hospital officials said Wednesday that a baby born with her heart outside her body had survived three surgeries to mend her condition. Glenfield Hospital in Leicester said Vanellope Hope
Read MoreHalf of World’s People Can’t get Basic Health Services: WHO
At least half the world’s population is unable to access essential health services and many others are forced into extreme poverty by having to pay for healthcare they cannot afford,
Read MoreGrowing Levels of E-Waste Bad for Environment, Health and Economy
A new report finds growing levels of E-waste pose significant risks to the environment and human health and result in huge economic losses for countries around the world. Lisa Schlein
Read MoreDrinking Coffee May Prolong Life
We have heard it before, but new research reconfirms that coffee is a healthy drink. But some of the other habits associated with the ritual of drinking coffee are not.
Read MoreWaddling into History: Huge Ancient Penguin Inhabited New Zealand
Scientists have unearthed in New Zealand fossil bones of what might be the heavyweight champion of the penguin world, a bird nearly 6 feet tall (1.77 meters) that thrived 55
Read MoreTrump’s Climate Politics Propel US Scientist to New Start in France
When U.S.-based scientist Christopher Cantrell heard President Donald Trump pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, he did not imagine that six months later he would be
Read MoreParis Summit Focused on Boosting Funding for Climate Change Fight
French President Emmanuel Macron gathered business leaders and 50 world leaders in Paris for a summit Tuesday focused on boosting funding to fight climate change. The summit comes two years
Read MoreResearchers Test Cannabis Drug for Dogs’ Pain, Seizures
Medical marijuana has been used to treat epilepsy in patients for years, and this month, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said it should be studied and treated like other pain
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