Can vaping help wean people off cigarettes? Anti-smoking advocates are sharply split Many think it's a dangerous ploy by the tobacco industry. But some say, with millions of deaths each year attributed to smoking cigarettes, it's the lesser of two evils. Gabrielle Emanuel
Are there lessons for the U.S. in this European country's struggle with measles? In 2024, Romania, an upper middle income European country, had over 30,000 cases — putting it on the world's top ten measles list. Its vaccination rate hovers around 60%. How did this happen? Michal Ruprecht
World Toilet Day is today! Um ... is that really the best name? Nov. 19 is World Toilet Day — officially declared by the United Nations to bring attention to the 3.4 billion people who live without "safely managed sanitation." Marc Silver
A 'breakthrough' drug to prevent HIV, an 'unprecedented' rollout The drug lenacapavir will be distributed to Eswatini and Zambia — the first step toward providing at least 2 million doses to the countries with the highest HIV burden, largely in Africa, by 2028. Jonathan Lambert
A stock of U.S.-bought birth control, meant for sub-Saharan Africa, goes bad in Belgium Millions of dollars worth of contraceptives have been stored in Belgium since the U.S. froze foreign aid. A local official says some products were stored improperly and are largely unusable. Rachel Treisman
If you're going to be kind to another human, today is the day to do it! November 13 is World Kindness Day. Its goal is to encourage acts of kindness. (After all, one kind day is better than none.) Here's a look at the nature and nurturing of human kindness. Kamala Thiagarajan
New malaria drug could be a life-saver as the standard drug shows signs of weakness The best drug to fight malaria is facing increased resistance from the parasites it fights. Now there's an alternative in the pipeline and it looks promising. Jonathan Lambert
Doctor in Sudan wins $1 million prize for his extraordinary courage: 'It is my duty' Dr. Jamal Eltaeb of Sudan has been awarded the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. He says, "Every day we work in the impossible conditions with barely enough to keep people alive." Arundathi Nair
Wait, what? A RAT caught and ate a BAT? And there's video! What does it portend? Scientists filmed bats to see how they communicate while swarming. They found a surprise: In urban settings, rats attack bats. What are the implications for bats ... and virus spread to humans? Bec Roldan
Why next year's flu shot might not be as good as it should be America's withdrawal from the World Health Organization is affecting the ability of U.S. scientists to track flu and other pathogens. That could be a blow to the development of the 2025 flu vaccine. Jonathan Lambert
