Two major studies into how bees are affected by a group of pesticides banned in Europe gave mixed results on Thursday, fueling a row over whether the chemicals, called neonicotinoids, are safe. The studies, one conducted across three European countries and another in Canada, found some negative effects after exposure …

In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, indigenous farmers gather at the top of mountains the night after the winter solstice — not to enjoy the view, but to forecast the timing and quantity of rains. If the Pleiades star cluster appears large and bright, then rains will be abundant. If …

New research suggests that the ability of children in Africa to perform well in school could be dramatically improved through the provision of basic malaria education and treatment. Most malaria prevention programs focus on children under 5. Infections are less fatal among older children, but many harbor malaria parasites without …

Climate change will have an impact, not just on the temperature, but on the economy, according to a new analysis. A group of researchers has just released a study focused on the future economic effects of climate change in the U.S. Using six different economic variables, the team is predicting, …

Coral reefs are diverse underwater ecosystems often called “rainforests of the sea.” They are habitats for a wide variety of marine life. So it’s good news for the fishing and tourism industries that widespread coral bleaching — a process that turns the reefs white, weak and vulnerable to breaking down …

Minnesota has had 78 cases of measles so far this year, eight more than in the entire United States in 2016. There have been no new cases in the state since June 16, but health officials are waiting for two 21-day incubation periods to pass without new infections before they …

This year’s World Food Prize has been awarded to African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina, for his work to improve the lives of millions of small farmers across the African continent —  especially in Nigeria, where he was once the agriculture minister. Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize …

The Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, is getting lower. With less rainfall than average this year, experts say the water level could drop more than one and a third meters by October. But the lake’s shrinkage is not just a reflection of drier weather and increased water use. …

The number of cases of Zika virus is way down around the world this year. Instead of treating new cases, doctors, health workers and researchers are freer to track and help those children with microcephaly, a disease caused by Zika-carrying mosquitoes. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …

Solomon was just 7 years old when he woke up missing a leg. And he was one of the lucky ones. Weeks later, Solomon was back on two feet with the aid of an artificial leg, fitted at a hectic hospital, turned into a limb-making factory, in the South Sudanese …

Cooks at a community kitchen in Kampala’s Nakasero Hill business district are preparing a traditional breakfast of green bananas in offal sauce using a very untraditional means of cooking – volcanic rocks. It’s a method that some are hoping will take off across Africa, to help protect forests and improve …

The first-ever deaf woman leader of a U.S. university for deaf students is touring Africa, hoping to learn and to teach institutions here how to provide for hearing-impaired students. In South Africa, an estimated one-fifth of the disabled population is hard of hearing. Anita Powell shares a portion of her …

Egypt’s Cairo airport has started screening passengers arriving from Sudan for signs of cholera because of a reported outbreak there, the head of airport quarantine said Wednesday. Similar measures are already carried out in the Cairo airport for people arriving from Yemen due to an epidemic there. “The number of …

Kenya is set to be the first African country to introduce better HIV treatment for people living with the disease that causes AIDS. In partnership with the Kenyan government, UNITAID and the World Health Organization have introduced a generic first-line drug for people living with HIV.    Speaking at a …

Scientists have developed a skin patch that may soon take the “ouch” out of being vaccinated. Every year, in the United States, less than half of the adults who should get a flu vaccine actually get the shot.  That’s a problem because while most people tend to think of influenza …

A quarter-century-old project to repopulate the steppes of Mongolia with wild horses was kept alive as four animals made the long trip back to their ancestral home from the Prague Zoo. Driven to extinction in their homeland in the 1960s, the Przewalski’s horses survived in captivity before efforts began to …

Professional football players are still not getting properly checked for concussions, despite a pledge by the sport’s governing body. That was obvious from a review of footage from the games in FIFA’s 2014 World Cup, the international men’s football championship held every four years. The review, published in the Journal …

Imagine going to the doctor and getting a cooking lesson! That’s what happens at a doctor’s practice near Washington D.C. Dr. Yum Pediatrics is half doctor’s office, with waiting area and exam rooms, half kitchen.  Food is an important part of her approach to treatment.   In the exam rooms, …

Doctors encourage their patients to eat a healthful diet, and often give them tips on how to do that. But a pediatrician in Spotsylvania, Virginia, is doing even more. Dr. Nimali Fernando is showing her young patients and their parents how to eat healthy by offering them a variety of …

When we’re buying groceries by weight, being a few grams off may not be a big deal. But we do expect the store scales to be calibrated to show the exact measure. The situation becomes more complicated when we want to know the exact measure of something weighing a hundred …

Ethiopia’s highlands traditionally have a built-in protection for the people who live there. The elevation and the cool temperatures have meant that malaria, the deadly mosquito-borne illness, cannot be transmitted.   But climate change may be putting an end to that safeguard. A new study led by a researcher at …

Ethiopia’s highlands traditionally have a built-in protection for the people who live there. The elevation and the cool temperatures have meant that malaria, the deadly mosquito-borne illness, cannot be transmitted.   But climate change may be putting an end to that safeguard. A new study led by a researcher at …

More than 75 people, mostly young children, have gotten measles in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Nearly all were unvaccinated. Measles is one of the most highly contagious diseases that exists. All it takes is a sneeze or a cough to spread the virus in tiny droplets through the air. …

More than 75 people, mostly young children, have gotten measles in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Nearly all were unvaccinated. The same is true in every other country worldwide. That’s why pediatricians and public health doctors want every child to get vaccinated against this virus. VOA’s Carol Pearson takes a …

We know that forests are carbon sinks. That means they absorb a lot of planet-warming carbon dioxide. But researchers are trying to find out just how good they are at storing carbon, and if there is a limit to how much they can absorb. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …