Cancer on the back foot
Cancer cases are falling in the US. For some years, deaths from cancer have been declining. Now the latest report from the federal government and the American Cancer Society shows that overall cancer incidence fell by 0.8 per cent between 1999 and 2005, a first since records began (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol 100, p 1672). However, lung cancer rates are rising in women, due to smoking.
Colossal ice-breaker
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Antarctica鈥檚 Wilkins Ice Shelf 鈥� which is about the size of Scotland 鈥� is in danger of floating out into the Southern Ocean. Satellite images released last week by the European Space Agency show that a tenuous ice bridge linking the ice shelf to two islands is set to collapse.
Gorilla welfare
The UN has deemed 2009 the year of the gorilla in a bid to stop them becoming extinct within a few decades. Last week, governments and animal interest groups adopted an action plan to stop the animals being hunted for bushmeat, and to prevent their habitat being destroyed by logging.
Hot probe
India鈥檚 moon probe Chandrayaan-I is feeling some unexpected heat. On the sunlit side of the moon, it is receiving more infrared radiation than expected reflected off the lunar surface 鈥� in addition to direct sunlight. To prevent overheating, India鈥檚 space agency is using onboard instruments selectively and will wait until mid-January to turn them all on together.
Anti-competitive pharma?
Are leading European pharmaceutical companies stifling the competition? On 24 November, European Union officials raided several firms to find out. Concerns include that these firms may be creating 鈥渄ense networks鈥� of patents around a single drug 鈥� to prevent cheaper, generic versions being made 鈥� and making excessive use of patent litigation against producers of generics.