Author Image: Melissa Healy

Melissa Healy

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An Orange Farm, South Africa, resident receives her jab against COVID-19 Friday Dec. 3, 2021 at the Orange Farm multipurpose center. South Africa has accelerated its vaccination campaign a week after the discovery of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Could humanity catch a break with Omicron?

In the weeks since the Omicron variant made its presence known, scientists have braced themselves for yet another nasty surprise from a virus that has killed more than 5.3 million...
<p>Brazilian soccer fans celebrate a goal by their team against Spain in the 2013 Confederations Cup final. A new study suggests that the Zika virus may have been carried into the country by team or fans from French Polynesia who traveled to Brazil for the tournament.</p>

Genetic sleuths uncover Zika’s viral secrets

The Zika outbreak that has spread to 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere can be traced to a single viral carrier who brought it to Brazil in 2013, scientists reported...
<p>Since 1966, mass shootings have occurred in the United States at a rate five times higher than in the Philippines, the country that ranked second in mass shootings, says a new study, which explores why the U.S. so outstrips other countries in such crimes.</p>

Why the U.S. is No. 1 – in mass shootings

The United States is, by a long shot, the global leader in mass shootings, claiming just 5% of the global population but an outsized share -- 31% -- of the...