The Porton Group, the private equity partner of the British Ministry of Defence, has accused 3M Corporation of "negligence and possible recklessness putting lives at risk" due to "botched" 2007 clinical trials of a medical device called "BacLite," which can detect within five hours the presence of the potentially deadly MRSA/staph "superbug." The trials were conducted after notification of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and after seeking FDA advice, which 3M proceeded to ignore, according to Porton. 

As a result, Baclite was withdrawn and the group that sold it to 3M are blaming 3M.

In 2009, Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman published a series of articles here at Science 2.0 with ways to improve science education (see Why Not Try A Scientific Approach To Science Education?) and one of the ideas he advocated was using clickers and consensus groups along with generally remaking the traditional lecture method.

A few years ago, when 2% of astronomers decided Pluto should no longer a planet, the confusion was so great and the definition so arbitrary and so we now have five 'dwarf' planets in our solar system - Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.  

With the discovery of so many new extrasolar planets, astronomers have observed that in some of these systems the star is spinning one way but the planet, a 'hot Jupiter', a huge Jupiter-like planet in very close proximity to the central star, orbits the star in the opposite direction. 

Industry does quite a lot of basic research today but government funds the majority.  Prior to and during World War II those ratios were inverted and the private sector funded most basic research in hopes that the next big thing would be invented by them.

Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs)are easier to use and just as effective as conventional treatment with inhalers, according to a new study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). 

Asthma is an increasing problem affecting around 300 million people worldwide and can significantly impact on a person's quality of life. It is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation of the airways causing wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.