The life sciences sector reported a record $70 billion of private and public capital investments in North America for 2020, a 93% increase from 2018, which held the previous record of $36 billion. During just the first three months of 2021, life science corporations had raised a record $12.2 billion. The market trajectory accelerated throughout that of 2020 and into 2021— with the demand for products in the industry surging as well. With a shortage of appropriate facilities and lab equipment to meet the complex and specialized needs as well as labor requirements of U.S. life sciences companies, joined with that of swiftly growing rent prices across established United States life science clusters, many scientists are facing tough times. As science has evolved, primarily due to the reducing cost and increasing speed of DNA sequencing and synthesis, there has been an explosion in new Biotech businesses . Space struggles facing the Biotech industry Biotech businesses have had … [Read more...] about The Shortage of Lab Space in the United States Is Stifling Innovation
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A Louisiana teacher seeks to survive inflation, one plasma donation at a time
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 SLIDELL, La. - Tuesdays she asked for the needle in her left arm, and one afternoon in late April, Christina Seal, 41, arrived at the clinic after work. The parking lot was almost full, as usual. She had been giving plasma for nearly six months, and she had a routine locked in place. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two Sam's Club protein shakes and an iron supplement a day to keep herself serviceable. Afterward, vitamin E oil on her skin to prevent needle scars. The routine had helped tame into normalcy what at first had felt so bizarre. "I never thought I would be in a position where I would have to sell my plasma to feed my children," she would say later. This was where inflation had driven Seal. A month earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics had announced that prices had risen 8.5% over the past year, the largest annual jump since December 1981. Fuel, food and housing costs … [Read more...] about A Louisiana teacher seeks to survive inflation, one plasma donation at a time
Texas will resume grading public schools based on students’ STAAR test results
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 For the first time since the pandemic began, Texas public schools will be rated based on how students score on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness — more commonly known as the annual STAAR test. It’s the latest big step toward normalcy for the state’s 8,866 public schools — which includes 782 charter schools — since the COVID-19 pandemic forced school closures in early 2020. But this year’s ratings come with a few changes. For this year only, schools will receive an A-C rating. Districts and schools that score D or F will receive a “Not Rated” label instead. Schools who fall in those bottom tiers will also evade possible sanctions from the Texas Education Agency during the 2022-2023 school year. The news comes as thousands of students in grades 3 through 12 are taking the exam this spring. Last year, students had the option to take … [Read more...] about Texas will resume grading public schools based on students’ STAAR test results
‘Freudian slip of the century’: George W. Bush accidentally admits to ‘brutal invasion’ of Iraq in Ukraine speech
Former President George W. Bush may have just accidentally likened himself to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 41st president spoke Wednesday night for an event at his presidential center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, during which he compared Ukrainian leader Volodymr Zelenskyy to former British leader Winston Churchill. He even described Zelenskyy as a "cool little guy." However, while referring to Putin and Russia's attack on Ukraine during the 10-minute speech, the 43rd President of the United States had a regrettable slip of the tongue. "Political opponents are imprisoned or otherwise eliminated from participating in the electoral process," Bush said. "The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq." Wincing, Bush quickly correctly himself: "I mean of Ukraine." The former president then shrugged and muttered under his breath, "Iraq, too," which drew a few … [Read more...] about ‘Freudian slip of the century’: George W. Bush accidentally admits to ‘brutal invasion’ of Iraq in Ukraine speech
You Don’t Have to Be a Business Owner to Think Like an Entrepreneur
In this ongoing series, we are sharing advice, tips and insights from real entrepreneurs who are out there doing business battle on a daily basis. (Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.) Who are you and what’s your business? I am Paul Mullis, President of Americas, at Rillion , where I’ve spearheaded the launch of the company in the United States. Our goal is to help AP professionals and finance teams not only save time and money by minimizing manual work, but also provide greater transparency to eliminate bottlenecks in payments and invoice systems. What inspired you to create this business? The recent rise in remote or hybrid work, combined with the vulnerabilities that the AP industry faces with fraud, overdue invoices or incorrectly paid invoices, truly showed me a need to bring a cloud-based solution to the United States to solve this. We're lightening the workload of AP professionals, allowing them to quickly pivot to remote work and focus on … [Read more...] about You Don’t Have to Be a Business Owner to Think Like an Entrepreneur
Senate OKs overhaul of baby formula rules in aid program
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a bill Thursday aimed at easing the baby formula shortage for families participating in a government assistance program that accounts for about half of all formula purchased in the United States. The House passed the bill the day before, so it now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Participants in a program known as WIC get vouchers that are redeemed for specific foods to supplement their diets. The vouchers usually can only be used to purchase one brand of infant formula, which encourages the manufacturer to offer big discounts to secure a state's business. The bill makes it possible in extenuating circumstances for the Department of Agriculture to waive certain requirements so that WIC participants can purchase whatever brand is available. “Now, millions of parents will have an easier time finding the baby formula that they need," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the bill was passed. Also … [Read more...] about Senate OKs overhaul of baby formula rules in aid program
Oz, McCormick at tie in PA with thousands of ballots out
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 17 HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Vote counting in Pennsylvania's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate dragged into a third day as Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick remained essentially tied with tens of thousands of ballots left to count. Oz, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, led McCormick by 1,240 votes, or 0.09 percentage points, out of 1,334,376 ballots counted as of midday Thursday. The race remained close enough to trigger Pennsylvania’s automatic recount law, with the separation between the candidates inside the law’s 0.5% margin. Oz’s margin has narrowed in the past day, as county election officials continue to count mail ballots, but election workers still have thousands of ballots left to count in the exceptionally close race. Pennsylvania’s Department of … [Read more...] about Oz, McCormick at tie in PA with thousands of ballots out
Oklahoma passes strictest abortion ban; services to stop
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 6 OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill prohibiting all abortions with few exceptions, and providers said they would stop performing the procedure as soon as the governor signs it in the latest example of the GOP’s national push to restrict access to what has been a constitutional right for nearly a half century. Oklahoma lawmakers this year already passed a half-dozen anti-abortion measures, and while abortion providers across the country have been bracing for the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court's new conservative majority might further restrict the practice, that has especially been the case in Oklahoma and Texas. Two of Oklahoma's four abortion clinics already stopped providing abortions after the governor signed a six-week ban earlier this month, and an attorney for the two other independent clinics said Thursday they will no … [Read more...] about Oklahoma passes strictest abortion ban; services to stop
Gusty winds fuel wildfires in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 11 ALBEQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than 5,000 firefighters battled multiple wildland blazes in dry, windy weather across the Southwest on Thursday, including a fire that has destroyed dozens of structures in west Texas and another that's picking up steam again in New Mexico. Evacuation orders remained in place for residents near the wildfires in Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. Dangerous fire weather involving gusty winds, high temperatures and extremely low humidity was predicted to continue through Friday — especially in New Mexico, where the largest U.S. wildfire burned for more than a month and the governor expects the number of structures destroyed will exceed 1,000. More than 2,100 fire personnel with fighting that blaze, which has burned more than 473 square miles (1,225 square kilometers) of timber and brush in a region east of … [Read more...] about Gusty winds fuel wildfires in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado