Air pollution and herbal medicines could be behind lung cancer in non-smokers, study finds
While smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer, rates of the malignancy appear to be increasing among those who have never smoked, even with tobacco use declining globally.
Previous studies have shown that lung cancer disproportionately affects non-smoking women, particularly those with Asian ancestry, and is more prevalent in East Asia than in Western nations.
Now, a new study, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, provides compelling evidence that air pollution and herbal medicines could be behind genetic mutations linked to the development of lung cancer in non-smokers.
'We are seeing this problematic trend that never-smokers are increasingly getting lung cancer, but we haven't understood why,' said Ludmil Alexandrov, an author of the study from the University of California San Diego.
'Our research shows that air pollution is strongly associated with the same types of DNA mutations we typically associate with smoking.'
Most lung cancer prevalence studies haven't separated data of smokers from that of non-smokers, providing limited insights into potential causes in those patients.
The latest study collected data from never-smokers worldwide and used genomics to find environmental factors likely behind these cancers.
'This is an urgent and growing global problem that we are working to understand regarding never-smokers,' said Maria Teresa Landi, co-author of the study from the US National Cancer Institute.
While previous studies have shown a potential link between air pollution and lung cancer in never-smokers, the new research goes further by revealing a genomic link.
In this comprehensive study, scientists analysed lung tumours from 871 never-smokers living in 28 regions with different levels of air pollution across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
Researchers used genome sequencing methods to identify distinct patterns of genetic mutations which act like molecular fingerprints of past exposures.
They then compared the genomic data with pollution estimates based on satellite and ground-level measurements of fine particulate matter.
This helped them estimate long-term exposure of the patients to air pollution.
The study found that never-smokers living in more polluted environments had significantly more mutations in their lung tumours, particularly the kinds which directly promote cancer development.
Scientists also found more molecular signatures in this group, which are linked to cancer and serve as a record of all past exposures to mutation-causing environmental factors.
For instance, these individuals had a nearly 4-fold increase in a mutational signature molecule linked to tobacco smoking and a 76 per cent increase in another signature linked to ageing.
'What we see is that air pollution is associated with an increase in somatic mutations, including those that fall under known mutational signatures attributed to tobacco smoking and ageing,' said Marcos Díaz-Gay, co-author of the study.
Scientists found that the more pollution someone was exposed to, the more mutations were found in their lung tumours, as well as greater signs of their cells undergoing accelerated ageing.
Another environmental risk unravelled by the study was aristolochic acid, a known cancer-causing chemical found in some traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic herbal medicines.
This chemical, extracted from plants of the birthwort family, was found linked to a signature mutation in lung tumours of never-smokers from Taiwan.
Although ingestion of this plant chemical has been linked previously to bladder, gut, kidney, and liver cancers, the latest study is the first to report evidence that it may contribute to lung cancer.
'This raises new concerns about how traditional remedies might unintentionally raise cancer risk,' Dr Landi said. 'It also presents a public health opportunity for cancer prevention, particularly in Asia.'
The study also found an intriguing new mutation signature which appears in the lung tumours of most never-smokers but is absent in smokers.
'We don't yet know what's driving it,' Dr Alexandrov said.
'This is something entirely different, and it opens up a whole new area of investigation.'
