Coral reefs stop erosion, and are incredibly biodiverse. Mangroves store carbon and keep rising seas at bay. But U.N. officials say we are losing both at an alarming rate. In Kenya, government and U.N. officials are enlisting locals to help replace what is being lost. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

Morocco’s government is partnering with civil society groups to plant the roots of understanding about deforestation’s potential harm to local communities. Arash Arabasadi reports. …

Treating spinal cord injuries is one of the dreams of modern science, and one Israeli research group may be on the right path. Using human stem cells, they have repaired the spinal cords of mice, allowing the paraplegic rodents to walk again. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

Many scientists believe the Arctic, one of the fastest-changing places on the planet, could drive change in other parts of the world, including wildfire-ravaged Southern California. In a recent NASA mission called Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG), climate scientist Josh Willis embarked on a journey to study ice in Greenland and …

A new report from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory predicts a link between sea ice melting in the Arctic and drier conditions in California over the next several decades. This finding comes at a time when several wildfires are raging across Southern California. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee reports on the work of …

The environmental group EcoWatch estimates that at least 1 million sea birds, and 100,000 marine mammals are killed every year by ingesting plastic or getting caught in it. It is an environmental nightmare, and it’s getting worse every year. But this week, more than 200 countries signed an agreement to …

AP Photo NY560, NY561, NY562 America’s first black astronaut, Air Force Maj. Robert Lawrence Jr., finally got full honors Friday on the 50th anniversary of his death. Several hundred people gathered at Kennedy Space Center to commemorate Lawrence, who almost certainly would have gone on to fly in space had …

Rapid action prevented the spread of the deadly Marburg virus just weeks after it was first detected in Uganda, the World Health Organization reports. The first case of the disease in the African country was confirmed October 17, when laboratory tests found the death of a 50-year-old woman was due …

Mammography has been a standard screening device for breast cancer since the mid-1970s. And the practice is crediting with a 30 percent decline in death due to early detection and treatment. Now, many doctors are urging women to get a 3-D mammogram, which produces a more detailed view of the …

Rising seas driven by climate change are threatening coastal cities around the world. The Southern U.S. city of Miami is already feeling the effects. Every autumn, when tides are at their highest, residents contend with flooded streets. Now, scientists are turning citizens into scientists to help them understand the impacts. …

Mammography has been a standard screening device for breast cancer since the mid-1970s. And the practice is credited with a 30 percent decline in death, thanks to early detection and treatment. Now, many doctors are urging women to get a 3-D mammogram, which produces a more detailed view of the …

Detecting cancer early can make all the difference in beating the disease. That is why a new test created by Polish doctors could be so important to women suffering from ovarian cancer. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

A Congolese fashion designer is promoting safe sex with a collection of clothes made of condoms that she hopes will help combat HIV/AIDS in the central African country. Felicite Luwungu started making her condom line, which includes strapless evening gowns and tops, after the HIV/AIDS epidemic hit close to home. …

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could launch a public debate about climate change as soon as January, administrator Scott Pruitt said on Thursday, as the agency continued to unwind Obama-era initiatives to fight global warming. The agency had been working over the last several months to set up a “red …

Before it became the worst day of her life, Allison Norland spread a blanket on the grass outside her father-in–law’s house so her infant daughter could crawl on the soft ground. New to motherhood, her first child was a surprise. “I found out when I was six and a half …

At the summit of one of Iceland’s most dangerous volcanoes, a 72-foot (22-meter) depression in the snow is the only visible sign of an alarming development.   The Oraefajokull volcano, dormant since its last eruption in 1727-1728, has seen a recent increase in seismic activity and geothermal water leakage that …

Within seconds of pulling out of the station parking lot, Major Mike Will gets his first call to respond to a crisis. Wills switches on his lights and siren and picks up the pace. A thirty-year veteran of the Louisville’s emergency medical services, he has witnessed the explosion in opioid …

The World Health Organization warns the number of people living with dementia globally will triple from 50 million to 152 million by 2050.  WHO is launching a global monitoring system on dementia, which will track progress and identify areas of concern. The WHO reports dementia exacts a huge social and …

A group of 2017 Nobel Laureates have addressed the lack of female representation in sciences ahead of the prize-awarding ceremony in Stockholm. The seven winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics, Chemistry and Economic Sciences – all white men – said change is happening. Jacques Dubochet, who won the …

Opioid addiction has become a crisis in America. Opioid overdoses killed about 64,000 people in the U.S. last year, making it the leading cause of death for Americans younger than 50. As more and more Americans succumb to addiction, politicians are seeking ways to address this growing epidemic. One Virginia …

Astronomers have discovered a super-size black hole that harks back to almost the dawn of creation. It’s farther away from Earth than any other black hole yet found. A team led by the Carnegie Observatories’ Eduardo Banados reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday that the black hole lies in a …

Gene therapy has freed 10 men from nearly all symptoms of hemophilia for a year so far, in a study that fuels hopes that a one-time treatment can give long-lasting help and perhaps even cure the blood disease. Hemophilia almost always strikes males and is caused by the lack of …

Fueling the increase in opioid addiction and overdoses in the U.S. is a little known synthetic opioid called fentanyl. In this segment of the series “State of Emergency – America’s Opioid Crisis,” we take a look at what the introduction of fentanyl into the drug supply has done to the …

About 17 million babies worldwide live in areas where outdoor air pollution is six times the recommended limit, and their brain development is at risk, the U.N. children’s agency (UNICEF) said on Wednesday. The majority of these babies — more than 12 million — are in South Asia, it said, …

Researchers have identified the molecule that attracts the insect that transmits citrus greening disease, a development expected to help farmers control a plague that has destroyed trees in growing regions of Brazil and the United States. The scientific breakthrough, shared with Reuters exclusively on Tuesday, is the result of six …