Tycoon boss of TikTok parent to leave post to 'read and daydream'

The boss of the Chinese company behind viral video platform TikTok said Thursday he will leave the role because he lacks managerial skills and preferred "reading and daydreaming" to running the tech giant.

EasyJet's first-half net loss widens as virus bites

British airline EasyJet revealed Thursday that first-half net losses deepened as the pandemic ravaged demand, but expressed optimism over the reopening of travel in Europe.

When do I still need to wear a mask?

When do I still need to wear a mask?

UN urges more vaccines for Africa, with only 2 percent now

The U.N. Security Council called for accelerated availability of coronavirus vaccines for Africa on Wednesday, expressing concern that the continent has received only about 2% of all doses administered globally.

Neutrons piece together 40-year puzzle behind iron-iodide's mysterious magnetism

Advanced materials with more novel properties are almost always developed by adding more elements to the list of ingredients. But quantum research suggests some simpler materials might already have advanced properties that scientists just couldn't see, until now.

COVID-19 vaccines have spawned nine new billionaires: campaign group

Profits from COVID-19 jabs have helped at least nine people become billionaires, a campaign group said Thursday, calling for an end to pharmaceutical corporations' "monopoly control" on vaccine technology.

Invasive species costing Africa $3.66 tn a year: study

Invasive species introduced by human activity are costing African agriculture some $3.66 trillion every year—around 1.5 times the combined gross domestic product of all African countries—new research showed Thursday.

Fashion's green future of seaweed coats and mushroom shoes

From making algae-sequin dresses, dyeing clothes with bacteria to planting trackable pigments in cotton, an emerging tide of technological innovations offers the fashion industry a chance to clean up its woeful environmental record.

Technique uses fluctuations in video pixels to measure energy use of developing embryos

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the study of embryonic development and how it can be impacted by external factors such as climate change.

New India cyclone warning as death toll rises

A major new storm was brewing in the Bay of Bengal off India's east coast, forecasters warned Thursday, just days after the biggest cyclone to hit the west of the country in decades left at least 110 people confirmed dead.

US cervical cancers fall but other sex-related cancers rise

Screening and the HPV vaccine have led to drops in cervical cancers over the last two decades in the U.S., a new study finds, but the gains are offset by a rise in other tumors caused by the virus.

Study: War, climate displaced tens of millions in 2020

A key group that monitors internal displacement is reporting Thursday that violence and disasters—often caused or worsened by the impact of climate change—forced people to relocate within their countries more than 40 million times last year, the highest such tally in over a decade.

Immunotherapy combination shows benefit for patients with advanced melanoma

A combination of two drugs that target different proteins on immune system T cells kept advanced melanoma in check significantly longer than one of the drugs alone in a phase 3 clinical trial involving 714 patients. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators co-led the study. Findings will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, being held virtually June 4-8, 2021, and are included in the ASCO press program.

New tool factors effects of fossil-fuel emissions on ocean research

A newly developed tool will allow scientists to better gauge how centuries of fossil fuel emissions could be skewing the data they collect from marine environments.

Metabolic inhibitor IACS-6274 shows early antitumor effects in underserved patients

The glutaminase (GLS1) inhibitor IACS-6274, discovered and developed by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's Therapeutics Discovery division, appears to be well-tolerated with successful target inhibition and early signs of anti-tumor activity in a biomarker-driven Phase I trial. Interim results of the study will be presented at the 2021 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting on June 4.

Combination therapy achieves high rates of response for patients with ALL

A combination of ponatinib and blinatumomab was found to be safe and highly effective in patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study may support a regimen to produce complete remission with front-line therapy, without the increased risks associated with systemic chemotherapy or a stem cell transplant.

Breast cancer treatments do not increase risk of COVID-19 infection or death

Cancer drugs capable of weakening the body's immune defenses are no more likely to increase the risk of COVID-19 infection or death than breast cancer therapies that do not undermine the immune system, a new study shows. Researchers say the results challenge initial concerns that such treatments, which poison cancer cells, were too dangerous to continue during the pandemic.

Walking in their shoes: Using virtual reality to elicit empathy in healthcare providers

Research has shown empathy gives healthcare workers the ability to provide appropriate supports and make fewer mistakes. This helps increase patient satisfaction and enhance patient outcomes, resulting in better overall care. In an upcoming issue of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, multidisciplinary clinicians and researchers from Dalhousie University performed an integrative review to synthesize the findings regarding virtual reality (VR) as a pedagogical tool for eliciting empathetic behavior in medical radiation technologists (MRTs).

Red meat intake, poor education linked to colorectal cancer

A new paper in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that several non-genetic factors—including greater red meat intake, lower educational attainment, and heavier alcohol use—are associated with an increase in colorectal cancer in people under 50.

Moon mission delays could increase risks from solar storms

Planned missions to return humans to the Moon need to hurry up to avoid hitting one of the busiest periods for extreme space weather, according to scientists conducting the most in-depth ever look at solar storm timing.

Recruiting participants to the first European Red list of insect taxonomists

The 'Red List of Taxonomists' initiative, funded by the European Union, launches its registration portal, where professionals and citizen scientists are called to register on. The purpose is to build a database of European taxonomy experts in the field of entomology, the biological discipline dedicated to insects. The analysis of these data will elucidate the trends in available expertise, thereby forming the basis of key recommendations for policy makers to further allocate necessary efforts and funds to support taxonomists' work and contribute to protecting European biodiversity and beyond.