Connie Goldsmith

Discusses the world's first nuclear disaster when nuclear bomb testing sent a toxic cloud of radiation over Rongelap Atoll and other nearby inhabited islands causing burns, cancers, birth defects, and other medical tragedies.

In North America, mosquito bites are usually only a nuisance. But in areas such as Africa and Southeast Asia, the bite can be deadly. There, many mosquitoes transmit a disease called malaria-and malaria can be a killer. In Africa, one child dies from malaria every thirty seconds. Worldwide, more than one million people die from malaria each year. What can be done to stop this global killer? This book examines how public health organizations work to...

While many scientists believed influenza would cause the next great pandemic, no one was, prepared for the new strain of coronavirus that appeared in 2019. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has infiltrated every country and put global public health and the economy at risk. Health-care systems have been, pushed to the limit, as protective gear, life-saving equipment, tests, and vaccines are scarce and in high demand. From the initial infection...

An estimated 245,225 people in the United States are currently living with leukemia or are in remission. More than forty-three thousand Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year. But leukemia is no longer the almost-certain death sentence that it once was. Advanced treatment options have increased survival rates and even brought about complete cures in some cases. As USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, reports, "About 20,000 bone marrow...

Drug overdosing and death from prescription painkillers and heroin are at epidemic levels in the United States. How do people become addicted to opioids and other dangerous drugs, and why? Meet the experts who study the neurology of addiction. Hear stories of addicts in recovery, and of loved ones left behind by those who died from overdosing. Discover more about the social and economic costs of overdosing and learn about scientific research to decrease...

In the twenty-first century, military marine mammals detect lost equipment and underwater mines. Large rats are trained to find land mines in more than 80 countries. Military working dogs search for explosive devices and other weapons and are trained to take down enemy combatants. In earlier centuries, military fighters rode horses into battle, relied on elephants to haul supplies, and trained pigeons to carry messages. Even cats, goats, and chickens...

With the 2009 outbreak of the deadly H1N1 flu, popularly known as "swine flu," people across the globe crowded emergency rooms and clinics for treatment. During outbreaks, schools shut down and parents stayed home from work as the flu spread across the United States. But the best prevention method touted over and over again was profoundly simple: "Hand washing is a cheap, easy and effective way to avoid catching...the flu" reports USA TODAY, the Nation's...

Two soccer players collide on the field. A soldier in Afghanistan is thrown to the ground during a bomb explosion. A teen has an accident while riding her bike-and she isn't wearing her helmet. Each of these incidents can produce a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Of the 1.7 million Americans officially diagnosed with TBI each year, 52,000 die from their injuries. And that doesn't count all the unreported TBI's, which experts estimate range from about...