National
NRA makes new reactor safety regimen official
The Nuclear Regulation Authority officially approves new safety requirements for reactors aimed at preventing disasters like the catastrophe at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Science & Health Jun 9, 2013
HPV virus a growing cause of throat cancer
Actor Michael Douglas’ comments about throat cancer have thrown a spotlight on cancer risks from a sexually transmitted virus. The virus, HPV, is best known for causing cervical cancer. But experts say it also is a growing cause of certain types of oral cancer, ...
Science & Health Jun 9, 2013
Malaria mosquitoes' attraction to stinky feet may lead to better traps
For decades, health officials have battled malaria with insecticides, bed nets and drugs. Now scientists say there might be a potent new tool to fight the deadly mosquito-borne disease: the stench of human feet. In a laboratory study, researchers found that mosquitoes infected with ...
Offbeat Jun 4, 2013
Actor Douglas blames cancer on oral sex
Veteran Hollywood star Michael Douglas blamed a cancerous tumor that developed in his throat three years ago on his sex life, in an interview published in The Guardian newspaper on Monday. The 68-year-old actor, who is starring as flamboyant entertainer Liberace in his latest ...
Asia Pacific May 30, 2013
Killing halts Pakistan polio program
Pakistani authorities suspended a four-day polio vaccination program Tuesday after gunmen shot dead a female worker and wounded another, officials said, in a blow to the U.N.-backed campaign aimed at eradicating the crippling disease from the violence-torn country. Such attacks have made it harder ...
Offbeat May 30, 2013
Chinese family kept schizophrenic son shackled in cage for over a decade
A mentally ill Chinese man has been kept in a cage for more than a decade by his family after he beat a child to death, local media reported, carrying images of him staring blankly though the bars. Wu Yuanhong, 42, was shown sitting ...
Science & Health May 22, 2013
Fear blamed for U.K. measles surge
More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least 1 million children because of now discredited research that linked the vaccine to autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the ...
Science & Health May 17, 2013
Coronavirus spreads in a hospital for first time
Two Saudi Arabian health workers have contracted the deadly coronavirus from patients, marking the first evidence of transmission in a hospital setting, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. “This is the first time health care workers have been diagnosed with nCoV (novel coronavirus) infection ...
Science & Health May 16, 2013
Cloned embryos yield first stem cells
Scientists recover stem cells from cloned human embryos, a long-standing goal that could lead to new medical treatments, although a simpler technique now under development may prove more useful.
Science & Health May 14, 2013
French coronavirus case points to possible limited human-to-human spread
A novel coronavirus that has killed more than half of the 38 people it is known to have infected appears capable of limited human-to-human spread, the World Health Organization said Sunday. France reported a second case of the disease on Sunday. The patient, who ...
Science & Health Apr 27, 2013
Gene-sequencing breakthrough may save koalas
by Peter Beaumont
Last year the koala, Australia’s iconic marsupial, was officially listed as a threatened species in large parts of the country following two decades of devastating population losses. Hard hit by drought, loss of habitat and attacks by other animals, including domestic dogs, the nation’s ...
Asia Pacific Apr 12, 2013
China culls poultry as bird flu cases grow
by Bill Savadove
Residents of the Chinese city of Nanjing were ordered to cull all their poultry as local authorities stepped up attempts to halt the spread of the deadly H7N9 strain of avian influenza, state media reported Thursday. Thousands of birds and livestock were slaughtered by ...
Science & Health Apr 9, 2013
Culprit in heart disease goes beyond meat's fat
The fat and cholesterol found in a steak may not be the only components bad for the heart, according to researchers who have found another substance in red meat that can clog the arteries. The substance is called carnitine, and as bacteria in the ...