It’s been a month since a Maryland man became the second person to receive a transplanted heart from a pig — and hospital video released Friday shows he’s working hard to recover. Lawrence Faucette was dying from heart failure and ineligible for a traditional heart transplant because of other health problems when doctors at the … continue reading -> “Month After Pig Heart Transplant, Man Works to Regain Strength  “

Astronomers have detected an intense flash of radio waves coming from what looks like a merger of galaxies dating to about 8 billion years ago — the oldest-known instance of a phenomenon called a fast radio burst that continues to defy explanation.  This burst in less than a millisecond unleashed the amount of energy our … continue reading -> “Astronomers Detect Mysterious 8 Billion-Year-Old Energetic Burst”

With warmer oceans serving as fuel, Atlantic hurricanes are now more than twice as likely as before to rapidly intensify from wimpy minor hurricanes to powerful and catastrophic, a study said Thursday. Last month Hurricane Lee went from barely a hurricane at 129 kph to the most powerful Category 5 hurricane with 249 kph winds … continue reading -> “Climate Change Means Hurricanes Get Worse Faster, Study Says”

Burkina Faso’s health ministry has declared a dengue fever epidemic amid the deadliest outbreak in years. More than 200 people have died, and new cases are rising sharply. There have been 50,478 suspected cases and 214 deaths of the mosquito-borne illness this year, the ministry said in a statement released on Wednesday, mostly in the … continue reading -> “Dengue Fever Kills Hundreds in Burkina Faso as Cases Spike”

Australian researchers say they have produced the most comprehensive view of the history of the universe to date. An Australian National University team says their study offers new ideas about how the universe might have started. The research team says the study’s aim was to understand the origins of all the objects in the universe. … continue reading -> “Australian Researchers Claim to Map Comprehensive View of Universe’s History”

U.N. inspectors took samples from a fish market near the Fukushima nuclear power plant on Thursday following the release of wastewater from the wrecked facility in August. China and Russia have banned Japanese seafood imports since the discharge began but Japan says it is safe, a view backed so far by the International Atomic Energy … continue reading -> “UN Inspectors Test Fukushima Fish”

As the war drags on, some severely injured Ukrainians who received medical help abroad are returning home. Yana Stepanenko and her mother have resettled in Lviv after a year of treatment and rehabilitation in the U.S. Omelyan Oshchudlyak has the story. Camera: Yuriy  Dankevych       …

A clinical trial is recruiting thousands of volunteers — including a large number of Black women who face disparities in breast cancer death rates — to try to find out. People like Carole Stovall, a psychologist in Washington, D.C., have signed up for the study to help answer the question. “We all need a mammogram … continue reading -> “Study of Mammograms Looks at 3D vs. 2D Imaging”

Four-day work weeks improved Spanish workers’ health several ways, such as by lowering stress while reducing fuel emissions and benefiting children, a pilot program showed on Tuesday.  The coastal city of Valencia — Spain’s third largest with more than 800,000 inhabitants — scheduled local holidays to fall on four consecutive Mondays between April 10 and … continue reading -> “Four-Day Work Week Boosts Spanish Workers’ Health, Pilot Program Shows”

Foreigners who live in Italy will be able to use the national health service after paying a $2,109 annual fee, the government said Monday.  The charge, part of the 2024 budget adopted by the cabinet, will apply only to citizens from outside the European Union, the economy ministry said in a statement.   The ministry … continue reading -> “Italy to Charge Foreigners Over $2,100 a Year for Health Service”

All About America explores American culture, politics, trends, history, ideals and places of interest. West Virginia (41%), Louisiana (40.1%) and Oklahoma (40%) are the states with the fattest populations in the nation, laying claim to the highest proportion of adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 40% or greater, according to the Centers for … continue reading -> “America Keeps Getting Fatter — These Are the Heaviest States of All”

Rite Aid Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday, as it comes under pressure from lawsuits alleging that the drugstore chain helped fuel the opioid crisis in the United States. Rite Aid listed estimated assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion in a court filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy … continue reading -> “Drug Retailer Rite Aid Files for Bankruptcy Protection”

