Julie Steenhuysen

The rapidly-spreading virus has been declared a global health emergency in an effort to fast-track international action and research priorities.

A new project aims to inject people with genetic material in the hopes of spurring cells to make specific antibodies capable of fighting pathogens.

The US has asked <em>Nature</em> and <em>Science</em> to censor data on a lab-made version of bird flu that could spread more easily to humans.

Studies of Borneo orangutans overeating during lush seasons have given scientists a better understanding of obesity in human beings.

Prognosticators who predicted the end of the world and scientists who built a wasabi fire alarm were among the winners of the Ig Nobel prizes.

After 30 years of Aids prevention efforts, global leaders may now need to shift their focus to spending more on drugs used to treat the syndrome.

Spending 50 minutes with a cellphone plastered to your ear is enough to change brain cell activity in the part of the brain closest to the antenna.

Aggressive drug treatment to lower blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol in diabetics does little to prevent heart disease and strokes.

Working with a psychologist to reduce stress can help women whose breast cancer comes back survive longer, US researchers said on Tuesday.

Francis Collins, who helped map the human genome, did not get around to having his own genes analysed until last summer. And he was surprised.

Defects in working memory -- the brain's temporary storage bin -- may explain why one child cannot read her history book and another gets lost in algebra, new research suggests. As many as 10% of school age children may suffer from poor working memory, British researchers said in a report last week.

Countries that take the lead in directing domestic efforts against HIV and Aids seem to have the greatest success. ''We get the best results in countries where the host government assumes the leadership for the response,'' said Dr Tom Kenyon, chief deputy coordinator of the United States President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief.