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General Science & Health

08/12/2025   Wired Science
A study of plastic bottles washed up on the Pacific coast of Latin America has identified a double problem—a mass of local waste combined with long-traveling bottles from Asia.
08/11/2025   Wired Science
The Cleveland Clinic and startup Piramidal are developing an AI model trained on brain wave data to monitor intensive care patients.
08/11/2025   Wired Science
A small but growing number of academics are improperly taking credit for articles, citations, and authorships, allowing them to appear prestigious without having conducted their own research.
08/10/2025   Wired Science
A tetrahedron is the simplest Platonic solid. Mathematicians have now made one that’s stable only on one side, confirming a decades-old conjecture.
08/09/2025   Wired Science
WindBorne Systems is one of several companies launching balloons, drones, buoys, and other devices to provide critical data to the beleaguered agency’s National Weather Service, but they can’t fill all the gaps.
08/07/2025   WHO News
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially designated Health Canada, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (MHLW/PMDA) of Japan, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the United Kingdom as WHO-Listed Authorities (WLAs), a status granted to national authorities that meet the highest international regulatory standards for medical products.
08/07/2025   Wired Science
NASA has set a 2030 deadline to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the moon. It’s an ambitious but potentially achievable goal that could transform space exploration, experts tell WIRED.
08/07/2025   Wired Science
In an 18-month clinical trial of the experimental GLP-1 pill orforglipron, about 60 percent of people lost at least 10 percent of their body weight.
08/07/2025   Wired Science
In the face of budget cuts, NASA has issued a new directive on how it will procure replacements for the International Space Station.
08/06/2025   Wired Science
This rare planetary alignment will be visible from August 10 but will be best viewed later in the month. Here’s everything you need to know to see it at its best.
08/06/2025   Wired Science
Eighty years after the dropping of the first atomic bomb, Hiroshima’s survivors and their descendants describe how health problems and stigma have echoed down the generations.
08/06/2025   Wired Science
First came the idea of splitting the atom; then, a chain of events leading to a moment forever etched in collective memory—the use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
08/06/2025   WHO News
The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Kenya as having eliminated human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness as a public health problem, making it the tenth country to reach this important milestone. HAT is the second neglected tropical disease (NTD) to be eliminated in Kenya: the country was certified free of Guinea worm disease in 2018.
08/05/2025   Wired Science
A report on the death of five people in the Titan submersible blames design, maintenance, and inspection flaws for its failure. “It all came back to Mr. Rush,” the head of the investigation told WIRED.
08/05/2025   Wired Science
WIRED talked with one of the most influential voices in computer science about the potential for AI and quantum to supercharge supercomputers.
08/05/2025   WHO News
Strengthening health systems to support breastfeeding is not just a health imperative, it is a moral and economic imperative. WHO and UNICEF remain committed to supporting countries to build resilient health systems that leave no mother or child behind.
08/04/2025   Wired Science
Potatoes as we know them today are the product of a hybridization that took place 9 million years ago between two plants, one of which was an ancestor of the tomato.
08/03/2025   Wired Science
By proving how individual molecules create the complex motion of fluids, three mathematicians have illuminated why time can’t flow in reverse.
08/02/2025   Wired Science
Scientists hope their plumage project could someday lead to biocompatible lasers that could safely be embedded in the human body.
08/02/2025   Wired Science
With clean energy more cost-competitive than it once was, the White House’s oil-first strategy is faltering.
08/01/2025   Wired Science
Evidence is growing that some HIV-infected infants, if given antiretroviral drugs early in life, are able to suppress their viral loads to undetectable levels and then come off the medicine.
08/01/2025   Wired Science
Your gadgets run on direct current, but the electricity in your home is alternating current. What’s up with that?
07/31/2025   Wired Science
As federal vaccine policy shifts under US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., lawmakers are looking to give state-level public health officials authority to ignore federal recommendations.
07/30/2025   WHO News
Tribute to Dr David Nabarro
07/29/2025   WHO News

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), of which WHO is a member, today issued a Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Alert for the Gaza Strip. The details are as noted below. 

Key highlights 

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has issued a stark warning today that the worst-case scenario of Famine is now unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Amid relentless conflict, mass displacement, severely restricted humanitarian access, and the collapse of essential services, including healthcare, the crisis has reached an alarming and deadly turning point. 

Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths. Latest data indicates that Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.

Recommended actions 

  • End hostilities
  • Ensure humanitarian access
  • Protect civilians, aid workers, and civilian infrastructure
  • Restore life-saving and multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance safely and with dignity
  • Restore the flow of commercial goods and local production capacities.

About the IPC

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is an innovative multi-partner initiative for improving food security and nutrition analysis and decision-making. By using the IPC classification and analytical approach, governments, UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations, civil society and other relevant actors work together to determine the severity and magnitude of acute and chronic food insecurity, and acute malnutrition situations in a country, according to internationally recognized scientific standards.

The main goal of the IPC is to provide decision-makers with a rigorous, evidence- and consensus-based analysis of food insecurity and acute malnutrition situations, to inform emergency responses as well as medium- and long-term policy and programming.

07/28/2025   WHO News
An estimated 8.2 percent of the global population, or about 673 million people, experienced hunger in 2024, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today by five United Nations specialized agencies.
07/28/2025   WHO News

As we mark World Hepatitis Day, WHO calls on governments and partners to urgently accelerate efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat and reduce liver cancer deaths.

"Every 30 seconds, someone dies from a hepatitis-related severe liver disease or liver cancer. Yet we have the tools to stop hepatitis,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

Viral hepatitis – types A, B, C, D, and E – are major causes of acute liver infection. Among these only hepatitis B, C, and D can lead to chronic infections that significantly increase the risk of cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. Yet most people with hepatitis don’t know they’re infected. Types B, C, and D affect over 300 million people globally and cause more than 1.3 million deaths each year, mainly from liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Hepatitis D now classified as carcinogenic

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified hepatitis D as carcinogenic to humans, just like hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis D, which only affects individuals infected with the hepatitis B, is associated with a two- to six-fold higher risk of liver cancer compared to hepatitis B alone. This reclassification marks a critical step in global efforts to raise awareness, improve screening, and expand access to new treatments for hepatitis D.

“WHO has published guidelines on testing and diagnosis of Hepatitis B and D in 2024, and is actively following the clinical outcomes from innovative treatments for hepatitis D,” said Dr Meg Doherty, incoming Director of Science for Health at WHO.

Treatment with oral medicine can cure hepatitis C within 2 to 3 months and effectively suppress hepatitis B with life-long therapy. Treatment options for hepatitis D are evolving. However, the full benefit of reducing liver cirrhosis and cancer deaths can only be realized through urgent action to scale up and integrate hepatitis services – including vaccination, testing, harm reduction, and treatment – into national health systems.

Latest data and progress

Encouragingly, the majority of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have strategic plans on hepatitis in place and progress in national hepatitis responses is increasing:

  • in 2025, the number of countries reporting national hepatitis action plans increased from 59 to 123;
  • as of 2025, 129 countries have adopted policies for hepatitis B testing among pregnant women, up from 106 reported in 2024; and
  • 147 countries have introduced the hepatitis B birth dose vaccination, an increase from 138 in 2022.

However, critical gaps remain in service coverage and outcomes, as stated in the 2024 Global Hepatitis Report:

  • testing and treatment coverage remain critically low; only 13% of people with hepatitis B and 36% with hepatitis C had been diagnosed by 2022;
  • treatment rates were even lower – 3% for hepatitis B and 20% for hepatitis C – well below the 2025 targets of 60% diagnosed and 50% treated; and
  • integration of hepatitis services remains uneven: 80 countries have incorporated hepatitis services into primary health care; 128 into HIV programmes and just 27 have integrated hepatitis C services into harm reduction centres.

    The next challenge will be to scale up the implementation of prevention, testing and treatment coverage. Achieving WHO’s 2030 targets could save 2.8 million lives and prevent 9.8 million new infections. With declining donor support, countries must prioritize domestic investment, integrated services, better data, affordable medicines, and ending stigma.

  • Forging new partnerships

    To mark World Hepatitis Day, WHO is partnering with Rotary International and the World Hepatitis Alliance to strengthen global and local advocacy. This year’s campaign Hepatitis: Let’s break it down demands action to confront the rising toll of liver cancer linked to chronic hepatitis infections. It also calls for decisive steps to dismantle persistent barriers – from stigma to funding gaps – that continue to slow progress in prevention, testing, and treatment.

