X-ray observatory confirmed as ESA’s next big mission
The European Space Agency has confirmed that its next Large (L-class) mission will be an X-ray telescope investigating the “hot and energetic Universe”. Read more
The European Space Agency has confirmed that its next Large (L-class) mission will be an X-ray telescope investigating the “hot and energetic Universe”. Read more
If ever there were a case study in the messy uncertainties of drug development, the diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitazone) would be a prime candidate. On 25 November, US regulators removed safety restrictions that had been pasted on the drug in 2010 following concerns about heart risks. After years of debate and deliberation, Avandia can be marketed and prescribed freely again, even though, by now, sales of the drug have plummeted as people with diabetes turn to other options. Read more
Leaked documents suggest that the UK research budget may be cut by 2%, or around £200 million, over two years. Read more
After two weeks of frustration and controversy, negotiators departed the United Nations climate talks in Warsaw Saturday with a landmark agreement on forests and a rough roadmap to the next headline summit in Paris two years hence. Read more
The legal odyssey of Taiwanese environmental engineer Ben-Jei Tsuang has come to an end, as the petrochemical company that had accused him of libel did not appeal an earlier ‘not guilty’ verdict by the legally-required deadline of 20 November. The company had claimed that Tsuang’s release of data linking a petrochemical plant to increased cancer rates amounted to libel. Read more
A Russian rocket at 12.06 GMT today has successfully launched into orbit a trio of European satellites – Swarm – designed to survey the planet’s magnetic field. Read more
The US National Science Board has approved funding for the next five years for the JOIDES Resolution, the research vessel that is a cornerstone of international scientific ocean drilling. Read more
The US Senate voted today to forbid a tactic that has delayed or blocked consideration of many of President Barack Obama’s nominees, including several at key science agencies. Read more
Scientific instruments that cost millions of pounds are standing idle in the UK because of a lack of money to run them, a new parliamentary report has revealed. There is a “damaging disconnect” between funding to build new facilities and the funding to actually run them, it concluded. This includes spending nearly £40 million on high performance computers, without budgeting for the electricity they use. Read more
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its first approval of a next-generation sequencing platform to be used for clinical diagnosis, the agency announced on 19 November. Read more
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