Sunday 15 November 2020

Covid-19: As lab execs sell shares worth millions, questions arise

Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax: executives at several American laboratories developing COVID-19 vaccines have recently pocketed millions of dollars by selling shares in their companies—raising questions about the propriety of such a move in the midst of a national health crisis.

Germany warns months more virus curbs as Mexico tops 1 mn cases

Germany warned Sunday that its anti-coronavirus measures were likely to last four or five more months, as Greece announced a new ban on gatherings and Mexico surpassed one million infections.

Egypt's Siwa fortress renovation boosts hopes for ecotourism

Tucked away in Egypt's Western Desert, the Shali fortress once protected inhabitants against the incursions of wandering tribes, but now there are hopes its renovation will attract ecotourists.

Mexico reaches 1 million virus cases, nears 100,000 deaths

Mexico on Saturday topped 1 million registered coronavirus cases and nearly 100,000 test-confirmed deaths, though officials agree the number is probably much higher.

Austria plans 'mass tests' to help exit virus lockdown

Austria is planning "mass testing" for coronavirus to help a chart a way out of the second lockdown coming into force next week, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Sunday.

BioNTech scientist: Vaccine could halve virus transmission

One of the scientists behind the experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer said Sunday that he was confident that it could halve the transmission of the virus, resulting in a "dramatic" curb of the virus' spread.

Lyft's Zimmer talks future of workplace, electric vehicles

Lyft scored a major victory when California voters passed Proposition 22, allowing app-based companies to treat drivers as contractors instead of employees and saving the company from what many anticipated would be crippling expenses.

SpaceX aims for night crew launch, Musk sidelined by virus

SpaceX aimed for a Sunday night launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station, although the prospects of good weather were just 50-50 and its leader was sidelined by COVID-19.

Cable failures endanger renowned Puerto Rico radio telescope

Giant, aging cables that support one of the world's largest single-dish radio telescopes are slowly unraveling in this U.S. territory, pushing an observatory renowned for its key role in astronomical discoveries to the brink of collapse.

Patients taking statins experience similar side effects from dummy pills

People taking dummy pills and statins experienced similar side effects in a new study.

A novel monoclonal antibody therapy cuts LDL cholesterol by half in a high-risk patient population

The investigational drug evinacumab reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol—the so-called "bad" cholesterol—by 50 percent in patients with severe hypercholesterolemia whose condition is resistant to standard treatments, a phase 2 study from the Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai and other global academic sites has found. Results from the study sponsored by Regeneron, are being presented as "late breaking science" at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020 on Sunday, November 15, and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Go (over) easy on the eggs: 'Egg-cess' consumption linked to diabetes

Scrambled, poached or boiled, eggs are a popular breakfast food the world over. Yet the health benefits of the humble egg might not be all they're cracked up to be as new research from the University of South Australia shows that excess egg consumption can increase your risk of diabetes.