    Through a joint webinar and coordinated outreach, the partnership underscores the vital role of civil society and community leadership, alongside governments, in sustaining momentum and accelerating progress toward hepatitis elimination.

     

    07/27/2025   WHO News
    Malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July. The crisis remains entirely preventable. Deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives.
    07/23/2025   WHO News

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Timor-Leste as malaria-free, a remarkable achievement for a country that prioritized the disease and embarked on a concerted, nation-wide response shortly after gaining independence in 2002.

    “WHO congratulates the people and government of Timor-Leste on this significant milestone,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Timor-Leste’s success proves that malaria can be stopped in its tracks when strong political will, smart interventions, sustained domestic and external investment and dedicated health workers unite.”

    With today’s announcement, a total of 47 countries and 1 territory have been certified as malaria-free by WHO. Timor-Leste is the third country to be certified in the WHO South-East Asia region, joining Maldives and Sri Lanka which were certified in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

    Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a country has proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous transmission has been interrupted nationwide for at least the previous three consecutive years.

    “We did it. Malaria has been one of our most relentless enemies – silent, persistent, and deadly. We lost too many lives to a disease that should be preventable. But our health workers never gave up, our communities held strong, and our partners, like WHO, walked beside us. From 223 000 cases to zero – this elimination honours every life lost and every life now saved. We must safeguard this victory with continued vigilance and community action to prevent malaria's re-entry,” said Dr Élia António de Araújo dos Reis Amaral, SH, Minister of Health, Government of Timor-Leste.

    A rapid shift from high burden country to malaria-free

    Since gaining independence in 2002, Timor-Leste has made remarkable strides in the fight against malaria – reducing cases from a peak of more than 223 000 clinically diagnosed cases in 2006 to zero indigenous cases from 2021 onwards.

    Timor-Leste’s success in eliminating malaria was driven by the Ministry of Health’s swift action in 2003 to establish the National Malaria Programme, a dedicated programme for planning, implementing, and monitoring malaria control efforts nationwide. With only two full-time officers initially, the programme was able to lay the foundation for progress early on through strong technical leadership, managerial capacity and attention to detail.

    Within a few years, the country introduced rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapy as part of the National Malaria Treatment Guidelines and began distributing free long-lasting insecticide treated nets to communities most at risk.

    In 2009, with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Timor-Leste scaled up nationwide vector control efforts through the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying. Malaria diagnosis was also expanded using microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests at the point of care across all local health posts.

    Facing the challenges of severe shortages of health workers and doctors, Timor-Leste made investments and developed its three-tier health system – comprising national hospitals, reference hospitals, community health centers (CHCs), and health posts – to ensure most residents can access care within an hour's walk. Additionally, citizens are provided with free health services at the point of care, as part of the government’s policy on free universal health care. Monthly mobile clinics and community outreach programmes further enhance health services in rural areas.

    Timor-Leste’s success in combating malaria highlights the importance of country leadership and strong collaboration between the Ministry of Health, WHO, local communities, non-governmental organizations, donors, and multiple government sectors. A real-time integrated case-based surveillance system ensures rapid data collection and response, while trained health workers ensure timely detection and screening of malaria cases, including at borders. These integrated efforts have paved the way for the country to be officially certified malaria-free.

    "Timor-Leste’s malaria-free certification is a defining national triumph – driven by bold leadership, tireless efforts of health workers, and the resolve of its people. As a young nation, Timor-Leste stayed focused – testing, treating, and investigating swiftly. Ending transmission and maintaining zero deaths takes more than science; it takes grit. This victory protects generations, present and future, and shows what a determined country can achieve,” said Dr Arvind Mathur, WHO Representative to Timor-Leste.
     

    Note to the editor

    WHO malaria-free certification
    The final decision on awarding a malaria-free certification is made by the WHO Director-General, based on a recommendation by the Technical Advisory Group on Malaria Elimination and Certification and validation from the Malaria Policy Advisory Group. More on WHO’s malaria-free certification process.

     

    07/21/2025   WHO News

    WHO condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah in Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there, and the destruction of its main warehouse.

    Following intensified hostilities in Deir al Balah after the latest evacuation order issued by Israeli military, the WHO staff residence was attacked three times today. Staff and their families, including children, were exposed to grave danger and traumatized after airstrikes caused a fire and significant damage. Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff member remains in detention. Thirty-two people, including women and children, were collected and evacuated to the WHO office in a high-risk mission, once access became possible. The office itself is close to the evacuation zone and active conflict.

