SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas explodes, but no injuries reported

A SpaceX rocket being tested in Texas exploded on Wednesday night, sending a dramatic fireball high into the sky.
The company said the Starship 'experienced a major anomaly' at about 11pm while on the test stand preparing for the 10th flight test at Starbase, SpaceX's launch site at the southern tip of the US state.
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'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,' SpaceX said in a statement on X.
Chief executive Elon Musk's SpaceX said there were no hazards to nearby communities. It asked people not to try to approach the site.
The company said it was working with local officials to respond to the explosion.

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Reuters

34 minutes ago

• Reuters

AseptiScope Reports Major Success in Eliminating Life-Threatening Hospital Infections

SAN DIEGO, CA, June 20, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- A promising new chapter in infection control has opened as AseptiScope, opens new tab® announces its recent peer-reviewed publication, opens new tab of clinical results using its DiskCover® System, a touch-free stethoscope hygiene solution, by the Journal of Infectiology and Epidemiology. The study documents how healthcare professionals at the Memphis VA Medical Center integrated the system into their infection prevention protocols, resulting in an unprecedented reduction of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs) to zero over a one-year period. Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs) CLABSIs are among the most severe and preventable hospital-acquired infections, typically occurring when pathogens enter the bloodstream via a central venous catheter. These lines are commonly used in critical care to administer medication or collect diagnostic data. Despite rigorous hygiene protocols, including antiseptic bathing and aseptic line management, CLABSI rates persist, posing serious threats to already-vulnerable patients. Until now, stethoscope hygiene has never been included in CLABSI prevention bundles. 'The problem with central line infections is that critically ill patients are vulnerable, and these preventable occurrences can shift a routine procedure into a deadly, critical emergency,' stated Nicole Kupchik, clinical nurse specialist and leading authority on critical care nursing. 'This is not only a significant professional challenge, but I lost a dear friend going through cancer treatment to this preventable, deadly infection.' That changed when infection control specialists Naomi Ragsdale and Wendy Simpson at the Memphis VA took a bold step. Recognizing the stethoscope as a significant but often overlooked vector, frequently called the clinician's 'third hand,' they incorporated AseptiScope's DiskCover System into their CLABSI prevention strategy. The result: a complete elimination of CLABSIs over a 12-month span. AseptiScope's DiskCover System The DiskCover System works by automatically applying a sterile, single-use barrier to the diaphragm of a stethoscope, ensuring that each patient encounter begins with a clean device, something that traditional alcohol wipes fail to guarantee. In fact, numerous studies have shown that not only are alcohol wipes often used incorrectly or inconsistently, but some hospital pathogens are increasingly resistant to alcohol-based disinfectants altogether. Unlike manual cleaning, the DiskCover System is intuitive, immediate, and compatible with fast-paced clinical environments. Located near hand hygiene stations, the device activates with a wave of the stethoscope, applying a clean disk in a second, allowing for seamless patient care without compromising safety. Cindy Cadwell, a nurse practitioner, patient safety and quality expert, has been focused on the problem of stethoscope hygiene for years. 'Our clinical teams want to do all the right things, but today's world is fast moving, and even with the most diligent cleaning, more pathogens than ever are increasingly resistant to cleaning with alcohol and other disinfectants,' said Cadwell. 'So, a barrier system that breaks direct contact is exactly what we've been waiting for; high-quality infection control, that is both clinician and workflow friendly.' Kathleen Vollman, president of the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses, emphasized the implications: 'The stethoscope has been a problem without a solution for a long time, and it seems we finally have what we need here. Tools like this are elegant in their simplicity, but have a huge impact on healthcare. Ultimately, innovation like this saves patient lives, saves time for our clinical teams, and saves money for our hospitals.' Physicians, too, are taking note. Dr. Frank Peacock, a medical doctor, leading authority on stethoscope hygiene and infection control, and co-founder of AseptiScope, stated during an event for the CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) last year on the subject: 'Placing a disk cover barrier on stethoscopes using a touch-free dispenser means I barely break stride when applying them, and ensures clean patient exams for the first time in my career. The visible barrier doesn't just give me confidence, it also gives the patient comfort, which is fantastic." AseptiScope, a California-based medical device startup, was founded by a team of healthcare veterans. CEO Scott W. Mader, a longtime clinical innovation expert, said the company was born out of a recognition of the overlooked infection risks of stethoscopes. 'I've spent my career bringing health innovations to market, and when we say this enormous gap in patient safety, as the stethoscope is like the clinician touching patients with a dirty third hand,' said Mader. 'The touch-free application of the perfectly clean disk cover barrier blocks any pathogen exposure instantly'. While the DiskCover System is still relatively new to hospitals, its impact is expanding quickly. AseptiScope reports that major cancer centers, urgent care clinics, and primary care facilities are now deploying the device to protect patients, particularly those who are immunocompromised or medically fragile. 'Now our customers are confirming this is not just another product; it's a public health intervention,' Mader added. 'This low-cost, high-impact innovation could prevent life-threatening infections for millions of patients.' Looking forward, AseptiScope is developing additional touch-free devices based on the same principle of automated aseptic barriers. As the Memphis VA's success story gains national attention, hospitals across the U.S. are taking notice. In an age where healthcare systems are under enormous strain and antimicrobial resistance continues to rise, tools like the DiskCover System may offer a critical path forward. About AseptiScope AseptiScope is a healthcare technology company focused on infection prevention for both clinicians and patients. The company develops innovative aseptic solutions aimed at reducing the risk of contamination and infection within healthcare systems. Their flagship product, the DiskCover™ System, addresses the persistent issue of stethoscope contamination—a significant yet often overlooked vector for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The DiskCover System is an evidence-based, automated, and touch-free solution designed to create a highly visible and effective infection barrier during patient examinations, filling a critical gap in infection prevention technology. AseptiScope is led by a team of prominent medical professionals and experts in the field. For more information, visit opens new tab. Media Contact Anthony Pham apham@ ### SOURCE: AseptiScope Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire

