TopNews

Xalkori (crizotinib) has been passed by the FDA as a treatment for patients suffering from ROS1-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The decision has been taken on the basis of the demonstration of substantial effectiveness in a phase 1 study.

It was based on data from 50 patients with ROS1-positive NSCLC wherein 66% was the overall response rate (ORR) with a median time period of response of 18.3 months by independent review.

Firstly a breakthrough therapy designation was given and then the approval arrived nearly 30 days ahead of a deadline decided under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act.

With little food processing and introduction of meat in the diet, ancient humans might have reduced the need for chewing food. With lower count of chews per meal, they were having time for more activities. Also, adding meat played an important role as it had higher nutritional value compared to vegetarian diet.

Human skeletons started changing in notable and puzzling ways when our genus, Homo, got separated from other hominins more than 2.8 million years back. For example, Homo erectus was quite taller and possessed a bigger brain case as compared to the Australopith ancestors.

Environmental groups have long been demanding strict curbs on activities such as oil and gas drilling that has been blamed for decline in the population of greater sage grouse across the American West.

In a latest effort, these groups Thursday sued the Obama administration alleging the sage grouse conservation programme that the government had announced in September last had many loopholes. Filed in the US District Court in Idaho, the lawsuit also claimed that the plan may not prove enough to protect the bird from extinction. Sage grouse is known for its elaborate mating ritual.

Physicists have recently detected a new particle using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) situated at the CERN facility in Switzerland. The scientists are claiming that this particle might be capable of bringing about a revolution in the field of physics.

The new particle is likely to serve as a sign for the emergence of a new age of physics. If the findings made by the physicists are established, it is likely to uncover a major error in the Standard Model of Physics. Subatomic physics is primarily based on the set of theories of the standard model.

The NSF Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences is responsible for supporting central research in astronomy, chemistry, physics, material science and mathematics. Fleming Crim, the Assistant Director for the NSF Directorate, confirmed about the concept of gravitational waves in front of the US Congress. The LIGO Science Collaboration finally managed to observe the waves for the first time, after decades of efforts by scientists.

NASA launched Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft (MAVEN) to know more about what happened to early atmosphere on planet Mars.

After a week into Mars orbit, the Colorado-built spacecraft found that Mars’ magnetic field was thrown into chaos by Siding Spring's magnetosphere that made a close flyby Mars.

As a precaution, many instruments on MAVEN were turned off during Siding Spring’s flyby. This is a distance similar to one-third of the distance from the Earth to the moon. Many of instruments of MAVEN were shut down in order to protect them from pressure of the comet; however, a few were set operational to observe effects of the comet.