The Ebola virus is often deadly, but not always, and a study on mice Thursday suggested that genetics may play a role in the severity of the illness.

At a high-security, state-of-the-art biocontainment laboratory in Hamilton, Montana, scientists infected mice with a mouse form of the same species of the Ebola virus that is sweeping West Africa.

Marijuana shops have sprouted across Denver ever since Colorado legalized the drug for adults in January, but the popularity of pot-infused edibles has surprised authorities, and parents are seeking a ban ahead of Halloween.

Many here are content taking the traditional approach -- lighting up a joint -- to embrace the Rocky Mountain state's marijuana legalization.

After weeks of Ebola panic, false alarms and quibbles over quarantine in the United States, health authorities are bracing for a new battle: flu season.

The end of October marks the start of influenza season, bringing with it the predictable sniffles, sneezes, fever and aches that can extend well into the spring months.

A Google project to develop nanoparticles that can detect cancer cells inside the body is a useful contribution but faces important hurdles, experts said on Wednesday.

The technology could yield "another tool in our arsenal (but) in my opinion, it won't be a game-changer in terms of diagnostics," said Agnes Buzyn, president of France's National Cancer Institute (InCA).

One of the widest investigations into autism has implicated several dozen genes, boosting the search for a diagnostic tool and new treatments, scientists said on Wednesday.

Mutations in these genes emerged in two studies which compared thousands of people with autism spectrum disorder against family members with or without ASD.

Scientists using stem cells said on Wednesday they had built the world's first "mini-stomachs" -- tiny clusters of human gastric tissue that could spur research into cancer, ulcers and diabetes.

Called gastric organoids, the lab-dish tissue comprises buds of cells that are "a miniature version of the stomach", the researchers said.

The rate of new Ebola infections appears to be slowing in hard-hit Liberia, but the crisis is far from over, according to the World Health Organization.

"It appears that the trend is real in Liberia and there may indeed be a slowing of the epidemic there," WHO assistant director-general Bruce Aylward told reporters in Geneva.

A report warned Wednesday of a looming tuberculosis-diabetes epidemic as the two diseases intertwine in many countries, driven in part by a rise in unhealthy lifestyles.

Having diabetes triples a person's risk of contracting TB, which killed about 1.5 million people last year, said the report compiled by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and the World Diabetes Foundation.

The deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) remains a significant threat to Saudi Arabia, the health ministry said on Tuesday after a series of cases in the western city of Taif.

The virus, believed to be transmitted from camels to humans, has infected at least 17 people in Taif since September 5, a ministry statement said.

Drink lots of milk to strengthen your bones and boost your health, doctors say.

But a study in The BMJ medical journal Wednesday said Swedes with a high intake of cow's milk died younger -- and women suffered more fractures.