Some COVID-19 variants can break through vaccine defenses, and even vaccinated people can get sick. But there’s a second line of defense, called killer T cells, and they’re keeping vaccinated people from getting seriously ill, going to the hospital or dying.

Originally published March 20, 2022 by Voice of America

Has the emirate built a herd of white elephants?

Originally published December 23, 2022, by Voice of America

Scientists are discovering a new chapter in the evolution of life on Earth. It’s like a new Galapagos Island has sprouted in the Pacific Ocean – but this one is made of plastic. Steve Baragona reports.

Originally published Sep 30, 2022, at Voice of America

Scientists in Maryland are pitting insects against insects in a battle to control an invasive species. Around the world, non-indigenous plants and animals cost an estimated $1.4 trillion in damage and control expenses, according to the United Nations. But rather than spraying pesticides that risk doing additional harm, researchers are bringing in the invasive species’ natural predators to try to restore balance. VOA’s Steve Baragona has the story.

Originally published July 16, 2014 by Voice of America

Warming temperatures from climate change mean spring comes earlier in higher latitudes. But fruit growers around the temperate world say an early spring is not always a good thing. The reason is counterintuitive. But as VOA’s Steve Baragona reports, it is another way that climate change is forcing farmers everywhere to adapt.

Originally published April 23, 2023 by Voice of America

Dramatic steps are needed to avoid potentially catastrophic levels of global warming, according to the latest report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Experts say nature provides some of the best ways to pull planet-warming carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Restoring forests is one route. In West Virginia, where strip mines once scarred the Earth, experts are working to bring back the forests that once covered vast swaths of Appalachia. VOA’s Steve Baragona has more.

Originally published November 13, 2018, by Voice of America

Two-thirds of humanity will live in cities by mid-century, according to the United Nations. Rapid, unplanned growth in many of the urban areas of the developing world has people, livestock and wildlife living in close proximity and with inadequate sanitary services. As microbes evolve in these new environments, researchers wonder what new germs might emerge that could launch the next epidemic. So a major project is underway that aims to shed light on how microbes move through the slums of Nairobi. VOA’s Steve Baragona has a look.

Originally published December 23, 2015 by Voice of America

Scientists are drilling down through a mile and a half of ice to read the world’s climate history and predict the planet’s future. Steve Baragona visited Greenland to see what you can learn from a hole in the ice.

Originally published August 18, 2017, by Voice of America

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Across the tundra, the rapid changes are affecting creatures large and small. That includes the ferocious Arctic mosquito and the caribou it torments. It’s a snapshot of how climate change is rippling through entire ecosystems around the world. VOA’s Steve Baragona reports.

Originally published August 16, 2017, by Voice of America

The Southwestern United States will face a water crisis in the coming years. The Colorado River is region’s lifeblood, but fourteen years of drought are pushing the river to its limits. Cities in the region are searching for other sources of water as insurance against a day when the river can no longer deliver. But where they are finding it, they are also finding people who say, leave our water alone. VOA’s Steve Baragona has the second in a five-part series on water in the desert Southwest.

Originally published February 3, 2015, by Voice of America

Around the world, an energy transition is underway. Concerns about climate change are helping wind and solar power move into markets once dominated by coal. But what’s good for the climate is trouble for communities where coal is the backbone of their economy. The western U.S. state of Colorado is taking pioneering steps to help cushion the blow for those left behind in the energy transition. VOA’s Steve Baragona visited the town of Craig for a look.

Originally published September 14, 2019, by Voice of America