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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘The film wouldn't even be made today': the story behind Back to the Future at 40
The actor Lea Thompson has had a distinguished screen career but hesitated to share it with her daughters when they were growing up. 'I did not show them most of my stuff because I end up kissing people all the time and it was traumatic to my children,' she recalls. 'Even when they were little the headline was, 'Mom is kissing someone that's not Dad and it's making me cry!'' Thompson's most celebrated role would be especially hard to explain. As Lorraine Baines in Back to the Future, she falls in lust with her own son, Marty McFly, a teenage time traveller from 1985 who plunges into 1955 at the wheel of a DeLorean car. Back to the Future, released 40 years ago on Thursday, is both entirely of its time and entirely timeless. It was a box office summer smash, set a benchmark for time travel movies and was quoted by everyone from President Ronald Reagan to Avengers: Endgame. It is arguably a perfect film, without a duff note or a scene out of place, a fantastic parable as endlessly watchable as It's a Wonderful Life or Groundhog Day. It also, inevitably, reflects the preoccupations of its day. An early sequence features Libyan terrorists from the era of Muammar Gaddafi, a caricature wisely dropped from a stage musical adaptation. In one scene the young George McFly turns peeping tom as he spies on Lorraine getting undressed. To some, the film's ending equates personal fulfilment with Reagan-fuelled materialism. It caught lightning in a bottle in a way that is unrepeatable. 'If you made Back to the Future in 2025 and they went back 30 years, it would be 1995 and nothing would look that different,' Thompson, 64, says by phone from a shoot in Vancouver, Canada. 'The phones would be different but it wouldn't be like the strange difference between the 80s and the 50s and how different the world was.' Bob Gale, co-writer of the screenplay, agrees everything fell into the right place at the right time, including the central partnership between young Marty (Michael J Fox) and white-haired scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). The 74-year-old says from Los Angeles: 'Oh man, the film wouldn't even be made today. We'd go into the studio and they'd say, what's the deal with this relationship between Marty and Doc? They'd start interpreting paedophilia or something. There would be a lot of things they have problems with.' Gale had met the film's director, Robert Zemeckis, at the USC School of Cinema in 1972 and together they sold several TV scripts to Universal Studios, caught the eye of Steven Spielberg and John Milius and collaborated on three films. The pair had always wanted to make a time travel movie but couldn't find the right hook. Then Gale had an epiphany. 'We put a time travel story on the back burner until I found my dad's high school yearbook and boom, that was when the lightning bolt hit me and I said, ha, this would be cool: kid goes back in time and ends up in high school with his dad!' Gale and Zemeckis pitched the script more than 40 times over four years but studios found it too risky or risque. But Spielberg saw its potential and came in as executive producer. After Zemeckis scored a hit with Romancing the Stone in 1984, Universal gave the green light. The character of Doc Brown was inspired by Gale's childhood neighbour, a photographer who showed him the 'magic' of developing pictures in a darkroom, and the educational TV show Mr Wizard which demonstrated scientific principles. Then Lloyd came in and added an interpretation based on part Albert Einstein, part Leopold Stokowski. Thompson was cast as Lorraine after a successful audition. She felt that her background as a ballet and modern dancer gave her a strong awareness of the movement and physicality required to play both versions of Lorraine: one young and airy, the other middle-aged and beaten down by life. 'I was perfectly poised for that character,' she says. 'I understood both the dark and the light of Lorraine McFly and understood the hilarity of being super sexually attracted to your son. I thought that was frickin' hilarious. I understood the subversive comedy of it.' Thompson has previously worked with Eric Stoltz, who was cast in the lead role of Marty at the behest of Sidney Sheinberg, a Universal executive who had nurtured Spielberg and put Jaws into production. But over weeks of filming, starting in November 1984, it became apparent that Stoltz's serious tone was not working. Gale recalls: 'He wasn't giving us the kind of humour that we thought the character should have. He actually thought the movie turned out to be a tragedy because he ends up in a 1985 where a lot of his life is different. People can argue about that: did the memories of his new past ripple into his brain, did he remember both his lives? That's an interesting conversation to have and it gets more interesting the more beer you drink.' Eventually it fell to Zemeckis to inform Stoltz that his services were no longer required. Gale continues: 'He said he thought that possibly Eric was relieved: it was not like a devastating blow to him. This is just hindsight and speculation but maybe Eric's agents thought that it would be a good career move for him to do a movie like this that had Spielberg involved. Who knows?' Stoltz's abrupt departure came as a shock to the rest of the cast. Thompson says: 'It was horrible. He was my friend and obviously a wonderful actor. Everybody wants to think that making a movie is fun and that we're laughing for the 14 hours we're standing in the middle of a street somewhere. 