    WHO demands continuous protection of its staff and the immediate release of the remaining detained staff member.

    The latest evacuation order has affected several WHO premises. As the United Nations’s (UN) lead health agency, WHO’s operational presence in Gaza is now compromised, crippling efforts to sustain a collapsing health system and pushing survival further out of reach for more than two million people. 

    Most of WHO’s staff housing is now inaccessible. Last night, due to intensified hostilities, 43 staff and their families were already relocated from several staff residences to the WHO office, under darkness and at significant risk.

    WHO’s main warehouse located in Deir al Balah is within the evacuation zone, and was damaged yesterday after an attack caused explosions and fire inside - part of a pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities. It was later looted by desperate crowds.

    With the main warehouse nonfunctional and the majority of medical supplies in Gaza depleted, WHO is severely constrained in adequately supporting hospitals, emergency medical teams and health partners, already critically short on medicines, fuel, and equipment. WHO urgently calls on Member States to help ensure a sustained and regular flow of medical supplies into Gaza.

    The geographical coordinates of all WHO premises, including offices, warehouses, and staff housing, are shared with the relevant parties. These facilities are the backbone of WHO’s operations in Gaza and must always be protected, regardless of evacuation or displacement orders. Any threat to these premises is a threat to the entire humanitarian health response in Gaza.  

    In line with the UN’s decision, WHO will remain in Deir al Balah, deliver and expand its operations.

    With 88% of Gaza now under evacuation orders or within Israeli-militarized zones, there is no safe place to go.

    WHO is appalled by the dangerous conditions under which humanitarians and health workers are forced to operate. As the security situation and access continue to deteriorate, red lines are repeatedly crossed, and humanitarian operations pushed into an ever-shrinking space to respond. 

    WHO calls for the immediate release of the WHO staff member detained today, and the protection of all our staff and premises. We reiterate our call for the active protection of civilians, health care and health-care premises and for rapid and unimpeded flow of aid, including food, fuel and health supplies, at scale into and across Gaza. WHO also calls for the unconditional release of hostages. 

    Life in Gaza is being relentlessly squeezed, and the chance to prevent loss of lives and reverse immense damage to the health system slips further out of reach each day. A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is overdue. 

    07/14/2025   WHO News
    WHO has validated Senegal as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Senegal becomes the ninth country in WHO’s African Region to have achieved this feat.
    07/14/2025   WHO News
    In 2024, 89% of infants globally received at least one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, and 85% completed all three doses, according to new data released today by WHO and UNICEF. Despite the progress, the latest estimates highlight a concerning trajectory.
    07/14/2025   WHO News
    The World Health Organization (WHO) released today new guidelines recommending the use of injectable lenacapavir (LEN) twice a year as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention, in a landmark policy action that could help reshape the global HIV response. The guidelines are being issued at the 13th International AIDS Society Conference (IAS 2025) on HIV Science, in Kigali, Rwanda.
    07/12/2025   WHO News

    The United Nations warns that the fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels.  

    Fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza. It powers hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks, ambulances, and every aspect of humanitarian operations. Fuel supplies are needed to move the fleet used for transporting essential goods across the Strip and to operate a network of bakeries producing fresh bread for the affected population. Without fuel, these lifelines will vanish for 2.1 million people.  

    After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity. When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation.  

    Without adequate fuel, UN agencies responding to this crisis will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely, directly impacting all essential services in Gaza. This means no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid.  

    Without adequate fuel, Gaza faces a collapse of humanitarian efforts. Hospitals are already going dark, maternity, neonatal and intensive care units are failing, and ambulances can no longer move. Roads and transport will remain blocked, trapping those in need. Telecommunications will shut down, crippling lifesaving coordination and cutting families off from critical information, and from one another.  

    Without fuel, bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate. Water production and sanitation systems will shut down, leaving families without safe drinking water, while solid waste and sewage pile up in the streets. These conditions expose families to deadly disease outbreaks and push Gaza’s most vulnerable even closer to death.  

    For the first time in 130 days, a small amount of fuel entered Gaza this week. This is a welcome development, but it is a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running. 

    The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners cannot overstate the urgency of this moment: fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to sustain life-saving operations.