America.gov-Science & Technology

U.S. PEPFAR Program Helps Millions with AIDS in Africa

Jim Fisher-Thompson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:19:43 -0500

Millions of AIDS sufferers in sub-Saharan Africa are alive and well, thanks to a commitment to international health and the U.S. PEPFAR program that its administrator, Dr. Eric Goosby, says is supported enthusiastically by President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and the U.S. Congress.

Understanding Power

Daniel Gorelick — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:47:07 -0500

There are many ways to generate power. Some technology is inexpensive but pollutes the air and produces chemicals that alter Earth’s climate. Other technology is cleaner, but more expensive. America.gov explains how commercial renewable and nonrenewable power plants operate.

Breast Cancer Network Thrives in U.S.-Middle East Partnership

Louise Fenner — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:58:19 -0500

The U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research launched in 2006 has expanded to six partner countries, plus a broader network of advocates from some 18 Middle Eastern and North African countries who share ideas through the partnership’s Web site, blog and social network.

Global Partnerships Speed Climate Change Technology Development

Cheryl Pellerin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:22:09 -0500

Rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are having an impact on more than just the climate system. The critical need to mitigate this growing problem is beginning to change the way nations share technology-development information, costs and efforts.

International Collaboration Key to Mitigating Climate Change

Cheryl Pellerin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:57:02 -0500

Human activities, especially those that burn fossil fuels and emit planet-warming carbon dioxide, are changing the climate system. Mitigating these changes and their potentially disastrous effects is stimulating a new kind of technology cooperation among governments, industries and institutions.

H1N1 Flu Activity Rising in Several Northern Hemisphere Countries

Cheryl Pellerin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:41:42 -0500

Pandemic H1N1 influenza virus has become the dominant flu virus in all countries and territories where people are affected, according to the World Health Organization, and the illness that H1N1 produces has specific features that differentiate it from seasonal flu.

U.S.-Sponsored Program Aims to Fight Emerging Pandemic Threats

Bridget Hunter — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:27:26 -0500

The U.S. Agency for International Development releases details of a new international effort to monitor diseases that move between animals and people. The goal of this multimillion-dollar private-public partnership is to prevent the next global pandemic using an innovative five-pronged approach.

U.N. Says Preparing for Disasters Can Save Lives

Lisa Schlein — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:28:47 -0500

The United Nations says better preparedness and early-warning systems can save lives and property when natural disasters strike. To mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction, the United Nations urges countries to take the actions needed to lessen the impacts of hazards.

Three American Researchers Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine

Merle David Kellerhals Jr. — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:23:19 -0500

Three American medical researchers — Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak — are the winners of the 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine for their research into how cells operate. Their work has affected cancer treatment and understanding of the aging process.

Successful HIV Vaccine Study Will Lead to Further Research

Merle David Kellerhals Jr. — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:53:34 -0500

Medical researchers in Thailand have developed an approach to prevent HIV the same way it has been treated, by using a combination vaccine. Health officials announce they used two previously unsuccessful HIV vaccines in combination to prevent people from getting HIV, which causes AIDS.

Representatives of 17 Major Economies Tackle Climate Issues

Cheryl Pellerin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:41:35 -0500

Representatives from 17 countries meet at the Major Economies Forum in Washington September 17–18 to tackle a range of unresolved issues on climate change. Months before leaders of 192 countries converge in Copenhagen, attendees at the forum sought early consensus on critical global challenges.

World Leaders Gather in New York to Mull Climate Change Response

Cheryl Pellerin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:40:29 -0500

More than 100 world leaders gather at U.N. Headquarters in New York on September 22 for a day of discussions that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hopes will accelerate the pace of negotiations in advance of the December 7–18 climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Adaptation to Climate Change Focus of Meeting in Geneva

Cheryl Pellerin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:39:10 -0500

For the first time since scientists determined unequivocally that the planet is warming, experts who collect and analyze climate data and those who manage the world’s land and water resources will meet to decide how to help each other adapt to a changing climate.

Forecasting Advances Help Nations Adapt to Climate Variability

Cheryl Pellerin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:45:35 -0500

As the 2009–2010 El Niño warms the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific, weakens trade winds and modifies rainfall patterns, some vulnerable regions are doing something that only recently has become possible. They’re preparing for it, thanks to advances in forecasting.

Understanding Ozone

Daniel A. Gorelick — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:45:16 -0500

Once an imminent, global environmental crisis, the depletion of atmospheric ozone by human-made chemicals has halted over most of the globe and may be reversed by the end of the 21st century, thanks to the cooperative efforts of 191 countries to address the problem.

U.S. Electric System Begins Long Transformation to a Smart Grid

Cheryl Pellerin — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:46:46 -0500

Following the lead of some European and Pacific Rim nations, U.S. government technical and regulatory agencies, electric utilities, energy service providers and private companies are working to turn the nation’s century-old electric power grid into a 21st-century “smart grid.”

“Planetary Skin” Tool Aims to Improve Response to Climate Change

Cheryl Pellerin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:59:57 -0500

Every day, millions of sensors collect data about the planet’s systems of land, air, water and life. A new tool called Planetary Skin is being developed to integrate and interpret this information to address the complexities of climate change and help nations and communities meet its challenges.

Breast Cancer a Health Risk for Women Worldwide

Lea Terhune — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:54:31 -0500

U.S. first lady Laura Bush, during a five-day tour of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, encourages women to undergo early screening for breast cancer and announces U.S.-Middle East collaborations on testing and treatment programs.