Latest news with #BillNelson
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Means — A Doctor Breaks It Down With Katie
When I saw my phone blowing up on Sunday afternoon with word that former President Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones, I immediately reached out to my friend Bill Nelson, MD, PhD, DSc, the chair of Stand Up To Cancer's Scientific Advisory Council and an expert on prostate cancer. He's the director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, where he's also a professor of urology, medicine, pathology, and radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences. In other words, Bill knows what he's talking about. We agreed there's much we don't know about the situation, but here are his initial insights about the former president's diagnosis and prognosis. Dr. Nelson: I feel for anyone who hears the three terrible words 'you have cancer.' Their world, and all of their plans, are turned upside down as they worry instead about what may be in store for them, wondering how the cancer can be treated, how well treatment might work, and what side effects they might confront. The reports do suggest that he has metastatic prostate cancer, which is a life-threatening condition capable of causing significant bone pain. His doctors may make use of several treatment approaches, particularly lowering the male hormone testosterone and interfering with its propensity to fuel cancer growth and progression, and radiation therapy aimed at sites of disease. Several other treatments can also be used if necessary. Screening for prostate cancer using blood tests for prostate-specific antigen can save lives, allowing prostate cancer to be diagnosed at an early stage when surgery or radiation therapy are most effective. Most recommendations are that PSA screening be considered only after consultation with a physician about risks and benefits, and if elected, start at age 50 years (or earlier for Black men or men with a family history of prostate cancer). When to stop screening can be a vexing question. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends against routine screening of men after age 70 years, but many men and their doctors continue to pursue PSA screening through the 70s and beyond, taking into consideration other health problems, life expectancy, etc. Finally, even despite a routine screening regimen, particularly aggressive cancers can arise in between planned screening tests. The Gleason score is assigned by a pathologist who diagnoses prostate cancer by examining prostate biopsy specimens under a microscope. The score (named for a pathologist named Donald Gleason, who worked at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center in the 1960s) ranges from 6 to 10 and reflects the pattern of growth seen by the pathologist, with higher scores indicative of more aggressive cancer behavior. The side effects associated with antagonizing the actions of the male hormone testosterone include hot flashes, loss of libido, fatigue, diminished muscle mass and strength, osteoporosis, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The major side effects associated with prostate radiation therapy are a result of damage to nerves that run along the prostate and are responsible for erections, and of damage to the rectum. Prostate surgery, when appropriate, also risks damage to nerves needed for erections, along with risks of urinary incontinence. From what has been reported, President Biden's prostate cancer can definitely be treated, with the promise of keeping his prostate cancer under control for many months, or hopefully even longer. Autopsy studies conducted on men dying from other causes suggest that more than half of men harbor cancers in their prostates by the time they get into their 80s. These days, 1 in 8 men receive a diagnosis at some point in their lives, while about 1 in 44 die of the disease. One of my old mentors, the late Donald Coffey, used to argue that the key screening and diagnosis challenge is to find the aggressively behaving disease, which he called the 'tigers,' early enough to allow treatment for cure, while leaving what he called the 'pussycats' alone. This has been slowly improving: Prostate MRI is now more frequently used to ensure that prostate biopsies are aimed at the more aggressive lesions in the prostate so that they aren't missed. The post What Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Means — A Doctor Breaks It Down With Katie appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Donald Trump's NASA budget: Why it may make it difficult to track asteroids approaching Earth
The discussion around the possibility of an asteroid hitting the Earth mostly remains a topic of speculation among scientists and enthusiasts. Keeping the recent speculation about YR4 and other asteroids making rounds near the Earth, NASA has been developing new equipment to detect and track potentially hazardous asteroids. However, recent budget proposals by the Trump administration might threaten to derail this important planetary defense initiative. What budget cuts has Trump proposed for NASA? According to reports by Time and ArcsTechnia, President Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal includes a 24% reduction in NASA's overall funding, dropping it from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion, which is also the lowest since 2015. More concerning is the nearly 50% cut to the Science Mission Directorate, reducing its budget from $7.5 billion to $3.9 billion. This drastic reduction hampers and fiddles with numerous scientific programs, including planetary defense efforts like the NEO Surveyor mission . How does this impact the planetary defense system? The NEO Surveyor mission is NASA's next step in planetary defense, aiming to detect and characterise near-Earth objects (NEOs) that could be a possible threat to our planet. By operating in infrared wavelengths, it can identify asteroids that are invisible to optical telescopes. Delays or cancellations of this mission would leave Earth vulnerable to potential impacts from undetected asteroids. The budget has been partially restored In response to the proposed budget cuts, the House Appropriations Committee has partially restored funding for the NEO Surveyor mission, allocating $94.9 million. While this is a step in the right direction, it falls short of the $170 million, which NASA had requested to maintain the mission's timeline. The committee has urged NASA to provide a revised launch schedule that ensures the mission proceeds without further delays, as reported by Space News. The proposed budget cuts impact beyond planetary defense systems. Various other programs, such as the Mars Sample Return mission, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and the Space Launch System, are also on the edge. The Politico reported that former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson criticised the proposed budget cuts, likening them to attacking the agency with "a chainsaw and a meat-ax." He warned that such drastic reductions would severely harm NASA's core scientific research and technological development, potentially plunging the agency "into a dark age."
