Anthony J. King

Dublin

Journalist and Science Writer at Freelance

Science journalist

Articles

Materials scientist’s death at 47 from brain haemorrhage highlights long hours culture in China

1 week ago | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

The spotlight was recently shone on the work culture of Chinese universities earlier this year following the death of a professor of materials science, aged 47, at Zhejiang University. The family blamed an ‘insane’ workload for the death of Liu Yongfeng from cerebral haemorrhage, according to the South China Morning Post. An open letter posted online by his wife calculated his working hours between March 2024 and 20 January this year.
Ending of US weight-loss drug shortages prompts compounder complaints

2 months ago | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

Decision ends pharmacies’ permission to prepare versions of GLP-1 hormone mimicsNovo Nordisk’s semaglutide diabetes and weight loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, are no longer officially in shortage in the US, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That means that compounding pharmacies and outsourcing facilities that had been legitimately preparing their own versions of the drugs will no longer be permitted to do so.
The search for solutions to geographic atrophy of the retina

2 months ago | nature.com | Anthony J. King

It is tough for a person to find out that they have a progressive disease, especially when it threatens to rob them of their independence. With age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — the leading cause of vision loss among older people — a person faces a gradual and irreversible loss of vision, until they might no longer be able to recognize even a loved one.
Four ways to power-up AI for drug discovery

2 months ago | nature.com | Anthony J. King

Drug discovery is extraordinarily difficult. “In 100 years or so of contemporary medicine, we’ve found treatments for only around 500 of the roughly 7,000 rare diseases,” says David Pardoe, a computational chemist at Evotec, a biotechnology company in Hamburg, Germany. “It takes too long and costs too much.” But in theory, and to the excitement of many, artificial intelligence (AI) could address both of these problems.
Chevron and BP cutting thousands of jobs

2 months ago | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

Firms looking to cut costs, increase oil and gas production and cut renewable investments Source: © Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg/Getty Images Oil giant Chevron is to slash its workforce by 15– 20% by the end of 2026, losing up to 9000 jobs. The goal is to simplify the company’s structure and reduce annual costs by around $2–3 billion (£1.6–2.4 billion). Chevron is not alone. In January, BP began cutting around 4700 employees, around 5% of its workforce, and 3000 contractors – again to reduce costs.
Flea treatment-tainted pet fur lining songbird nests may be killing chicks

2 months ago | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

Songbird nests are being contaminated by insecticides applied to pets. The compounds frequently found in shampoos, spot-on treatments or impregnated collar flea treatments for cats and dogs were identified in fur taken from the nests of blue tits and great tits in the UK. These pesticides have now been linked to a higher chance of these songbirds’ eggs failing to hatch and chicks dying in the nest.
New type of painkiller approved in US

Feb 11, 2025 | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

Sodium channel blocker prevents nerves transmitting pain signals For the first time in decades, a new class of painkiller has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Vertex’s Journavx (suzetrigine), can be used to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adults. The drug selectively blocks the Nav1.8 sodium channel on nerves that transmit pain signals. Nav1.8 is one of nine sub-types of voltage-gated sodium channels that span cell membranes.
Mapping metabolite disturbances by drugs

Feb 5, 2025 | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

High-throughput metabolomic profiling gives insight into unpredictable drug effectsEven well-known drugs can cause entirely unpredictable effects on metabolism, Swiss researchers have shown. Rapidly mapping the diverse effects of molecules on thousands of different metabolites could give new insights into the way drugs work, preventing side effects, as well as uncovering new uses for existing drugs.
Life’s ingredients discovered in samples Nasa probe returned from an asteroid

Jan 30, 2025 | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

Samples returned from an asteroid contain a surprising abundance of the basic ingredients of life. They were discovered to be rich in carbon, nitrogen and ammonia, with over 30 kinds of amino acids and the five nucleobases found in RNA and DNA.1 The asteroid, Bennu, was targeted by a Nasa mission that returned a capsule to Earth in September 2023. Source: © NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona Bennu is about 500m in diameter and is a loosely bound accumulation of boulders, gravel and dust.
Low concentration chemicals spur toxicological debate

Jan 27, 2025 | chemistryworld.com | Anthony J. King

Improved analytical techniques mean tiny amounts of endocrine disrupting compounds or PFAS can be found in many places. But is it a problem? Anthony King talks to the scientists on both sides of the fence Hormonal sensitivity: Even tiny differences in hormone exposure during early development can significantly impact behavior, physiology and health. Chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) that mimic natural hormones are particularly concerning for their potential subtle effects on human development.