Australia puts science in ‘competitiveness’ drive
The Australian government has unveiled plans to increase the commercial return on its billions in research funding, and to pump more resources into boosting industry-science links. Read more
The Australian government has unveiled plans to increase the commercial return on its billions in research funding, and to pump more resources into boosting industry-science links. Read more
America’s beekeepers lost nearly a quarter of their colonies over the last winter — a dramatic improvement on previous years but still worse than what farmers consider sustainable rates. Read more
Negotiations over a proposal to regulate hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer came up short in Bangkok this week. Read more
A Taiwanese court will rule on 4 September in a libel lawsuit filed by a petrochemical company against an environmental engineer whose studies had suggested that a plant operated by the company was causing higher cancer rates in its vicinity. Read more
Food additives boost flavor, enliven colors, and stretch the shelf lives of everyday edibles. But the experts who gauge the additives’ safety often have suspect ties to food manufacturers, according to a new study. Read more
The most visible project of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) new translational medicine centre came a little closer to reality today, with the announcement of nine awards that pair academic scientists with cast-off compounds from the pharmaceutical industry. The aim of the plainly-named Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules programme is to reemploy abandoned drugs for new uses — and in the process, show Congress that NIH’s youngest centre is delivering for the US taxpayer. Read more
The financially stressed MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston appears to have invested at least US$1.5 million in capital funds in a new ‘corporate’ office suite that will be home to Lynda Chin, the wife of MD Anderson president Ronald DePinho. The revelations come in an article in The Cancer Letter, published today. Read more
A bid by two Swiss billionaires to turn a mothballed pharma campus into the hub for a huge new biotechnology initiative has taken a major step forward today. Read more
The Obama Administration announced this week that it is committing US$200-million to create three new advanced-manufacturing innovation institutes, focusing on digital manufacturing, lightweight composites and next generation power sources. Read more
A prestigious UK medical academy has agreed to consult for venture capitalists, to inform decisions about investments in late-stage biotechnology companies. Read more
Recent comments on this blog
Experiments reveal that crabs and lobsters feel pain
US research ethics agency upholds decision on informed consent
Chemistry credit disputes under the spotlight
Chemistry credit disputes under the spotlight
Contamination created controversial ‘acid-induced’ stem cells