New research published in British medical journal The Lancet finds that while those living in impoverished communities have shorter life expectancies than the affluent, a proximity to greenery and open spaces positively affects an individual's health and well-being, reports BBC. Read more.

A new survey from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reveals that a family's income, education, and state of residence significantly influences the health of its children, reports U.S. News & World Report, with the wealthiest and most educated families having the healthiest children. Read more.

A new Global Malaria Action Plan has been unveiled at an international summit in New York, the goal of which is to eradicate deaths from the disease by 2015 with the help of a multi-sector $3-billion funding commitment, reports The Washington Post. Read more.

As the mother of a nine-year-old treated for a rare form of bone cancer, Forbes.com senior editor Helen Jonsen questions why pediatric cancer research is increasingly underfunded in the U.S., while the disease remains the nation's leading killer of children. Read more.

The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute was inundated with inquiries from potential volunteers after announcing plans to conduct vaccine research on humans exposed to malaria in newly created Human Challenge Centers, reports the Seattle-Post Intelligencer. Read more.

Duke University junior Josh Sommer has dedicated himself to gathering support and awareness for the rare form of bone cancer he was diagnosed with freshman year -- as an active researcher and as co-founder of the Chordoma Foundation, reports ABC News. Read more.

By backing risk-taking scientists and researchers traditionally overlooked for much-needed grant money, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation is hoping to accelerate the pace at which groundbreaking cures can be identified and put to use, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Read more.

A few spare parts is all it takes to repair abandoned motorcycles scattered across Africa's deserts, writes the Times Online, and by providing these parts and recruiting states and nongovernmental agencies to maintain these bikes, Riders for Health has secured viable transportation for families desperately needing to reach medical care. Read more.

Millions of children die each year because they lack inexpensive medicine and basic medical care, reports The Tennessean, and former Senator Bill Frist is taking the lead as chair of the Save the Children global initiative to "challenge political attitudes" and fight child mortality. Read more.

One out of every 10 cancer patients was uninsured in 2003, making limited access to care the greatest hindrance to cancer prevention, reports the Union-Tribune, and to address this growing problem, the American Cancer Society has devoted its entire $15 million advertising budget to the "consequences of inadequate health coverage." Read more.

Some 700 million people in the developing world suffer from easily corrected eye problems that limit their ability to work, writes the International Herald Tribune, but thanks to the Scojo Foundation's new microfranchise program these individuals are receiving eye exams and corrective lenses that cost between $3 and $10. Read more.

Increasing federal aid for nutrition programs by $10 to $12 billion could make the greatest impact on the "cost of hunger," reports USA Today, noting that some $90 billion currently goes toward charitable donations, health care, and reduced productivity. Read more.

Recent research indicates that the brain responds to the idea of generosity by activating an area typically stimulated by thoughts of food or sex, reports The Washington Post, suggesting that "morality has biological roots." Read more.

From a small nonprofit working with few resources and little recognition to one of the world's largest nonprofits in the global health arena, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) has expanded its efforts to address the health needs of the global poor, in large part, writes the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, due to millions of dollars from the Gates Foundation. Read more.

As billions of charitable dollars are poured into biomedical research, today's "gigaphilanthropists" are filling government and industry gaps, reports Nature, and while this funding enables researchers to "take financial and scientific risks unthinkable with tax-payers' dollars," it leaves these researchers accountable to their benefactors. Read more.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has launched an open-source competition to create new ideas for consumer-friendly health care tools and services, with the hopes that these innovations will improve upon current practices. Read more.

For "less than $1 a day" the Clinton Foundation (through a negotiated deal with two drug makers) will be able to provide life-saving AIDS treatment at a 25 to 50 percent savings for low- and middle-income countries, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Read more.

Through his charity, Partners in Health, Dr. Paul Farmer is delivering quality health care to the world's poorest by accessing "first-rate drugs," engaging community health workers, and championing an "integrated system of support," writes The Seattle Times. Read more.

A gap has emerged in the "middle of the drug discovery and development spectrum," reports Chemical & Engineering News, and as for-profit companies move toward funding the later stages of pharmaceutical development, researchers are turning to venture philanthropists to fund the early stages of discovery. Read more.

Viewers of the top-rated reality TV show "American Idol" have helped raise nearly $70 million for impoverished youth in the U.S. and Africa by participating in the Idol Gives Back charity campaign. Read more.

People who suffer from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases may soon benefit from advances in nanotechnology -- a process that, according to the Chicago Tribune, "manipulates molecules" to perform such therapies as tissue regeneration and neuron repair. Read more.

All new Kansas City Chief players are encouraged to participate in charitable endeavors, says the Kansas City Star. More than 20 team members have formed their own foundations, supporting such causes as childhood leukemia and abused and neglected youth. Read more.

In "one of the largest public health initiatives ever tried by a private philanthropy," reports the Wilmington Star-News, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has pledged $500 million to drastically reverse the upward trend in childhood obesity over the next five years. Read more.

Heading up a drug trial to fight black fever in India was Dr. Victoria Hale's first accomplishment after leaving her lucrative pharmaceutical job, says NBC News, and now her nonprofit OneWorld Health is working to invent an inexpensive cure for malaria. Read more.

Some 6 million Americans suffer from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, writes the Associated Press, and a private grant awarded to a joint venture between Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may enable researchers to "determine the genetics behind severe mental illnesses." Read more.

Recognizing the power of youth as social innovators, Conscious Lifestyle and Youth Venture are selecting 10 teams of high school and university students to lead Conscious Lifestyle Youth Ventures that advocate greater social and environmental standards. Read more.

Clinical Trials Today discusses a worthy research trend -- the trend of nonprofit disease foundations funding private research, such as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation's recent pledge to provide $2 million for a clinical trial by MacroGenics. Read more.

_MTVU and the Kaiser Family Foundation have challenged college students to create a Web-based video game to raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic among American youth, with $75,000 going toward the development and marketing of the winning idea. Read more.

A nonprofit drug company? In this Q&A featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Victoria Hale discusses how her Institute of OneWorld Health is working to bring life-saving drugs to millions of people in the developing world. Read the interview.

Borrowing from fundraising tactics long used by universities, Boston hospitals are now turning to their alumni -- in this case, their patients -- for donations. Globe Staff's Liz Kowalczyk explains that, to reach wealthier patients, hospitals are hiring new development staff, as well as hosting fundraising events such as lunches with hospital directors and clinical lab tours. Such events are geared toward specific needs, like stem cell research. Mark Kostegan, Brigham and Women's chief development officer, explains, "You can ask for much larger gifts when you articulate that kind of vision." And although donors cannot be afforded special treatment at hospitals or be bumped ahead of others for appointments, development staff do take notice when these donors are in the hospital's care. That extra attention can translate to a lot of extra dollars for the hospitals. "These people have made a huge difference at the hospital and a huge difference in what we're able to do," says Dr. Thomas Lynch, hematology-oncology at the Massachusetts General Cancer Center.

Finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease in just 10 years is an ambitious goal. But that hasn't stopped the Pittsburg Foundation from supporting the Cure Alzheimer's Fund to discover "genes linked to the disease" in just a decade. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Bill Zlatos, in a growing trend for corporations to fund philanthropic endeavors, the Fund has dedicated 100 percent of all public donations "directly to research," and "the founders pay for all overhead." According to Judie Donaldson, executive director of Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania, "People talk about the fact that the business model is influencing both philanthropy and nonprofits today, and this is an example of that."

It's been 100 years since the discovery of Alzheimer's disease. But according to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund, the next 18 months may be the most important in the history of the disease. Current research to map the disease genes may reveal crucial interventions that could "stop or even reverse the effects of the disease." And the deadline to find a cure is fast approaching. Neurologist and researcher Dr. Tanzi explains, "As baby boomers move into the age of highest risk, our nation will have more people growing older and more people living longer, and a burgeoning public health crisis."

U.S. consumers are going to be seeing a lot more red. Five of the most iconic companies -- American Express, Motorola, Gap, Giorgio Armani, and Converse -- recently announced their participation in Project Red, the Bono-inspired effort to raise money for the Global Fund for HIV, AIDS, and Malaria through the promotion of specially branded consumer goods. Follow the Project Red blog to see how this idea is taking off.

Parents are often under the impression that their kids can never be involved in enough activities.  However, a new study by the American Academy of Pediatrics says that it may be beneficial to just let kids be kids.  According to MSNBC, the report says "what today's children need more of is spontaneous play, like romping around and finding their own fun activities."  To ensure healthy development, the report says unstructured, spontaneous play time is invaluable, because it nurtures creativity, problem-solving skills, and socialization -- and relieves stress for busy kids.