Antarctic ozone hole shrinks
The Antarctic ozone hole, which appears over the Antarctic every spring, was smaller in 2024 than in recent years, according to a new World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report published on the 40th anniversary of the Vienna Convention, which recognised stratospheric ozone depletion as a global problem.
Sunscreen application and the effect on Vitamin D
An Australian study has found that people who used SPF50+ sunscreen daily for about a year were more likely to be Vitamin D deficient than those who used it less frequently. However, researchers stress that this does not mean people should stop using sunscreen.
Outlook: Live biotherapeutic products
Live biotherapeutic products (LBPs), which harness live microorganisms to restore or modulate human health, are being explored across a growing range of indications, from gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders to CNS and oncology. FDA approvals of Rebyota and Vowst have validated the category but for most biotech sponsors, the journey remains uncertain.
The bees needs: A sterol cocktail
Honeybees do better when they are fed a diet enriched with a handful of essential sterols, according to research led by the University of Oxford, UK.
Rethink on UK pharma investment projects
The UK Government’s recently announced industrial strategy (C&I, 2025, 89, (9), 8) to boost the domestic life science sector has suffered a major blow with three pharma majors terminating or cancelling large UK investments.
US specialty and fine chemicals see mixed demand
US market volumes of specialty and fine chemicals continue the rebound following a rolling recession after the Covi pandemic, according to analysis by consultant Swift Economics. Volumes recovered in February 2025 and continued to improve during March but fell back in April and May. June saw volumes rebounding but dropping back again in July, growing in August to 3.39m t, a higher level than before the pandemic.
Gene therapy shows promise as treatment for rare disease
A gene therapy may help children who have a devastating rare disease called Canavan disease, researchers in the US report. This progressive condition is due to mutations in a gene that encodes an enzyme, causing degeneration of white matter in the brain. Problems usually emerge within the first few months of life. Children may show poor head control, listlessness, be lethargic and go on to develop feeding difficulties, seizure and blindness and have a short life expectancy.
Upcycled PET captures flue CO2
Researchers in Denmark have taken waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and upcycled it to a material that can snag CO2 from flue gases. PET is a ubiquitous plastic, with around 70m t produced annually, yet 85 to 90% of it is either incinerated or dumped into landfills.
Warning over new synthetic opioids
An emerging class of synthetic opioids that is even more potent than fentanyl is causing increasing concern in the US. Nitazenes often go undetected on routine drug tests, making overdoses harder to diagnose and reverse, warn US researchers, stressing that that this is a public health emergency, not just a drug issue.
Inulin may help clear fructose
Eating dietary fibre might reverse fatty liver disease caused by consuming too much fructose. This hope comes from a study that fed rodents inulin – a fructose polymer – and altered their gut microbiome in a way that allowed them to break down more fructose in their gut.