A 48-foot section of an old sailing ship has washed ashore on a Florida beach, thrilling researchers who are rushing to study it before it’s reclaimed by the sea. The Florida Times-Union reports the well-preserved section of a wooden ship’s hull washed ashore overnight Tuesday on Florida’s northeastern coast. Researchers …

On a freezing January night, Bailey Henke, 18, of Grand Forks, N.D. died in yet another tragic case of opioid overdose in America. Authorities later traced the pill he swallowed to a fentanyl factory in China – one the world’s top sources of the illegal drug. VOA traveled to America’s …

The pursuit of happiness is among the unalienable rights listed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence and so it is no wonder that the study of that elusive treasure makes for one of the most popular classes in the country. A record 1,200 students are attending a class that teaches …

It’s a double cosmic conundrum: Lots of stuff that was already invisible has gone missing. Astronomers have found a distant galaxy where there is no dark matter. Dark matter is called “dark” because it can’t be seen. It is the mysterious and invisible skeleton of the universe that scientists figure …

Italian surgeon Marco Dolfin suffered a major setback in 2011 – one that completely changed his life. That was the year he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. But Dr. Dolfin never gave up. And he never lost hope that one …

The search for life’s sweetest but most elusive treasure — happiness — brings nearly 1,200 Yale University undergraduates twice a week into an enormous hall on the Connecticut school’s campus for its most popular class ever. “Psychology and the Good Life” is such a hit that one in four undergraduate students at the Ivy …

Paro the furry seal cries softly while an elderly woman pets it. Pepper, a humanoid, waves while leading a group of senior citizens in exercises. The upright Tree guides a disabled man taking shaky steps, saying in a gentle feminine voice, “right, left, well done!” Robots have the run of …

A nearly decade-long makeover of King Tut’s tomb aimed at preserving one of Egypt’s most important archaeological sites and also one of its most popular tourist attractions is close to complete, the Getty Conservation Institute of Los Angeles said Tuesday. The project has added a filtration system to keep out …

Scientists now have the dirt on the rubber ducky: Those cute yellow bath-time toys are — as some parents have long suspected — a haven for nasty bugs. Swiss and American researchers counted the microbes swimming inside the toys and say the murky liquid released when ducks were squeezed contained …

The death this month of 45-year-old Sudan, the last male northern white rhino on the planet, rings the alarm on the imminent extinction of other endangered animals. The news also gives a renewed urgency to Kate Brooks’ documentary “The Last Animals,” about the threat poaching poses to the dwindling populations …

Kenya has agreed to accelerate a health agreement it signed with Cuba last year and bring 100 doctors from the country to fill gaps in Kenyan hospitals.  Fifty Kenyan doctors will also be sent to Cuba for specialized training.   The Kenyan government says the deal to import Cuban doctors would help counter gaps in Kenya’s medical facilities. Kenya Cabinet …

About 20 years ago, scientists started finding genetically similar viruses in very different environments and different locations around the world. Now they know why. Faith Lapidus explains. …

Australian scientists say a powerful ground-based laser targeting space junk will be ready for use next year.  They say there are hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris circling the Earth that have the potential to damage or destroy satellites. Reducing the amount of space junk in orbit has been …

Although cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, colorectal cancer is one of the cancers that we can actually prevent, the World Health Organization says. The colon is a long, muscular tube that’s also known as the large intestine. It is part of the digestive system. Colon …

Earth is losing plants, animals and clean water at a dramatic rate, according to four new U.N. scientific reports that provide the most comprehensive and localized look at the state of biodiversity. Scientists meeting in Colombia issued four regional reports Friday on how well animals and plants are doing in …

Australian rescuers were racing against time to save 15 short-finned pilot whales Friday after more than 150 of the migrating mammals beached on the country’s west coast. Most of the whales had died, said Jeremy Chick, incident controller at Western Australia’s conservation department, after becoming stranded on dry land overnight. …

Researchers in the US are testing fluorescent dyes that can illuminate cancer cells during surgery. One specialist says using the new techniques and fluorescent dyes could change the way we treat cancer forever. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports. …

The world’s largest collection of ocean garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and California, is now bigger than France, Germany and Spain combined. The sprawling patch of detritus, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, contains nearly 80,000 tons of plastic, a study released Thursday found. Winds …

Daylight-powered microbe-killing masks and suits may someday help protect health workers from deadly germs like Ebola, according to new research. Scientists have developed membranes that produce a tiny bit of disinfecting hydrogen peroxide when exposed to light. They could find their way into food packaging as well, the researchers say, …

An Israeli zoo says an endangered primate known as a golden lion tamarin has been born in captivity. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo says the monkey was born two weeks ago to mom Bilbi and dad Zohar. The yet unnamed monkey was seen Thursday clinging to its mother’s back.   Golden …

Al-Zaatari is one of hundreds of camps where people forced from their homelands by armed conflicts and civil wars go, hoping that one day they will go back home. Opened in 2012, near Jordan’s border with Syria, the 5.2-square-kilometer settlement is now home to nearly 80,000 Syrian refugees.   Like …

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Spring has arrived in the United States, and that means the start of the busy festival season. Large crowds are expected to gather at fairs, festivals and outdoor concerts around the country. Given the recent spate of mass shootings and acts of terror in crowded areas, first responders say they …

A deadly outbreak linked to tainted food in South Africa is now threatening other African nations, with neighboring Namibia reporting a confirmed case that might be connected, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. In a statement, WHO said it has reached out to 16 countries to help with preparedness and …

An opera involving two characters with Alzheimer’s will premiere at Opera Philadelphia as part of the company’s latest festival of experimental fare. Unveiling its 2018-19 season on Tuesday, the opera house of the US East Coast’s second most populous city announced a festival dubbed 018, a follow-up to last year’s …