The Guardian

an hour ago

• The Guardian

CDC vaccine panel to review ingredient RFK Jr has targeted for removal

A key vaccine advisory panel reconstituted by health secretary and vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr is slated to discuss thimerosal-containing influenza vaccines in its first meeting – an ingredient which has been a fixation of anti-vaccine activists for decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will hold two separate votes later this month: one on 'influenza vaccines' and one on influenza vaccines that contain thimerosal. Thimerosal is an ethylmercury preservative used in multi-dose vaccine vials to prevent fungi and bacteria growth. The preservative has been studied and deemed safe, but was nevertheless removed from all routine childhood vaccines in 2001 as a precaution. 'I was there when we went through this the first time,' said Dr Paul Offit, director of the vaccine education center and an attending physician in the division of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, about debates over the preservative in the early 2000s. Offit served on the ACIP panel in question from 1998 to 2003. He said the issue of thimerosal was vigorously debated and found safe then, prompting him to ask: 'What's the point?' In a short history of the thimerosal controversy published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Offit described how some parents became convinced thimerosal gave their children autism, resulting in thousands of autistic children receiving heavy metal chelation treatments each year. Studies have found no link between thimerosal and autism, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has also denied claims of a thimerosal-autism link. Kennedy, however, has written a book arguing against the use of thimerosal. Offit said the discussion of thimerosal appeared to geared to, 'accomplish [Kennedy's] goals of making vaccines less affordable, less accessible and more feared', he said. 'Here's what you do know – you do know RFK Jr is an anti-vaccine, science-denying conspiracy theorist. He is devoted to this, he is a zealot, there is no middle ground with him,' said Offit. 'He believes we have merely substituted infectious diseases for chronic diseases.' The panel's advisory recommendations are critical because they result in vaccine 'schedules'. These schedules are relied on by health insurers to determine which vaccines to cover and by clinicians who use them as an evidence-based guide on immunization – effectively giving the American public access to the medicines. Although the CDC does not always take the panel's advice, the CDC typically affirms the panel's decisions. However, the agency is currently without a leader, as Senate hearings have not yet been held for nominee and CDC career official Susan Monarez. As a result, Kennedy has signed off on some previous ACIP recommendations. Kennedy wrote a book on the preservative thimerosal in 2014 called Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak, in which he argues that 'there is a broad consensus among research scientists that thimerosal is a dangerous neurotoxin that should be immediately removed from medicines'. Kennedy said in the book he is 'pro-vaccine'. Until 9 June, the ACIP was an independent panel of 17 experts who served staggered terms and were rigorously vetted by career CDC staff. Kennedy broke with tradition when he fired the entire panel, claiming in a Wall Street Journal editorial that he was working to 'restore public trust in vaccines'. The same week, Kennedy appointed eight new members to the committee, including medical professionals with little vaccine expertise and known vaccine skeptics. A wide spectrum of groups criticized the decision, from MomsRising, who said they were 'alarmed and disgusted', to major doctors' groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, to public health leaders who described Kennedy's actions as 'a coup,' to the former members of the committee, who warned the independent panel was at 'a crossroads'. The group is scheduled to meet the last week of June. Prior to Kennedy's changes, they had been expected to discuss reducing the number of shots needed for human papilloma virus (HPV) and a meningococcal