Texas Boy, 7, Killed by Pit Bulls

9-year-old terminal leukemia patient 'marries' best friend

(NEWSER) - Nine-year-old Jayla Cooper dreamed of her wedding day, and even a grim medical diagnosis couldn't keep her from her wish. The 9-year-old, suffering from an aggressive form of leukemia that has left her with just weeks to live, recently "married" her 7-year-old sweetheart, a fellow leukemia patient at a Texas hospital, ABC News reports. More»

Appeals court ruling a legal boost for victims of attacks

(NEWSER) - If you've been attacked by a pit bull and want to sue, you'll have a leg up if you happen to live in Maryland. The Maryland Court of Appeals has ruled that pit bulls are an "inherently dangerous" breed, a ruling that deems Maryland owners completely accountable for their dogs' actions. The SPCA is not pleased, reports MSNBC , and asserts its belief that an animal's behavior, not breed, should be the deciding factor. It also worries that the ruling could lead to a rash of abandoned pit bulls. More»

6-year-old Texas boy survives attack in national park

(NEWSER) - A 6-year-old Texas boy survived an attack by a hungry mountain lion in Big Bend National Park. The boy was walking with his family when the animal pounced, leaving him with puncture wounds and scratches, AP reports. The mountain lion tried to attack another family, but was fended off with a backpack. The animal—described by both families as young, small, and malnourished—is being hunted with a team of dogs, and will be killed if found. Parts of the west Texas park were evacuated after the attack. More»

Four-day-old was briefly left alone in living room

(NEWSER) - A bizarre tragedy in Malaysia: A four-day-old baby girl died after being snatched from her family’s living room by a monkey. The newborn had been left alone for a few minutes and disappeared; her mother and grandmother saw blood stains on the floor and then found her outside with bite marks on her neck and face, the Telegraph reports, citing local newspapers. An official suspects the monkey was attracted to the home because a female monkey was kept there as a pet. More»

(NEWSER) - Diarrhea kills 1.6 million children under 5 every year—more than AIDS or malaria—and gets a fraction of the funding. But a deceptively simple new treatment may mark a breakthrough, Time reports. Zinc supplements appear to dramatically decrease diarrhea-related deaths—one afflicted village in Mali hasn’t had a single death since the pills arrived. Zinc “has totally taken off,” a researcher says. “It looks like real medicine and is not given out for free.” More»