Claudine Gay to be Harvard’s 1st Black president
Gay will be the only Black president currently in the Ivy League and the second Black woman ever, following Ruth Simmons, who led Brown University from 2001 to 2012.
Science & academia
New blood cancer therapy successful in three-quarters of trial patients
The Phase 1/2 trial data from Janssen Research & Development covered hundreds of myeloma patients. Based on preliminary trial data, the FDA has granted it “Breakthrough Therapy” designation.
American fusion scientists claim net energy gain, in potentially huge renewables breakthrough
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory claim to have generated more energy out of a fusion reaction that they put in — a first in the field and a huge victory for clean energy.
Experimental Naloxone vending machine in Cincinnati has reversed nearly 1,000 overdoses in two years
The machine dispensed more than 3,000 doses of naloxone and 10,000 drug test strips in the first year after it was installed in February 2021.
Vaccine prolongs life of patients with aggressive brain cancer in new trial
The world’s first vaccine to treat deadly cancerous brain tumors can potentially give patients years of extra life, a global clinical trial from Maryland’s Northwest Biotherapeutics has concluded.
World’s first test run of a hydrogen jet engine proves a success
Rolls-Royce and European airline easyJet announced that they’ve successfully tested a hydrogen jet engine — technology the companies hope might eventually help erase aviation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Monash University develops world’s first bionic eye to fully restore vision in blind people
Researchers have seen successful results in sheep with minimal side effects. They are now preparing for its first-ever human clinical trial to be conducted in Melbourne.
Experimental vaccine stops deadly drug from entering the brain
In tests performed on rats at the University of Houston, the vaccine was shown to be effective at keeping one of the deadliest street drugs from reaching the brain, while not producing any significant side effects.
Cases of blindness and visual impairment in India have declined by roughly 50% since 2010
According to a recent study for estimating the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in the Indian population, more than one fourth of people in India aged 50 years and above are visually impaired.
First human patients receive transfusions of lab-grown blood cells
Demand for blood donations currently far outstrips supply and matching blood types is an extra hassle that often results in patients missing out even as donated blood goes to waste.