vaccine. On Wednesday, the panel released a draft agenda for its upcoming meeting. A wide range of vaccines will be discussed – including those against influenza; the tropical disease chikungunya; the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox) vaccine; anthrax; Covid and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The agenda scheduled a vote on recommendations for flu vaccines, including the multidose versions that still contain thimerosal. These vaccines are used only in adolescents and adults. The panel is also scheduled to vote on recommendations for maternal and pediatric versions of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Notably, despite Kennedy's repeated pledges of 'radical transparency', the draft agenda does not include the names of many speakers, which are listed as 'TBD' (to be determined) for instance on 'Covid-19 safety update'. New ACIP members have not been added to a conflict of interest tracker for ACIP members developed by the Trump administration. A spokesperson for HHS said the new members ethics agreements 'will be made public' before they start work with the committee. In addition to the new draft agenda, there have also been changes to the committee's meeting times not reflected in the Federal Register, according to Politico. The group will meet for two days instead of three, and there does not appear to be a vote scheduled on Covid vaccines.

The Guardian

3 hours ago

• The Guardian

Social climbing isn't about who you know after all, study finds

When it comes to social climbing, it's not who you know, or how many people you know, it's about knowing who knows whom, research suggests. Experts studying social connections made by first year university students say those who ended up with the most influence were not necessarily the most popular, but those who had a good idea, early on, about who belonged to which clique or community. 'Having friends helps, but social influence isn't just about who you know – it's also about what you know about the rest of your social network,' said Isabella Aslarus, first author of the study from Stanford University. Writing in the journal Science Advances, researchers in the US report how they asked 187 students to complete surveys about who they were friends with at six different points during their first year at university. The team used the results to map the connections between individuals, and how these changed with time. At two points, once shortly after the start of the academic year and once in the spring term, the researchers ranked students by how many friends they had and their social influence – with the latter determined by how well connected their friends were. The researchers also asked each participant if they knew whether given pairs of students were friends. The results reveal the number of friendships people reported changed little over time, however the friendships between individuals, and people's level of influence, shifted. 'Popularity does not really change over the course of the year,' said Dr Oriel FeldmanHall, co-author of the study from Brown University. 'What changes dramatically is the people who were the most influential early on were no longer the most influential by the end of the year.' This shifting network, the researchers add, became more stable as the academic year went on. FeldmanHall said it is not clear what made people influential early in the study, however the students who rose to become the most influential by the end were those who had early insights about how all their peers were connected. 'To become influential, you need to know who is friends with whom, and you need to have a bird's eye view of how people cluster into different social groups or cliques,' said Aslarus, adding individuals can use that knowledge to become more influential – for example by making new friendships or being an effective matchmaker. Aslarus added that it is only after becoming influential that people develop more detailed knowledge about individual friendships. 'Knowing about your network predicts becoming influential over time, more so than just having lots of friends,' she said. 'So, social knowledge seems to be a key first step toward becoming better-connected in your network.'