Medical providers say some pregnant women in developing countries have lost access to prenatal health care because of the Trump administration’s expanded “global gag rule” that cut aid to international organizations involved in abortion-related activities.A recent study in the Lancet Global Health journal also reports that abortions actually increased in …

Fifty years after humans first set foot on the moon, the rock samples collected by Apollo astronauts are being studied by volcanologists who believe what they learn could help predict eruptions on Earth more accurately. Faith Lapidus reports. …

Scientists are finally closing in on a goal they’ve spent years trying to achieve: a blood test to screen people for possible signs of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. At an international conference in Los Angeles, July 14-19, different research groups will present evidence to show how far they’ve progressed. Faith …

GENEVA — The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu and Ituri provinces a public health emergency of international concern. The declaration by an emergency committee at WHO headquarters in Geneva elevated the disease and the efforts needed to combat it …

WASHINGTON — Fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. declined by 5.1 percent in 2018, according to preliminary official data released Wednesday, the first drop in two decades.    The trend was driven by a steep decline in deaths linked to prescription painkillers.    “The latest provisional data on overdose deaths show that …

The Apollo 11 astronauts who made mankind’s first visit to the moon 50 years ago were trained in how to take pictures for science. Back on Earth, some of those photos became pop culture touchstones.People collected and shared prints of the Apollo 11 landing and moonwalk, which also became the …

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA – It was only fitting that on the 50th anniversary of the 1969 rocket launch that ultimately landed a man on the moon, the “Rocket City” of the United States would attempt to set a rocket record.“We are launching 5000 bottle rockets to break a Guinness World Record,” …

In the race to the moon in the 1960s, the development of the large rockets that could thrust the spacecraft beyond Earth’s atmosphere became a critical element in the success of the Apollo program. The place where the Saturn V rocket was developed — Huntsville, Alabama – is today known …

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins returned Tuesday to the exact spot where he flew to the moon 50 years ago with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.Collins had the spotlight to himself this time — Armstrong has been gone for seven years and Aldrin canceled. Collins said he wished his two …

The spacesuit astronaut Neil Armstrong wore during his mission to the moon went on public display for the first time in 13 years on Tuesday, at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum exactly 50 years to the day when Apollo 11 launched into space.Armstrong’s son Rick unveiled the suit along …

New research gives some biological clues to why women may be more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s disease and how this most common form of dementia varies by sex.At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, scientists offered evidence that the disease may spread differently in …

The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is affecting more children than normal.  The United Nations Children’s Fund says kids represent nearly one-third of current total cases, compared to about 20 percent in previous outbreaks. The World Health Organization reports more than 2,500 cases of Ebola in eastern …

It took 400,000 people to put Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon a half-century ago.That massive workforce stretched across the U.S. and included engineers, scientists, mechanics, technicians, pilots, divers, seamstresses, secretaries and more who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to achieve those first lunar footsteps .Some …

On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin set foot on the lunar surface – the first men on the moon. The U.S. space agency, NASA, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of this historic event in style – by restoring and reopening the control room that handled …

 As Elon Musk’s SpaceX closes in on the possible cause of a fiery explosion in April that destroyed one of its astronaut capsules, a company executive said on Monday its plan to launch humans into space this year looked “increasingly difficult.”One of the space company’s Crew Dragon capsules exploded on …

Scientists are closing in on a long-sought goal — a blood test to screen people for possible signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.    On Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, half a dozen research groups gave new results on various experimental tests, including one that …

As the United States races to put humans back on the moon for the first time in nearly 50 years, a NASA-funded lab in Colorado aims to send robots there to deploy telescopes that will look far into our galaxy, remotely operated by orbiting astronauts.The radio telescopes, to be planted …

The United Nations says more than 820 million people around the world are hungry, while at same time, obesity is hitting record levels.A FILE – Jose Graziano da Silva, director-general of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).The report notes the highest hunger rates are in Africa and growing steadily …

The head of the World Health Organization warns the spread of Ebola to a large city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could have dire consequences.  The WHO chief spoke Monday at a high-level meeting that examined current efforts to contain the growing Ebola epidemic in Congo.  The Ebola …

Two leading UN agencies report nearly 20 million children worldwide—more than one in 10—were not vaccinated against killer diseases, such as measles, diphtheria and tetanus in 2018. Global life-saving vaccine coverage remains at 86 percent.  This is high, but the World Health Organization says it is not high enough.  It says …

The health ministry of Democratic Republic of Congo said Monday two community health workers engaged in Ebola prevention have been killed in the eastern North Kivu province. The ministry said the workers had been receiving death threats for months.Ministry officials, meanwhile, have confirmed the first case of Ebola in Goma, …

The last lunar eclipse of the year will take place this week, allowing stargazers from large swathes of the globe to catch a glimpse of the celestial phenomena.The partial lunar eclipse will occur during the full moon beginning Tuesday night, and will be visible in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia …

Public health clinics in cities like Rio de Janeiro report spikes in arboviruses, or mosquito-borne viruses.  One breed of mosquito is the major offender in causing illness.  Researchers in Brazil invented traps to catch them before they strike. Arash Arabasadi has more.   …

A healthy lifestyle can cut your risk of developing Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia even if you have genes that raise your risk for these mind-destroying diseases, a large study has found.People with high genetic risk and poor health habits were about three times more likely to develop dementia …

Russia’s space agency says a Russian Proton-M rocket has successfully delivered a cutting-edge space telescope into orbit after days of launch delays.Roscosmos said the telescope, named Spektr-RG, was delivered into a parking orbit before a final burn Saturday that kicked the spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and on to its …