🇺🇸▼
About 40% of new cancer cases around the world could be stopped. This new finding comes from a study that looked at data from 2022. The research found specific things that cause the disease. The number one cause is smoking tobacco. After smoking, infections and drinking alcohol were the next biggest causes.
Hanna Fink is a cancer expert and helped write the study. She says that reducing these known causes is a very strong way to help. If people make these changes, society can lower the future burden of cancer. The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine.
A new study warns that cutting global aid money could be very dangerous. The results show that such cuts could cause 9.4 million extra deaths in the next four years. About 2.5 million of these deaths would be children under five. These numbers are compared to a plan where funding stayed the same as in 2023.
The United States Agency for International Development, known as USAID, was removed by the administration of President Donald Trump. This action was made worse by funding cuts from other big donors. These donors include the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada. The study models what happens when financial support is reduced.
Lee Crawfurd is a researcher who looked at the study. He suggests taking the exact numbers with some care. However, he believes the main conclusion is likely correct. He states that many people will die if funding is reduced. The full report was published in the journal The Lancet Global Health.
The US National Institutes of Health has changed its rules. The agency will remove heavy red tape from certain research. These strict rules were made for clinical trials. However, they are often not good for other fields. This includes basic psychology and behavioral studies.
Many researchers are happy about this change. They found the old rules to be too complex and distracting. But, some experts question if the original goals can still be met. Those goals were to increase transparency in research with human participants. They were also meant to prevent negative results from staying unpublished. The debate continues on how to balance oversight with scientific freedom.
Scientists now have a new digital tool called Aletheia-Probe. The name comes from the Greek word for truth. This software checks if academic journals and conferences are real. It helps researchers avoid scams and poor-quality papers.
The software gets data from about a dozen databases. These databases list good publications and questionable ones. Andreas Florath is a computer architect who created the tool. He built it for himself while reviewing hundreds of papers. He describes the idea as similar to using a virus scanner for your computer. Users can download Aletheia-Probe from a place called GitHub. They can run the program using a command-line interface.
Recent advances have created a big change in quantum computing. Nathalie de Leon is a physicist who sees this shift. She says there has been a "vibe shift" in how the technology is viewed. In the past two years, researchers found ways to reduce errors in quantum devices. At the same time, theorists have learned how to use these machines more efficiently.
These improvements have created hope among scientists. They believe that quantum computers with real-world uses may be just years away. Before, experts thought this technology was still decades away. Dorit Aharonov, a computer scientist, states, "We've entered a new era." This optimism suggests a fast acceleration in practical developments.
When Essex University opened a campus in Southend, it was a beacon of hope. This was a struggling coastal town in the United Kingdom. This happened when the government wanted more people to attend university. Now, however, the campus is closing. This closure is a clear example of the money problems facing the country's universities.
The consequences are spreading quickly. Some students will not get their degrees. Local businesses and workers are feeling the impact. This includes cleaners, catering staff, and others who worked at the campus. The ripple effects threaten the economic stability of the entire town.
As the Winter Olympics approach, ice skating looks natural. Early forms of skating, however, were quite different. Early bone skates did not work well on rough ice. They were also too slippery to help users move forward well.
Even when users had sticks, it was hard to stop or turn. Bev Thurber, a skate scholar, explains that these early versions were likely toys. The breakthrough came with metal blades. These blades allowed skaters to do things the old skates could not. For the past century, the design has changed very little. There are hinged "clap skates" used for speed skating.
The qualities needed for astronauts are changing. Space agencies are planning longer missions. Nina Purvis is a surgeon who highlights this fact. She spent a whole winter at an isolated Antarctic base. She was there with just 12 other people. This experience was part of a research program for the European Space Agency.
Dr. Purvis notes that the focus is shifting. It is no longer just about physical strength or technical skill. The ability to be a pleasant person to work with is now number one. This social skill is vital for survival in long missions in isolated places.