Frustration is mounting in the medical community as the Trump administration again points to mental illness in response to yet another mass shooting. “The concept that mental illness is a precursor to violent behavior is nonsense,” said Dr. Louis Kraus, forensic psychiatry chief at Chicago’s Rush University Medical College. “The …

Uranium glass occupies a little-known niche in the collectables world, whose members appreciate its soft color and distinctive glow, which comes from the uranium added as the glass was created. The pieces shown here come from the collection of Peter Marti and Markus Berner, who trade in antique glass at …

Cholera cases in Malawi have tripled and four more people have died, the Ministry of Health said on Monday, a month after the spread of the disease from Zambia was thought to have been contained. Ministry of Health spokesman Joshua Malango said the number of cases had increased to 527 …

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns healthy pregnant women are undergoing unnecessary medical interventions at an alarming rate. Given the trend, WHO is launching new recommendations aimed at reducing potentially harmful interventions. The organization reports most of the estimated 140 million annual births occur without complications. Yet, it says over …

The first blood test to help doctors diagnose traumatic brain injuries has won U.S. government approval. The move means Banyan Biomarkers can commercialize its test, giving the company an early lead in the biotech industry’s race to find a way to diagnose concussions. The test doesn’t detect concussions and the …

A Texas elementary school teacher who died almost a week after getting sick from the flu became a talking point online after her husband said she didn’t immediately fill her prescription for an antiviral drug after deeming the $116 insurance co-pay too high. While her husband told the Wall Street …

When stockpiles of yellow fever vaccine run low, partial doses are effective, according to a new study. The report on the vaccine, which currently is in short supply, comes as officials in Brazil attempt to contain an outbreak with what they describe as the largest-ever mass vaccination campaign using partial …

Two babies, born 15 months apart to the same young woman overcoming opioid addiction. Two very different treatments.   Sarah Sherbert’s first child was whisked away to a hospital special-care nursery for two weeks of treatment for withdrawal from doctor-prescribed methadone that her mother continued to use during her pregnancy. …

The use of blood-sucking leeches in treating disease may seem like a relic of the Middle Ages, but one Polish company says there is growing demand by doctors for the worms. Faith Lapidus reports. …

Surgeries in low-income countries had higher rates of infections than those in higher-income countries, according to a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The authors said their report provided a starting point for making surgery safer. Infections at the site of surgery are the most common complications after operations. These …

An unmanned Russian cargo ship has blasted off for the International Space Station, two days after the original launch was scrubbed. The Progress capsule is carrying 2.7 metric tons (3 U.S. tons) of food, fuel and other supplies. It entered orbit eight minutes after liftoff Tuesday from the Russian space …

Industrial pollution is making life difficult in Iran, adding to a long list of economic and political grievances, according to Hamid Arabzadeh, an Iranian-born environmental health expert who teaches at UCLA. Pollution is among the reasons for the protests in Iran in December and January, Arabzadeh said. The pollution “started …

February is National Cancer Prevention Month in the United States, and the American Institute for Cancer Research is renewing efforts to inform the public how lifestyle changes can significantly lower the risk of several of the most common types of cancer. The campaign has been boosted by the results of …

The World Health Organization is calling for resolute action to end violence against children. WHO’s appeal comes in advance of a meeting in Stockholm, Sweden this week that will seek solutions to the problem of violence, which affects one out of every two children on this planet. The upcoming conference …

For years, doctors have been warning of a post-antibiotic age with resistant mutations leading to so-called superbugs — multidrug-resistant infections that can evade the medicines designed to kill them. Faith Lapidus reports that the race is on to develop new drugs to treat these emerging, mutating infections. …

A norovirus that left officials at the Pyeongchang Olympics scrambling to contain it means athletes might have more to worry about than just going for the gold. More than 100 people have come down with this dreaded stomach bug. VOA’s Carol Pearson tells us what it is, how it spreads …

When two people see things the same way, it is often said that they are “operating on the same wavelength.” That concept recently got a scientific stamp of approval when researchers at the University of Cambridge found that adults’ and infants’ brainwaves synchronize when they look at each other’s eyes …

Mustard seeds are a great source of protein, but they taste horrible. Now a group of geneticists is working to breed a better seed without the bitter taste that is also resistant to drought and disease. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

Virtual-reality-based therapy combined with standard treatment reduced paranoia and anxiety in people with psychotic disorders, scientists reported Friday. In clinical trials involving 116 patients in the Netherlands, virtual reality exercises led to less fraught social interactions, a team wrote in The Lancet Psychiatry. More research is needed to confirm the …

Mosquitoes are a year-round downside to living in subtropical Miami, but millions of bacteria-infected mosquitoes flying in a suburban neighborhood are being hailed as an innovation that may kill off more bugs that spread Zika and other viruses. Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control and Habitat Management Division is releasing non-biting male …

How safe is it to eat snow? A Romanian university study says it depends upon how fresh it is. A 2017 experiment showed it was safe to eat snow that was a half-day old, and safer to eat it in the colder months. But by two days old, the snow …

South Sudan has officially declared an end to the country’s cholera epidemic, which erupted more than 18 months ago, infecting more than 20,000 people and killing 436. World Health Organization and health ministry officials announced the end of the outbreak at a news conference Wednesday in Juba. The outbreak, the …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced $17.5 million in emergency funding to fight the spread of the spotted lanternfly in Pennsylvania. The invasive species was first spotted in District Township in 2014. It has since spread to 12 counties and threatens the state’s $18 billion grape, orchard and logging …

Two scientists in spacesuits, stark white against the auburn terrain of desolate plains and dunes, test a geo-radar built to map Mars by dragging the flat box across the rocky sand.   When the geo-radar stops working, the two walk back to their all-terrain vehicles and radio colleagues at their …

In the years after World War II, the United States’ birth rate skyrocketed. This generation of Americans became known as baby boomers. They’re a huge population segment in the U.S., and as they age, they are changing the health care industry. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …