Ancient civilizations plowed themselves into oblivion, and modern agriculture risks doing it again, geologist David Montgomery says. In his new book, Montgomery says a growing number of farmers are using techniques that can save their farms from slow death by erosion. In Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to …

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a survey of 11 countries finds evidence that HIV drug resistance is growing, posing a potential threat to the prevention and treatment of AIDS. According to the WHO, 36.7 million people are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. More than half that …

U.S. Senator John McCain is being treated for glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. It is a malignant tumor that grows at a very rapid rate and is able to shift to new locations within the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit medical research …

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The immortal words of American astronaut Neil Armstrong, uttered on July 20, 1969, when he became the first man to set foot on the moon. Along with astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins aboard Apollo 11, NASA made history this …

There are no proven ways to stave off Alzheimer’s, but a new report raises the prospect that avoiding nine key risks starting in childhood just might delay or even prevent about a third of dementia cases around the world. How? It has to do with lifestyle factors that may make …

For the first time in the global AIDS epidemic that has spanned four decades and killed 35 million people, more than half of all those infected with HIV are on drugs to treat the virus, the United Nations said in a report released Thursday. AIDS deaths are also now close …

In summer, life becomes intolerable for rickshaw puller Mohammad Khan. “I keep running into the shade to save myself from the sun,” he said as he waited for midafternoon customers in a busy New Delhi market. Like millions of others, Khan is experiencing on the ground what a recent study …

Many people enjoy a cup of coffee, especially in the morning. Turns out, that is giving them a good start – not just to their day – but to their lives. A new study indicates that people who drink at least three cups of coffee each day appear to live longer …

The achievement gap is defined as the persistently low scores disadvantaged children get on tests when compared to their middle and upper class peers. It has economic and racial components, and educators have been battling to solve the problem for decades. Some research done with low-income kids in India is …

Australia is contributing funds to help Sri Lanka combat its worst outbreak of dengue fever, which has claimed 250 lives and infected nearly 100,000 people so far this year in the Indian Ocean island nation. Visiting Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Wednesday night that Australia is giving $475,000 Australian (US …

More than nine billion tons of plastic has been produced since 1950 with most of it discarded in landfills or the environment, hurting ecosystems and human health, according to the first major global analysis of mass-produced plastics. Nearly 80 percent of this plastic ended up in landfills or the environment …

SpaceX’s chief said Wednesday that the first launch of its big new rocket is risky and stands “a real good chance” of failure. Founder Elon Musk told a space station research conference Wednesday that he wants to set realistic expectations for the flight later this year from Cape Canaveral. The …

Congressional Republicans are moving forward with legislation to roll back the Endangered Species Act, amid complaints that the landmark 44-year-old law hinders drilling, logging and other activities. At simultaneous hearings Wednesday, House and Senate committees considered bills to revise the law and limit lengthy and costly litigation associated with it. …

Kathy Holbrook was at home one night last year when she started having chest pains, so the 63-year-old former office manager drove to a hospital near her home in the eastern Kentucky mountains. “I am a Christian lady, so I believe in the power of prayer and I was just …

Thirty-five European children have died from measles in the past 12 months in what the World Health Organization calls an “unacceptable” tragedy. The deaths could have been prevented by a vaccine. A measles outbreak in Minnesota sent nearly two dozen people to the hospital. Still, some parents in developed countries …

Thirty-five European children have died from measles in the past 12 months in what the World Health Organization calls an “unacceptable” tragedy. The deaths could have been prevented by a vaccine. A measles outbreak in Minnesota sent many to the hospital. Still, some parents in developed countries continue to believe …

Laughter can combat trauma. Spiritual cleansings could be used to fight an opioid addiction. Cactus extract may battle diabetes and obesity.   These insights are from curanderismo — traditional indigenous healing from the American Southwest and Latin America.   University of New Mexico professor Eliseo “Cheo” Torres’ has included these …

“I’m addicted to cutting trees,” says Taban Ceasor.   His stained hands sift through jagged pieces of charcoal in his busy shop in South Sudan’s capital. But the 29-year-old logger says the number of trees needed to fuel his trade is falling sharply as the country’s forest cover disappears.   …

Hyrum Johnson, mayor of the tiny city of Driggs, Idaho, expects some craziness in his one-stoplight town next month when the moon passes in front of the sun for the first total solar eclipse in the lower 48 U.S. states since 1979. The town of 1,600 people in Teton County, …

Your speech may, um, help reveal if you’re uh … developing thinking problems. More pauses, filler words and other verbal changes might be an early sign of mental decline, which can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests.   Researchers had people describe a picture they were shown in taped …

Researchers working on a one-two punch to eliminate HIV say their first punch has landed and they can start working on the second, though plenty of work will be needed on both fronts before a cure is available. HIV spreads just like other viruses: It takes over a cell’s DNA …

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution says humans evolved as a separate species. But modern science knows that we, together with all other creatures, have always lived in a symbiosis with a great number of microbes, dwelling inside and outside of our bodies, the so-called holobiont. VOA’s George Putic spoke with …

Nearly one in 10 infants worldwide, or 12.9 million, received no vaccinations in 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. Those infants missed the critical first dose of the triple vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, known as the DTP3 vaccination. An additional 6.6 million infants who received the …

Authorities in Pakistan’s capital are investigating the water in the city’s main reservoir after tons of dead fish were found in a lake on the city’s outskirts.    Police officer Imran Haider says Saturday samples of water and dead fish from Rawal Lake have been collected and sent for forensic …

President Donald Trump turned up the heat Friday on fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate to pass a bill dismantling the Obamacare law, but with their retooled health care plan drawing fire within the party even one more defection would doom it. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has planned for a …