No deal Brexit could have detrimental impact for people in UK living with a rare disease

Experts have warned that a 'no deal' Brexit will result in the exclusion of the UK from the 24 European Reference Networks (ERNs) that were established to improve the care of patients bearing the lifelong burden of a rare disease, which require highly specialised diagnosis and treatment.

Rectal cancer patients who 'watch and wait' may only need few years of stringent follow-up

An international team of scientists, including doctors from the Champalimaud Clinical Centre, in Lisbon, has just published results in the prestigious journal The Lancet Oncology that suggest that the majority of rectal cancer patients may be able, in the not so distant future, to replace aggressive colorectal surgery with a course of radiochemotherapy and few years of close surveillance. All this with a very low probability of seeing their tumor regrow locally or leading to the development of distant metastases later on if they survived the first years after treatment without signs of reappearance of the tumor.

Scientists call for robust goal for species in Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

Scientists urge that a clear, unambiguous goal for preventing human-induced species extinctions and stabilising populations must be front and centre in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework—currently formulated draft iterations carry a serious risk of failure.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-scientists-robust-goal-species-post-.html

They got the placebo—should they be next in line for vaccine?

With America poised to become the next country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, authorities find themselves facing an ethical dilemma: when to give trial participants who received a placebo the real deal.

Sanofi, GSK Covid vaccine delayed until end of 2021

France's Sanofi and Britain's GSK said Friday their COVID-19 vaccines will not be ready until the end of 2021, after interim results showed a low immune response in older adults.

Amazon community files lawsuit against Chinese firm over gas flaring

Indigenous Waorani from Ecuador's Amazon filed a lawsuit Thursday against state-owned Chinese oil company PetroOriental, accusing it of contaminating their ancestral lands by burning off natural gas from oil wells in a process known as flaring.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-12-amazon-lawsuit-chinese-firm-gas.html

Amazon community files lawsuit against Chinese firm over gas flaring

Indigenous Waorani from Ecuador's Amazon filed a lawsuit Thursday against state-owned Chinese oil company PetroOriental, accusing it of contaminating their ancestral lands by burning off natural gas from oil wells in a process known as flaring.

Egypt receives 1st shipment of Chinese vaccine tested in UAE

Egypt on Thursday received its first shipment of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, which was tested in the United Arab Emirates and is said to be 86% effective.

Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals occur in 27-million-year cycle

Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals—including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds—follow a cycle of about 27 million years, coinciding with previously reported mass extinctions of ocean life, according to a new analysis published in the journal Historical Biology.

EU leaders struggle to break deadlock on climate deal

European Union leaders were still looking Friday for an agreement to cut the bloc's net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels following a night of intense discussions.

US panel endorses widespread use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

A U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans.

Window opens for Virgin Galactic test flight from spaceport

The window opens Friday for Virgin Galactic's first rocket-powered test flight from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico as the company prepares for commercial flights next year.

Disney unveils plans to stream a galaxy of new series, films

The Walt Disney Co.'s streaming plans shifted into hyper speed Thursday, as the studio unveiled a galaxy's worth of new streaming offerings including plans for 10 "Star Wars" series spinoffs and 10 Marvel series that will debut on Disney+.