The World Health Organization says the rapid, aggressive and coordinated health response to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak is largely responsible for quickly containing the deadly virus. WHO and Congo’s Ministry of Health have officially declared the end of the ninth outbreak of Ebola in the DRC …

The eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano could last for months or years and threaten new communities on the Big Island, according to a report by U.S. government geologists. A main risk is a possible change in the direction of a lava flow that would destroy more residential areas after at …

An international team of scientists has moved closer to creating artificial embryos after using mouse stem cells to make structures capable of taking a crucial step in the development of life. Experts said the results suggested human embryos could be created in a similar way in future — a step …

Scientists say the longest total lunar eclipse of this century will grace the night sky on Friday, turning the moon a reddish color. NASA says the lunar eclipse will last for 1 hour and 43 minutes with total viability in Eastern Africa and Central Asia. Residents in most of the …

The use of packaging plastic continues to rise as the world’s population grows. Environmentalists say compostable and biodegradable packaging is needed now more than ever, particularly when it comes to plastics used to protect our food.  But now, a biodegradable film made from discarded shellfish and trees may fill that …

Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin was noticeably absent from a gala kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, even though his nonprofit space education foundation is a sponsor and he typically is the star attraction. Aldrin said he didn’t attend because of objections …

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are expected to declare the country Ebola-free this Wednesday. A recent outbreak first detected in April in the northwestern part of the DRC killed 32 people; another 21 people were infected, but survived. However, it’s been more than five weeks since a new …

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for an investigation of a domestic drug manufacturer accused of violating regulations in making a rabies vaccine. Changsheng Biotechnology has been ordered to stop production and recall the vaccine after the China Food and Drug Administration discovered it had been falsifying production and inspection …

Too few people with signs of mental decline or dementia are getting checked during routine medical visits or told when a problem is found, says a panel of Alzheimer’s disease experts who offered new guidance Sunday. The idea is to get help sooner for people whose minds are slipping — …

A group of Pakistani engineering students has developed a voice-operated wheelchair to help those disabled achieve more self-reliance. The chair is getting some traction, as we see in this report from Saman Khan in Lahore, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. …

Doctors in central Somalia say a 10-year-old girl has died after undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). Director of Hanano hospital in Dhusamareb, Dr. Abdirahman Omar Hassan, who was on the response team who tried to save the girl, told VOA Somali that the victim bled to death after undergoing FGM. …

A report by UNAIDS, “Miles to go—closing gaps, breaking barriers, righting injustices”, warns that the global response to HIV is at a critical point.  Eastern and southern Africa remain the regions most affected by the HIV epidemic, accounting for 45 percent of the world’s HIV infections and 53 percent of …

A cholera outbreak in Cameroon has claimed at least a dozen lives. Hundreds of people have been rushed to several hospitals in the central African state. It is feared some of the cases were imported from Nigeria and may contaminate refugees fleeing the Boko Haram insurgency.  Arabo Saidou, the highest …

A specially-outfitted bathroom in New York City has been converted into a safe haven for drug users. The goal: to curb an overdose crisis that’s sweeping the United States. New data shows drug overdoses killed 47,000 people nationwide in the 12 month period that ended in November 2017. Aside from …

U.S. regulators Friday approved a simpler, one-dose treatment to prevent relapses of malaria. Standard treatment now takes two weeks and studies show many patients don’t finish taking every dose. Malaria is caused by parasites that are spread to people through mosquito bites. Anti-malarial drugs can cure the initial infection, but …

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Trump administration’s renewed bid to dismiss a lawsuit by young activists who say it is ignoring the perils of climate change. By a 3-0 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the government fell short of the …

Massive fruit trees in the Thailand evergreen forest need massive herbivores to help spread their seeds, according to a new study. Based on the diets and habits of mammals, scientists found that elephants are the best allies for the Thai Annonaceae tree to spread its seeds. In the diverse environment …

Japan on Wednesday approved its first national legislation banning smoking inside public facilities, but the watered-down measure excludes many restaurants and bars and is seen by critics as toothless. The legislation aims to lower secondhand smoking risks ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics amid international calls for a smoke-free event. …

The world is close to eliminating the threat from polio, but to eradicate the disease, it must be eliminated everywhere. Health officials say that’s the tricky part, because if the virus responsible for the crippling disease exists anywhere, it can still spread worldwide. Sadie Witkowski reports on the challenges that …

The move to end polio started in 1985 with Rotary International. At that time, polio paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children every year. There is still no cure, but two scientists developed vaccines against the virus in the 1950’s.  Dr. Jonas Salk produced one with an inactivated virus that could …

The fossilized skeleton of a ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur will be on exhibit next year in the new fossil hall at the Museum of Natural History in Washington. Excavated in Montana, it is one of the largest and most complete T-rex skeletons ever discovered. The dinosaur, called the Nation’s T-rex, …

Astronomers are still finding moons at Jupiter, 400 years after Galileo used his spyglass to spot the first ones. The latest discovery of a dozen small moons brings the total to 79, the most of any planet in our solar system. Scientists were looking for objects on the fringes of …

Democratic lawmakers joined scores of scientists, health providers, environmental officials and activists Tuesday in denouncing an industry-backed proposal that could limit dramatically the scientific studies the Environmental Protection Agency considers in shaping protections for human health. If adopted by the Trump administration, the rule would allow an EPA administrator to …

An iceberg that has drifted perilously close to a remote Greenland village is so big it can be seen from space.   The European Space Agency released an image Tuesday showing the giant iceberg just off the coast of Innaarsuit in northwestern Greenland. Dozens of residents were evacuated to higher …

Billionaire Bill Gates and Estée Lauder Cos chairman emeritus Leonard Lauder on Tuesday said they will award $30 million over three years to encourage development of new tests for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. For Microsoft co-founder Gates, launch of the Diagnostics Accelerator program follows an announcement in November of …