#1 Prostate Cancer Cured using Experimental Treatment
A man suffering advanced prostate cancer has been cured of the disease after undergoing a shocking new treatment that involves pumping the body full of testosterone, previously thought to cause cancer.
The experimental new treatment involves patients completing at least three cycles of what is known as ‘bipolar androgen therapy’, which floods the body with testosterone and then starves it.
The result is such a shock to scientists because traditionally testosterone is thought to make prostate cancer worse. Rather than flood the body with testosterone, scientists would try to reduce levels in the body.
Other men in the in the trial also saw incredible results. Of the 47 men receiving the experimental treatment, signs of cancer fell in a majority.
Professor Sam Denmeade, John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, said:
“Our goal is to shock the cancer cells by exposing them rapidly to very high followed by very low levels of testosterone in the blood.”
It is estimated that in 2016 more than 180,000 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and over 26,000 will die because of the disease.
#2 Apple to Use Drones to Compete with Google Maps
Apple will use drones to improve Apple Maps, which launched in 2012 to complaints that it was full of bugs and inferior to Google Maps.
Bloomberg reported that Apple wants to use a fleet of drones to better keep their maps up to date. The drones will scan street signs, look out for changes to road networks and keep an eye on construction work taking place.
Apple has been quick to recognize the flaws in their own Map app. Craig Federighi, Apple VP of Software Engineering, said:
“There’s a huge data-quality issue there, and I don’t think we initially appreciated all the kinds of technology we would need to do that on an ongoing basis.”
There are restrictions to drone use, however. Commercial drones in the U.S. cannot fly over people and buildings. This could interfere with Apple’s ability to create accurate maps of urban areas solely using drone technology.
A report from BI Intelligence in 2016 estimated that sales of consumer drones will quadruple by 2021.
#3 Medical Marijuana Available in New York and Minnesota
Use of medical marijuana is set to increase in the U.S. as both New York and Minnesota announce that the pain-reliving drug will be available for use. The drug is still illegal in 22 states, however.
The New York state Health Department has announced that doctors will be free to prescribe non-smokeable marijuana to patients suffering from chronic pain.
That state, which has been criticized for its strict medical marijuana laws, already allows the use of medical marijuana for certain conditions, such as cancer and AIDS. Chronic pain sufferers, however, had been denied use of the drug.
Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said, “Medical Marijuana is already helping thousands of patients across New York state, and adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition will help more patients and further strengthen the program.”
In Minnesota the drug is set to be introduced as a new form treatment for individuals suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
#4 Twitter Buys Startup Yes, Inc.
Keith Coleman is the new VP of Product for Twitter, it has been announced. Formerly CEO of mobile app developer Yes, Inc., and product manager at Google, he will be heading to Twitter along with Yes, Inc.’s seven other employees.
Twitter has had a rough year so far. They confirmed layoffs for 9 percent of their workforce and continued to be a loss-making company, losing $103 million in third quarter 2016.
Yes, Inc.’s previous products include Frenzy, an app for iOS and Android that helps groups chat and quickly plan events together. Also WYD, for iOS and Android, that lets friends chat and share photos with one another.
Both of Yes, Inc.’s products will be removed from the iOS and Android app stores following the company’s acquisition.
Coleman is the fifth person since 2014 that Twitter has hired to be VP of Product. Previous VP, Kevin Weil, left in January 2016 to work for Instagram.
#5 Nokia to Return to the Phone Market Running Android
Photo Credit: Nokia
Early 2017 will see the return of Nokia branded smartphones to the market, thanks to new owners HMD Global. The phones will be running on Google’s popular Android platform.
Nokia used to be a global leader in the phone market, with net sales in 2007 bringing in over $66 billion. However, as smartphones became more and more popular Nokia failed to keep up, and by 2013 net sales had plummeted to just over $15 billion.
Florian Seiche, President of HMD Global, said:
“We believe that the time is right for renewal in the mobile industry.”
HMD Global is a Finnish company solely dedicated to re-introducing Nokia phones to the market. Many individuals at the company are former employees of Nokia.