The Sun
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
China and Russia make deal to build power station on the MOON by 2036 as part of vast Disneyland sized lunar space-base
RUSSIA has inked a deal with China to build a nuclear power station on the moon, as part of their shared lunar space-base. The Russian reactor will be used to power the sprawling International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which is being jointly led by China and Russia, according to a new agreement signed by the two nations. 1 The space -base is expected to be completed by 2036. It comes as the US's own plans for a rival lunar base face uncertainty. A 2026 budget proposal recently put forward by the Trump administration would see Nasa axe plans for an orbital lunar base. Nasa's original plans were to establish an orbital lunar base, the Lunar Gateway, before deploying surface-based lunar habitation. The construction of a Chinese-Russian reactor will likely be carried out autonomously "without the presence of humans," Yury Borisov, chief of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said in an interview last year. Borisov added that the technological steps are "almost ready", although details of how this will be achieved remain unclear. Experts have long proposed using a fleet of autonomous robots, controlled by humans on Earth, to build the early stages of off-planet habitation. "The station will conduct fundamental space research and test technology for long-term uncrewed operations of the ILRS, with the prospect of a human being's presence on the Moon," Roscosmos wrote in an announcement following the signing of the memorandum. Former Nasa boss Bill Nelson was outspoken about his fears for a sole Chinese presence on the Moon - which are unlikely to soften with Russia's added involvement. US and China set to ship humans to long-term Moon bases 'in 10 years' says scientist in stark warning over colony 'risk' China's military presence in the South China Sea signals how the country might behave on the lunar surface, Nelson claimed, which would breach the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. "We better watch out that they don't get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research," Nelson told Politico in a 2023 interview. "And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'' China has agreed to share the ILRS with 17 countries, including Egypt, Venezuela, South Africa, Pakistan, Thailand and Azerbaijan. Beijing has been firm that its intentions for ILRS are to collect samples and carry out ' scientific exploration", despite Nasa's suspicions. ILRS will be a permanent, manned lunar base on the Moon's south pole. Slated to be bigger than Disneyland, with a radius of 3.7miles, it is intended to host a command centre, a communication hub, and scientific facilities, alongside a power station. The groundwork will be laid by China's 2028 Chang'e-8 mission, which will be the country's first time landing an astronaut on the Moon. That will be followed by five super heavy-lift rocket launches between 2030 and 2035 which will carry the necessary materials to the lunar surface. Additional launches are planned to extend the base further, eventually connecting to a Chinese lunar space station and and two nodes on the far side of the Moon, according to Wu Yanhua, the chief designer of China's deep exploration project, cited by state media outlet Xinhua last year. Why the lunar south pole? The lunar south pole has been a site of interest to all space-faring nations, including the US, China, Russia, and India. Last year, India made history by becoming the first country to land near the southern site. Just days before, Russia also made an attempt at a south pole touchdown, which ended in a crash landing. Nasa's Artemis III mission is intended to explore a region near the lunar south pole. The south pole is, scientists believe, the most promising location for water-based ice, which will be key to future human habitation on the Moon. The abundance of precious lunar materials, such as Helium-3, is also thought to be a big draw. The south polar region is one of the Moon's most resource-dense areas. So-called 'cold traps' dotted on lunar surface are believed to contain gases like Helium-3 which can help produce huge amounts of energy here on Earth.