The medicine in the diabetes drug Mounjaro helped people with obesity or who are overweight lose at least a quarter of their body weight, or about 27 kilograms (60 pounds) on average, when combined with intensive diet and exercise, a new study shows. By comparison, a group of people who also dieted and exercised, but … continue reading -> “Diabetes Drug Mounjaro Helped Dieters Shed 27 Kilos, Study Finds”

As more children emerge from the pandemic grappling with mental health issues, their parents are seeking ways for them to build emotional resilience.  And toy companies are paying close attention.  While still in its early phase, a growing number of toy marketers are embracing MESH — or mental, emotional and social health — as a … continue reading -> “Amid Mental Health Crisis, Toy Industry Takes on a New Role: Building Resilience”

First came the darkening skies, then the crescent-shaped shadows on the ground, and finally an eruption of cheers by crowds that gathered Saturday along the narrow path of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.  It was a spectacular show for some parts of the western United States as the moon moved into … continue reading -> “‘Ring of Fire’ Eclipse Moves Across the Americas, From Oregon to Brazil”

In an ongoing legal battle with the Biden administration over a Nevada lithium mine, environmentalists are poised to return to court with a new approach accusing U.S. wildlife officials of dragging their feet on a year-old petition seeking endangered species status for a tiny snail that lives nearby. The Western Watersheds Project said in its … continue reading -> “Environmentalists Say They’ll Sue Over Snail Species Living Near Nevada Lithium Mine”

Pfizer slashed its full-year revenue forecast by 13% and said Friday it will cut $3.5 billion worth of jobs and expenses due to lower-than-expected sales of its COVID-19 vaccine and treatment. Pfizer earned record revenue in 2021 and 2022, topping $100 billion last year, after developing its vaccine Comirnaty with German partner BioNTech SE and … continue reading -> “Pfizer Slashes Revenue Forecast on Lower COVID Sales, Will Cut Costs”

Following another month of record-breaking temperatures throughout the globe in September, the year 2023 is all but certain to be the warmest on record, a U.S. agency said Friday. The unwelcome news comes as world leaders prepare to meet for the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai in late November where phasing out fossil fuels, … continue reading -> “Virtually Certain 2023 Will Be Warmest Year on Record, US Agency Says”

The U.S. space agency, NASA, launched a rocket Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket carried a probe designed to study a metal-rich asteroid that scientists think might be the remnants of small planet or planet-like object.  The rocket, built by the private space company SpaceX, took off early Friday, starting NASAs … continue reading -> “NASA Launches Probe to Study Rocky Asteroid”

Thousands of people marched the streets of Ghana’s capital last week to raise awareness of breast cancer. Event organizers aimed to dispel myths about breast cancer in Africa and encourage early detection for a cure. Senanu Tord reports from Accra. (Camera: Senanu Tord and Samuel Mintah) …

Packaging producers in Kenya have begun a campaign to collect each day 1,500 tonnes of empty beverage cartons and turn them into new products. Officials say the cartons account for 30 percent of the liquid packaging board produced in Kenya. Victoria Amunga reports from Thika, Kenya. Camera and edit: Jimmy Makhulo …

NASA on Wednesday showed off its first asteroid samples delivered last month by a spacecraft — the most ever returned to Earth. Scientists and space agency leaders took part in the reveal at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The ancient black dust and chunks are from the carbon-rich asteroid named Bennu, almost 60 million miles … continue reading -> “NASA Shows Off Its First Asteroid Samples Delivered by Spacecraft”

In developing countries such as Nigeria, caregivers and parents of children with cerebral palsy struggle to support the children and deal with the stigma of the disorder. Gibson Emeka visits a mother in Abuja who has left everything to care for her son. Narrated by Salem Solomon. …

Tens of millions in the Americas will have front-row seats for Saturday’s rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.  What’s called an annular solar eclipse — better known as a ring of fire — will briefly dim the skies over parts of the western U.S. and Central and South America.  As the moon lines … continue reading -> “‘Ring of Fire’ Solar Eclipse Will Slice Across Americas on Saturday”

October 14 is World Migratory Bird Day in the Southern Hemisphere. To better forecast bird migration, scientists are using machine learning and next-generation radar. The resulting “BirdCasts” offer new ways to help birds at risk. Shelley Schlender reports from the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado. …