Archive by date | May 2012

Texas cancer institute to re-review controversial grant

Ronald DePinho and Lynda Chin

The largest ever grant by one of the world’s major institutional funders of cancer research will be re-reviewed, officials overseeing the award now say, even as the grant’s high profile recipients steadfastly assert the money was fairly awarded and would be well spent.  Read more

UK astronomers lament telescope phase-outs

UK astronomers lament telescope phase-outs

British astronomers are incensed after the UK Science & Technology Facilities Council on 30 May revealed plans to phase out operations of two telescopes in Hawaii. It would cease support for the 3.8-metre United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope (UKIRT) in September 2013, while the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), a 15-metre sub-millimetre telescope, would get support until September 2014.  Read more

Dragon gets wet

Dragon gets wet

The Dragon capsule splashed down to a successful landing in the Pacific Ocean just before noon Eastern time today, completing an up-and-down journey to the International Space Station. While this was done many times with the US space shuttle — and is still being done with Russian Soyuz capsules — the success of Dragon is significant because it is the first private, commercially owned vehicle to make that trip. The capsule, built by SpaceX, was launched on one of the company’s Falcon 9 rockets on 22 May, and docked with the space station last week.  Read more

Personal-genetics company patent raises hackles

Personal-genetics company patent raises hackles

The consumer genetics testing company 23andMe announced its first patent this week, and some of its customers aren’t happy. The Mountain View, California, -based company offers a US$299 service where a customer can mail in a saliva sample for genetic analysis. Individuals can then log on to the company’s website to learn how their genetic variants relate to ancestry and disease. The company uses data from consenting customers to find genetic variants associated with disease and other traits.  Read more

Primitive space objects and protein folding take Shaw prizes

The Shaw Prize Medal

Two European and three US-based scientists have shared this year’s three Shaw prizes, each worth US$1 million. The prizes – established in 2004 by Hong Kong media mogul Run Run Shaw (who turns 105 years old this November) – are given for astronomy, life sciences and medicine, and mathematics, and recognize those whose breakthroughs have “resulted in a positive and profound impact on mankind”.  Read more

Senate watchdog questions US grant to controversial psychiatrist

Senate watchdog questions US grant to controversial psychiatrist

A senior US senator today asked the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explain its decision earlier this month to award a five-year grant worth up to $2 million to a psychiatrist who is currently under investigation by the US Department of Justice and who failed to report more than a million dollars of pharmaceutical company income in the past.  Read more