Pharma companies had a bleak day today, with three of the industry’s biggest players reporting falling sales as their biggest selling products continue to fall off the ‘patent cliff’. There are signs though, that the slide may be bottoming out for some. Read more
Algae-based biofuel has long been one of the dark horses in the race for sustainable transportation fuels, and the US National Research Council suggests that it may remain in the shadows for a time. Read more
Egg freezing is no longer an experimental procedure, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), which on 22 October issued new guidelines on the controversial practice. The change in policy is expected to accelerate the growth of clinics that offer egg freezing to women who face fertility-damaging treatment for cancer or other conditions, and to women wishing to delay having a baby — although the society stopped short of endorsing the procedure for that purpose. Read more
European Nobel and Fields Medal prize winners have launched a continent-wide campaign to protect European Union research funding from austerity. Read more
The Solar System may have formed with an extra planet that ultimately got the boot. The sacrificed planet, the size of Uranus or Neptune, could have served to stabilize the rest of the Solar System, including Earth and the other terrestrial planets. Read more
In ruling on a workplace compensation case, Italy’s highest civil court has stated that mobile phones can cause brain tumors. The ruling is being criticized by medical experts in Italy and abroad, who note that no scientific study has yet proven a clear causal link between the use of mobile phones and health risks. In a 12 October decision that was made public this week, the Labour Law section of Italy’s High Court has ruled in favour of Innocente Marcolini, a former commerce manager in Brescia. Marcolini had developed a tumor of the trigeminal ganglion, near his left ear, and claimed it was a consequence of speaking on a mobile phone up to six hours a day for twelve years because his job demanded it. Read more
Ruth Francis, Nature’s head of press is reading the shortlist of the Royal Society Winton prize for science books at a rate of one a week. She’s done it before. Will she succeed this year? The winner of the prize will be announced on 26 November. Read more
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The report produced by the investigators does not say so explicitly, probably out of fear of prejudicing future criminal/civil inquiries,… ... Read more
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