controversial

Controversial impact crater under Greenland’s ice is surprisingly ancient | Science

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In 2018, an international team of scientists announced a startling discovery: Buried beneath the thick ice of the Hiawatha Glacier in northwest Greenland is an impact crater 31 kilometers wide—not as big as the crater from the dinosaur-killing impact 66 million years ago, but perhaps still big enough to mess with the climate. Scientists were … Read more

Controversial U.S. China Initiative gets new name, tighter focus on industrial espionage | Science

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University scientists and civil rights groups in the United States are offering qualified praise for the federal government’s decision last week to rename and revise the China Initiative, a controversial, 3-year-old law enforcement campaign intended to prevent the Chinese government from stealing U.S.-funded technologies. “Dropping the name is good,” says Steven Pei, an electrical engineer … Read more

The Controversial China Initiative Is Ending, and Researchers Are Relieved

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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday that it will effectively terminate the controversial China Initiative, a programme that sought to protect US laboratories and businesses from espionage. Instead, the programme will be broadened to cover other countries of concern and renamed. Scientists who spoke to Nature are relieved to see the initiative end—the programme frequently … Read more

Resignation leads to controversial division of White House science adviser’s job | Science

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President Joe Biden’s decision to appoint two people to temporarily fill the White House’s top science advice position—a job typically held by one appointee—is drawing mixed reactions from the U.S. research community, including opposing takes from two former presidential science advisers. The Biden administration said yesterday it is “doubling down on science” by appointing geneticist … Read more

Depleted uranium: US arms maker ends production of controversial weapons

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By David Hambling US Army M1 Abrams tanks use depleted uranium rounds Stocktrek Images, Inc./Alamy The maker of a controversial depleted uranium weapon used by the US Army has said that it is ceasing production. Depleted uranium (DU) is an extremely strong and dense metal that is able to pierce armoured vehicles, making it the … Read more

U.S. accepts plea by Arkansas scientist charged in controversial China Initiative | Science

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A former University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, engineering professor today pleaded guilty to one count of lying to FBI about his status as an inventor. In return, the U.S. government agreed to drop its efforts to prosecute him for allegedly hiding his ties to China on federal grant applications. Simon Ang is one of two dozen … Read more

A controversial train heads for the Maya rainforest | Science

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Every day at sunset, a 3-million-bat whirlwind emerges from a cave and floods the night sky of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. The cave—El Volcán de los Murciélagos (the Bat Volcano)—hosts at least seven bat species and is a pillar of the region’s ecosystem. Ecologist Rodrigo Medellín Legorreta of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), … Read more

2022 news preview: Expect a row over controversial Alzheimer’s drug

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By Clare Wilson A participant in a clinical trial for aducanumab Kayana Szymczak/New York Times/Redux/eyevine EXPECT to see debate over a new medicine to treat Alzheimer’s disease, called aducanumab, continue into 2022. Approved in the US last June, it is the first drug designed to treat a possible cause of this form of dementia, rather than the symptoms. … Read more