Scientists work inside Baishiya Karst Cave, where the remains of the extinct archaic human species called Denisovans — as well as bones of blue sheep and various other animals — have been discovered, on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau in China's Gansu province, in this undated handout photograph.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 4, 2024
Study brings lifestyle of enigmatic extinct Denisovans into focus
Researchers studied more than 2,500 bones found inside Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau in China's Gangsu province.
Of the 384 people who died from all mpox strains in Congo this year, more than 60% were children, the World Health Organization has said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 27, 2024
Fears emerge over new 'most dangerous' mpox strain crossing borders
The new deadlier strain transmits more easily between people — including through nonsexual contact — and is killing children and causing miscarriages in Congo.
Crosses adorn a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 26, 2022.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 26, 2024
U.S. surgeon general declares gun violence a 'public health crisis'
The advisory by Vivek Murthy, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, is the first such major report on gun violence from a surgeon general.
The total fertility rate dropped to 1.5 children per woman in 2022 from 3.3 in 1960 on average across OECD countries, a report from the organization has said.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 21, 2024
Birth rates halve in richer nations as costs weigh, OECD report says
Many in OECD member countries are now choosing to have children later in life or not at all, the report said.
By April 2024, dengue fever cases in the Americas passed the total for the previous year.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 15, 2024
What's behind the post-COVID surge in communicable diseases?
Many regions have reported at least one infectious disease resurgence that’s at least ten times worse than the prepandemic baseline.
Boys bathe at a public water facility along a street amid a heat wave in Jalandhar, India, on Thursday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 14, 2024
What is heat stress and how is it measured?
The World Meteorological Organization estimates heat kills around half a million people a year but says the true toll is unknown.
A bird perches on an elephant in the Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, on April 4.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 12, 2024
Study shows elephants might call each other by name
In the study, researchers analyzed vocalizations made by more than 100 elephants in Amboseli National Park and Samburu National Reserve in Kenya.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals