The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling for rapid action to prevent a cholera epidemic in South Sudan from spiraling out of control as the rainy season in the country progresses. More than 18,000 cases of cholera, including 328 deaths have been reported in South Sudan since June 2016. …

The World Health Organization in Myanmar says a recent outbreak of H1N1 in the country is not unusual for the time of the year, and while there may be more cases in the future the available data suggests it is not a cause for panic. Myanmar’s state media reported on …

U.S. President Donald Trump says the United States had no alternative but to defeat an epidemic of opioid drug use, which kills more than 100 Americans daily. Speaking from New Jersey, Trump promised measures to combat the “scurge,” including tougher prosecution of drug-related crimes, better controls at the southern U.S. …

When astronomers look for life, they generally look for water. The saying goes that where there is water, there is life. But some NASA researchers think we may be able to expand that saying to include any liquid, even the methane lakes on Saturn’s moon, Titan. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

Many summer camps in the U.S. focus on a single activity – baseball, computers. Many target specific groups – Jewish or Christian camps. Some are available for children with physical disabilities. According to the VOA’s Faith Lapidus, a camp in California is serving a growing population: transgender children, aged four …

President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday that the U.S. would “win” the battle against the heroin and opioid plague, but he stopped short of declaring a national emergency as his handpicked commission had recommended. Trump spoke at an event he had billed as a “major briefing” on the opioid crisis during …

A call by Republican Governor John Kasich for scientific breakthroughs to help solve the opioid crisis is drawing interest from dozens of groups with ideas including remote-controlled medication dispensers, monitoring devices for addicts, mobile apps and pain-relieving massage gloves. The state has received project ideas from 44 hospitals, universities and …

The U.S. State Department is advising its diplomats to sidestep questions from foreign governments about the Trump administration’s stance on the Paris climate deal. The Reuters news agency reported Tuesday that a cable sent Friday to U.S. embassies by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson provided prospective questions foreign government officials …

Hot on the heels of its proposal to lower nicotine levels in cigarettes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans on Tuesday for an education campaign to discourage use of electronic cigarettes among youth. The plan follows the agency’s proposal last month to both lower nicotine in combustible cigarettes …

The penguins at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California have something in common with Sara Mandel’s cats. “I had actually purchased this game in the app store for my cats,” said Mandel, birdkeeper at the Aquarium of the Pacific. She wanted to see if these penguins would …

It’s not just people who like playing computer games. Animals of different species also seem to be fascinated with video games and touch screens, as researchers and zoos try this technology on animals. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee reports from the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. …

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram allow us to share aspects of our lives with our friends, family and the world. But what does what we are sharing say about our state of mind? Some new research suggests that it may be telling the world a lot more than we think. Kevin Enochs …

Rocket Lab, a Silicon Valley-funded space launch company, said a contractor’s error was to blame for its maiden flight failing to reach orbit in May, but that the problem had been fixed ahead of another planned launch in the next two months. The Los Angeles and Auckland-based firm, which is …

The Interior Department on Monday unveiled a plan to protect the threatened sage grouse that gives Western states greater flexibility to allow mining, logging and other economic development where it now is prohibited.   Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced the strategy for the ground-dwelling bird that has suffered a dramatic …

Researchers have turned skin cells into blood vessel tissue to save a mouse’s wounded leg. They were able to do that simply by tapping the wound with a chip that uses nanotechnology to inject new DNA into the cells. This step follows a number of significant advances in techniques to …

A midday nap is very much part of the Spanish traditional life style. However, having a public place in which to do so is new. Siesta & Go is the first nap bar in Madrid according to reporter Faiza Elmasry. VOA’s Faith Lapidus narrates. …

A fossil found in northeastern Nevada shows a newly discovered fish species that scientists believe looked, and ate, like a shark.   The fossil is what remains of a bony, sharp-toothed fish that would have been about six-feet-long (1.83 meters) with long jaws and layers of sharp teeth.   The …

For more than a decade, Shamil Zhumatov has photographed spacecraft taking off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur cosmodrome. After dozens of launches, he says the challenge is to find new and better ways of taking pictures. The Soyuz spacecraft which blasted off on July 28 carried NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, Russia’s Sergey …

The World Health Organization reports that there are 2 to 3 million cases of melanoma skin cancer reported every year. Sunscreen is a big part of preventing these cancers, but chemical laden sunscreens have their drawbacks. That’s why scientists are scouring the natural world to understand how plants protect themselves …

Around the world, large cities generate huge amounts of unusable food and other organic waste. While some is recycled into compost, most goes into landfills, and that is wasting a potential source of energy. A pilot project started about three years ago in New York City is adding food scraps …

The United Nations confirms it has received notification from the United States about its intention to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, “unless it identifies suitable terms for re-engagement.” Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement that the secretary general “welcomes any effort to …

The World Health Organization reports it has provided anti-malaria drugs to nearly 900,000 children in areas in northeast Nigeria formerly held by Boko Haram militants. The effort is part of a new strategy to tackle malaria, a major killer of children younger than 5 years old. The director of WHO’s …

Myanmar’s government has repeatedly appealed for calm in recent weeks as the death toll from an outbreak of swine flu, or H1N1 influenza, has risen to 14 since the first cases were reported last month. Officials have pointed to the fact that the strain of the virus, which was part …

According to the Pacific Institute, more than 2 million tons of all kinds of waste are poured into the world’s waters every day. Scientists have gotten good at detecting it, but not so good at finding where it’s coming from. Swiss researchers are working on a solution to that problem: …

Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. Cultivating curiosity and recognizing its value in those kids might be what cures today’s incurable diseases in the future, or prevents them altogether. So what drives and inspires a 12-year-old to think about researching a cure for cancer when he’s picking a science fair project? …