New, long-acting drugs may offer hope to millions of people who suffer from migraines. Studies of two of these medicines, given as shots every month or so, found they cut the frequency of the notoriously painful and disabling headaches. The drugs are the first preventive medicines developed specifically for migraines. …

After decades of legal challenges and political battles that have pitted states against the federal government, U.S. wildlife managers on Wednesday finally adopted a plan to guide the recovery of a wolf that once roamed parts of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.   The plan sets a goal of …

In a square in a poor eastern Tehran neighborhood known for its drug addicts and dealers, psychologist Atefeh Azimi draws another drop of blood from a worried passer-by’s finger.   She works on a nearby bench, where a sign next to her in English and in Farsi urges the public …

NASA’s next mission to Mars in 2020 will feature a souped-up unmanned rover vehicle to search for signs of ancient microbial life in areas of the uninhabitable red planet. The successor to the 2012 Curiosity rover, which could launch in July or August 2020, will be equipped with seven new …

The significant progress made in recent decades against malaria is at risk, according to the World Health Organization. In its annual report looking at the global fight against the disease, the WHO says malaria cases are on the rise in several countries. More from Henry Ridgwell in London. …

Many countries are moving toward eliminating malaria, among them Madagascar, Senegal and Zimbabwe. But a World Health Organization report warns that in other areas, progress has stalled. Malaria cases increased by more than 20 percent from 2015 to 2016 in eight African countries — including Rwanda, Nigeria and the Democratic …

For fans of the yeti, newly published genetic research on purported specimens of the legendary apelike beast said to dwell in the Himalayan region may be too much to bear — literally. Scientists said on Tuesday that genetic analysis of nine bone, tooth, skin, hair and fecal samples from museum …

Scientists say they’ve unearthed fossil remains of a sea cow that lived in the shallow waters off Southern California’s Channel Islands some 25 million years ago.   The fossil skull and rib cage were discovered this summer on Santa Rosa Island, in the Pacific Ocean about 50 miles northwest of …

   A large iceberg broke off the Grey glacier in southern Chile, authorities said on Tuesday, adding that the cause of the rupture was unclear. Chile’s CONAF forestry service shared photos on social media of the enormous block of blue-white ice, which measured 350 meters (1,148 feet) long by 380 …

Delays in the time between becoming infected with HIV and getting a diagnosis are shortening, helped by efforts to increase testing for the virus that causes AIDS, U.S. health officials said. The report, released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 50 percent of the 39,720 …

Climate change is turning Israel into a permanent wintering ground for some of the 500 million migrating birds that used to stop over briefly before flying on to the warm plains of Africa, Israeli experts say. The birds now prefer to stay longer in cooler areas rather than cross into …

The United Nations reports remarkable progress in containing the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS still kills, but in its latest report, UNAIDS said access to treatment has risen significantly. The UN’s goal is to end the pandemic by 2030. VOA’s Carol Pearson spoke to one of the world’s leading scientists …

It was a telling setting for a decision on whether post-traumatic stress disorder patients could use medical marijuana. Against the backdrop of the nation’s largest Veterans Day parade, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this month he’d sign legislation making New York the latest in a fast-rising tide of states to …

UNICEF’s Middle East director is calling Yemen one of the worst places on Earth to be a child and urging all involved in the fighting to let humanitarian aid keep coming in. Geert Cappelaere told reporters in Amman, Jordan, Sunday that UNICEF was able to get nearly 2 million doses …

The U.N. child agency said Sunday that it has flown 1.9 million doses of vaccines to war-torn Yemen, its first aid delivery since a Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels tightened a sea and air blockade earlier this month.   Regional UNICEF director Geert Cappelaere described Saturday’s shipment as a “very …

The United States is suffering through an unprecedented wave of opioid and prescription drug abuse. Every day, an average of 91 Americans die from an opioid-related overdose. A new study comparing two of the top medications for treating addiction found they were equally safe and effective in curtailing opioid use, …

Brazil’s President Michel Temer is recovering after undergoing a successful angioplasty in three coronary arteries. The presidential palace said Saturday that at least one stent was implanted in the procedure late Friday. It said Temer was recuperating in a hospital in Sao Paulo. The 77-year-old president was admitted to the …

Chinese street barber Xiong Gaowu deftly scrapes a straight razor along the inside of his customer’s eyelid. “You should be gentle, very, very gentle,” said Xiong, who performs traditional eyelid shaves at his roadside location in Chengdu, the capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan. Customers swear by the practice …

Slowly but steadily, the consciousness about the need to protect and preserve the natural environment is rising all over the world. Grassroots initiatives get more coverage, and those involved in them say it feels good to be a part of a beneficial movement. VOA’s George Putic reports on two of …

Mexico’s government has created a marine park the size of Illinois in the Pacific, the largest ocean reserve in North America for the conservation of giant rays, whales and turtles, including dozens of species endemic to the area. Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto designated on Friday the Revillagigedo Archipelago, located …

The equivalent of one garbage truck full of plastic waste is dumped into the world’s oceans every minute, equal to 8 million tons a year. New research suggests that 90 percent of that waste gets into the oceans through 10 major river systems. “It seems that larger rivers preferentially transport …

The equivalent of one garbage truck full of waste plastic is dumped into the world’s oceans every minute – or 8 million metric tons a year. New research suggests that the vast majority of that waste is transported to the oceans by just a handful of major river systems – …

The U.S. state of California is experiencing its largest person-to-person outbreak of hepatitis A in the United States since a vaccine to prevent the liver disease became available in 1996. More than 600 cases have been reported in the state and 21 people have died. According to the California Department …

Scientists in Hungary have measured brain activity in dogs, which they say shows the animals learn while they sleep. The study is part of broader research to understand how dogs’ cognitive ability and memory change with age.  As we hear from VOA’s Deborah Block, the research may have implications for …

People who drink three to four cups of coffee a day are more likely to see health benefits than harm, experiencing lower risks of premature death and heart disease than those who abstain, scientists said on Wednesday. The research, which collated evidence from more than 200 previous studies, also found …