A pallid version of a peace agreement is supposed to go into effect in Syria February 27. We wait with bated breath to see if the aid convoys can deliver relief to thousands of starving Syrians who have been awaiting food for months.

In principle, it should be a time for a degree of optimism, if not rejoicing. But, as we know, few of the parties to...

The mosquito-borne Zika virus has been declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” by the World Health Organization.

The virus not only appears to severely harm unborn children but is also hurting the economies of many Latin American and Caribbean countries. The World Bank estimates Zika will cost the world US$3.5...

While researchers work to develop a Zika virus vaccine to combat the outbreak spreading through South America, efforts to control the spread of the virus are focusing on the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

This particular mosquito is especially good at transmitting disease from one human to another. Besides Zika, this mosquito is also a vector for dengue,...

The United States is facing a shortage of prescription drugs, ranging from antibiotics to cancer treatments. These shortages are putting the medical profession in the frequent position of deciding who will get the drugs that are in short supply and, more importantly, who will not.

Physicians and hospitals always have had to make rationing decisions...

The climate talks that convened in Paris at the end of 2015 produced a historic agreement, giving negotiators and climate activists good reason to celebrate. Now the task is to ensure that the ambition shown in Paris is matched by...

Asking whether there are sex differences in the human brain is a bit like asking whether coffee is good for you – scientists can’t seem to make up their minds about the answer. In 2013, for example, news stories proclaimed differences in the brain...

Nevada is a key swing state. Latinos comprise 17 percent of its eligible voters.

Since Nevada is one of the few battleground states with a high percentage of Latino voters, the results of Tuesday’s Republican caucus will give us the first good indication of the appeal of the GOP field to this important and growing demographic.

As a political...

The late Justice Antonin Scalia believed that the federal Constitution allows states to ban abortion, to prohibit consensual sex between two adults in the privacy of their home as well as same-sex marriage, to keep a prestigious state-funded...

The world’s biggest technology companies are handing over the keys to their success, making their artificial intelligence systems open-source.

Traditionally, computer users could see the end product of what a piece of software did by, for instance,...

The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan illustrates two urgent and related challenges that are stressing many American cities. First, critical infrastructure systems such as roads, bridges and water networks are aging and...