NBC News
25-04-2025
- Science
- NBC News
China to lend moon rocks to NASA-funded U.S. universities
SHANGHAI — China 's national space agency said Thursday that it would let scientists from the U.S. and allied countries analyze rocks it retrieved from the moon, Beijing's latest move to increase the international influence of its lunar exploration program. The announcement highlights how U.S.-China cooperation in some areas like space has not completely ended, despite tensions between the two countries over geopolitics and tariffs. Two U.S. universities that receive NASA funding, Brown University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, are among the seven institutions that have been allowed to borrow lunar samples China retrieved from the moon in 2020. The remaining authorized institutions are from Japan, France, Germany, Britain and Pakistan. With its uncrewed Chang'e-5 mission in 2020 China became only the third country to collect rocks from the lunar surface, joining the Soviet Union and the United States, which last went to the moon and retrieved samples in 1972. China's subsequent uncrewed Chang'e-6 mission, completed in June last year, made it the first country to bring back rocks from the side of the moon facing away from Earth. U.S.-China cooperation on space has long been deterred by a 2011 U.S. law that seeks to ensure American technologies stay out of the hands of China's military. Under the law, NASA must work with the FBI to certify to Congress that any such talks with China would not threaten U.S. national security. NASA head Bill Nelson told Reuters in October that NASA and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) were discussing the terms of Beijing's loan agreement for the Chang'e-5 moon rocks after he assured American lawmakers that the talks would not pose national security concerns. Four U.S. universities had applied for access to the Chang'e-5 samples, Nelson said then, adding that he thought the talks would end with China agreeing to provide access to samples. However, he said he expected NASA to have to work with the FBI for another national security certification to enable any moon rock deliveries to U.S. universities for research. Beijing hopes to use its space prowess to forge closer political ties with close partners and U.S. allies alike. 'It seems the United States is quite closed off now despite being open in the past, while we were closed off in the past and are now open; this is because of the increase in our nation's overall strength and consequent rise in self-confidence,' Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, told Reuters in an interview Wednesday, adding that growing U.S. 'isolationism' would not help its space ambitions. A CNSA official said Wednesday that the Chang'e-4 and 6 missions had four international payloads, while the Chang'e-7 mission next year will have six international payloads and 'cooperation with 10 countries' is being discussed for the subsequent Chang'e-8 mission. China hopes Chang'e-7 and 8 can help provide the information it needs to decide where and how to build a permanent manned lunar base by 2035.
India Today
25-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
China to lend moon rocks to Nasa-funded US universities
China's national space agency announced on Thursday it would let scientists from the U.S. and allied countries analyse rocks it retrieved from the moon, Beijing's latest move to increase the international influence of its lunar exploration announcement highlights how U.S.-China cooperation in some areas like space has not completely ended, despite tensions between the two countries over geopolitics and U.S. universities that receive Nasa funding, Brown University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, are among the seven institutions that have been allowed to borrow lunar samples China retrieved from the moon in 2020. The remaining authorised institutions are from Japan, France, Germany, Britain, and its uncrewed Chang'e-5 mission in 2020 China became only the third country to collect rocks from the lunar surface, joining the Soviet Union and the United States, which last went to the moon and retrieved samples in subsequent uncrewed Chang'e-6 mission, completed in June last year, made it the first country to bring back rocks from the side of the moon facing away from Earth.U.S.-China cooperation on space has long been deterred by a 2011 U.S. law that seeks to ensure American technologies stay out of the hands of China's military. Under the law, Nasa must work with the FBI to certify to Congress that any such talks with China would not threaten U.S. national head Bill Nelson told Reuters in October that Nasa and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) were discussing the terms of Beijing's loan agreement for the Chang'e-5 moon rocks after he assured American lawmakers that the talks would not pose national security U.S. universities had applied for access to the Chang'e-5 samples, Nelson said then, adding he thought the talks would end with China agreeing to provide access to he said he expects Nasa to have to work with the FBI for another national security certification to enable any moon rock deliveries to U.S. universities for research. Beijing hopes to use its space prowess to forge closer political ties with close partners and U.S. allies alike. (Photo: CNSA) Beijing hopes to use its space prowess to forge closer political ties with close partners and U.S. allies alike."It seems the United States is quite closed off now despite being open in the past, while we were closed off in the past and are now open; this is because of the increase in our nation's overall strength and consequent rise in self-confidence," Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration programme, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday, adding that growing U.S. "isolationism" would not help its space CNSA official said on Wednesday the Chang'e-4 and 6 missions had four international payloads, while the Chang'e-7 mission next year will have six international payloads and "cooperation with 10 countries" is being discussed for the subsequent Chang'e-8 hopes Chang'e-7 and 8 can help provide the information it needs to decide where and how to build a permanent manned lunar base by Reel
