http://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Tue, 21 May 2013 09:02:45 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Humans have turned to nature for medicines since ancient times. And modern scientists have searched the world’s rainforests for new medicinal compounds. The earth’s oceans may be an even better source, though, and at least 26 drugs that come from marine organisms are currently on the market or in development. A generation of innovative chemists hopes to boost this number. Hunter College chemist Mande Holford has an unusual partner in her hunt for new medicines: a fierce marine snail that eats ... http://www.voanews.com/content/worlds_oceans_hold_great_medical_promise/1495354.html http://www.voanews.com/content/worlds_oceans_hold_great_medical_promise/1495354.html Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:28:07 -0400 Science & Technology Rebecca Widiss http://www.voanews.com/content/worlds_oceans_hold_great_medical_promise/1495354.html#relatedInfoContainer Counterfeit medications are a serious and sometimes deadly problem in developing countries. But two teams of U.S.-based scientists have developed quick tests that can identify counterfeit drugs before they can cause harm. The researchers presented the new testing methods this week at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia. Scientists hope their efforts can help prevent the thousands of deaths caused by fake medicines every year. Counterfeiting medications is a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/health-medicine-counterfeir-detect/1492330.html http://www.voanews.com/content/health-medicine-counterfeir-detect/1492330.html Tue, 21 Aug 2012 13:25:03 -0400 Health Rebecca Widiss http://www.voanews.com/content/health-medicine-counterfeir-detect/1492330.html#relatedInfoContainer WASHINGTON, D.C. – Greg Watson has promoted solar power around the world for years. “I work in green [technology] for an international development bank, [and] I’m always saying, ‘Look, the costs are down, there are all these incentives, really it makes economic sense for you,'" he says, describing how he convinces others to go solar. But this year the Washington, D.C., resident decided to take his own advice. "It’s nice to be able to see that actually happening for me, too, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/solar_cooperatives_take_advantage_of_dropping_solar_energy_prices/1474671.html http://www.voanews.com/content/solar_cooperatives_take_advantage_of_dropping_solar_energy_prices/1474671.html Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:26:51 -0400 Economy Rebecca Widiss http://www.voanews.com/content/solar_cooperatives_take_advantage_of_dropping_solar_energy_prices/1474671.html#relatedInfoContainer Computer games aren’t just for humans anymore. Orangutans, especially young ones, like playing them. And giving these gentle apes “computer time” is just one way that zoos are bringing down the walls - sometimes literally - between humans and their simian relatives.   Open-air, no walls exhibit Orangutans and humans are remarkably similar - and not just because they share 97 percent of our DNA. They often make tools. They’re one of very few species that can recognize themselves in a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/zoos-provides-visitors-orangutans-chance-to-comingle/1454875.html http://www.voanews.com/content/zoos-provides-visitors-orangutans-chance-to-comingle/1454875.html Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:01:07 -0400 Asia Rebecca Widiss VALLEY FORGE, Pennsylvania — Every day, as dusk falls over the United States, millions of street lights blink on in towns and cities across the country. These quiet moments require a vast, unseen balancing act, because electricity demand and supply must be matched every second. Perhaps no one carries more responsibility for getting this balance right than PJM Interconnection, a private company which manages the flow of electricity to 60 million customers in 13 mid-Atlantic U.S. states. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/private-company-powers-60-million-in-us/1451888.html http://www.voanews.com/content/private-company-powers-60-million-in-us/1451888.html Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:06:47 -0400 USA Rebecca Widiss http://www.voanews.com/content/private-company-powers-60-million-in-us/1451888.html#relatedInfoContainer In the battle against malaria, doctors may one day have a microscopic ally. New research suggests that genetically modifying a bacterium commonly found in the gut of mosquitoes that harbor the malaria-causing parasite can make the mosquitos less likely to carry the disease. If scientists can find a way to spread these bacteria in the wild, they could help end malaria’s deadly reign in the tropics  Malaria kills approximately one million people every year, mostly African children under ... http://www.voanews.com/content/malaria-fix-may-rely-on-engineered-bacteria/1441635.html http://www.voanews.com/content/malaria-fix-may-rely-on-engineered-bacteria/1441635.html Thu, 19 Jul 2012 18:48:36 -0400 Health Rebecca Widiss http://www.voanews.com/content/malaria-fix-may-rely-on-engineered-bacteria/1441635.html#relatedInfoContainer What’s the best seat in the house? It may be whichever one you use the least. New research suggests that cutting daily sitting time to less than three hours might extend your life by two years. Humans were designed to move. But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely prompt us to roam around. Quite the opposite, says Peter Katzmarzyk, an epidemiologist at the University of Louisiana. "Sitting is ubiquitous in our lives today. You know, we sit while we’re eating, we sit in the car, we ... http://www.voanews.com/content/sitting-life-excercise/1404011.html http://www.voanews.com/content/sitting-life-excercise/1404011.html Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:11:20 -0400 Health Rebecca Widiss For thousands of years, Africans have looked to the heavens for inspiration. These traditions are celebrated in a new exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s African Art Museum in Washington. Africans’ knowledge of the cosmos dates back further than many people realize. One of the world’s earliest celestial calendars is found at a place called Nabta Playa on the edge of the Sahara desert. A millennium before Stonehenge was constructed in England, Nabta Playa’s stone array marked the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/african-art-show-offers-celestial-twist/1352644.html http://www.voanews.com/content/african-art-show-offers-celestial-twist/1352644.html Mon, 02 Jul 2012 10:50:54 -0400 Arts & Entertainment Rebecca Widiss