'But it's also scary because you need to feel like you've made a little family for that brief amount of time. So the minute someone gets fired, you're like, oh wait, this is a big business, this is serious, this is millions of dollars being spent.' Stoltz was replaced by the young Canadian actor Michael J Fox, whom Zemeckis and Gale had wanted in the first place, and several scenes had to be reshot. Fox was simultaneously working on the sitcom Family Ties so was often sleep-deprived. But his boundless charm, frazzled energy and comic timing – including ad libs – were the missing piece of the jigsaw. Thompson comments: 'He is gifted but he also worked extremely hard at his shtick like the great comedians of the 20s, 30s and 40s: the falling over, the double take, the spit take, the physical comedy, the working on a bit for hours and hours like the greats, like Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin. Michael understood that. 'Being a dancer, I was fascinated and kind of weirdly repelled because it didn't seem like the acting that we were all trying to emulate: the De Niro kind of super reality-based acting that we were in awe of in the 80s, coming out of the great films of the 70s. I feel like Eric Stoltz, who is a brilliant actor, was trying to do more of that. Michael was the face of this new acting, especially comedy acting, which was in a way a throwback and a different energy.' It was this lightness of touch that enabled Fox and Thompson to carry off moments that might otherwise have seemed weird, disturbing and oedipal. When 1950s Lorraine – who has no idea that Marty is her future son – eventually kisses him inside a car, she reports that it is like 'kissing my brother' and the romantic tension dissolves, much to the audience's relief. Thompson says: 'It was a difficult part and it was a very dangerous thread to put through a needle. I have to fall out of love with him just by kissing him and I remember Bob Zemeckis obsessing about that moment. It was also a hard shot to get because it was a vintage car and they couldn't take it apart. Bob was also worried about the moment when I had to fall back in love with George [Marty's father] after he punches Biff. 'For those moments to be so important is part of the beauty of the movie. These are 'small' people; these are not 'great' people; they're not doing 'great' things. These are people who live in a little tiny house in Hill Valley and to make the moments of falling out of love and falling in love so beautiful with that incredible score is fascinating.' Back to the Future was the biggest hit of the year, grossing more than $200m in the US and entering the cultural mainstream. When Doc asks Marty who is president in 1985, Marty replies Ronald Reagan and Brown says in disbelief: 'Ronald Reagan? The actor? Then who's vice-president? Jerry Lewis?' Reagan, a voracious film viewer, was so amused by the joke that he made the projectionist stop and rewind it. He went on to namecheck the film and quote its line, 'Where we're going, we don't need roads,' in his 1986 State of the Union address. Thompson, whose daughters are the actors Madelyn Deutch and Zoey Deutch, was amazed by Back to the Future's success. 'But when I look at the movie, I do understand the happy accident of why it's become the movie it's become to generation after generation. The themes are powerful. The execution was amazing. The casting was great. The idea was brilliant. It was a perfect script. Those things don't come together usually.' And if she had her own time machine, where would she go? 'If I could be a man, I might go back to Shakespeare but as a woman you don't want to go anywhere in time. Time has been hard on women. So for me, whenever I'm asked this question, it's not a lighthearted answer. I can only give you a political answer.' The film ends with Doc whisking Marty and girlfriend Jennifer into the DeLorean and taking off into the sky. But Gale points out that the message 'to be continued' was added only for the home video release, as a way to announce a sequel, rather than being in the original theatrical run. Back to the Future Part II, part of which takes place in 2015, brought back most of the main characters including the villain Biff Tannen, who becomes a successful businessman who opens a 27-storey casino and uses his money to gain political influence. Many viewers have drawn a comparison with Donald Trump. Gale explains: 'Biff in the first movie is not based on Donald Trump; Biff is just an archetype bully. When Biff owns a casino, there was a Trump influence in that, absolutely. Trump had to put his name on all of his hotels and his casinos and that's what Biff does too. 'But when people say, oh, Biff was based on Donald Trump, well, no, that wasn't the inspiration for the character. Everybody has a bully in their life and that's who Biff was. There's nothing that resembles Donald Trump in Biff in Part I.' Back to the Future Part III, in which Marty and Doc and thrown back to the old west, was released in 1990. A year later Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 29. He went public with his diagnosis in 1998 and became a prominent advocate for research and awareness. He also continued acting, with roles in shows such as The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and in October will publish a Back to the Future memoir entitled Future Boy. Thompson, whose brothers both have Parkinson's, sees Fox twice a year. 'He's endlessly inspiring. He's very smart and he's done the spiritual work, the psychological work on himself to not be bitter about something awful happening to him but also be honest: this sucks.' Time's arrow moves in one direction but Back to the Future found a way to stage a comeback. One night after seeing the Mel Brooks musical The Producers in New York, Zemeckis's wife Leslie suggested that Back to the Future would make a good musical. Gale duly wrote the book and was a producer of the show, which premiered in Manchester in 2020 and has since played in London, New York and around the world. Gale says: 'It was total euphoria. The first time I saw the dress rehearsal with the DeLorean, before we had an audience, I went out of my mind how great it was, and then to see the audience going completely out of their minds with everything was just such a joyous validation. 'I'm so blessed to have a job where I get to make people happy. That's a great thing to be able to do and get paid for that. I don't ever take any of this for granted. I'm having a great time and the idea that Back to the Future is still with us after all these years, as popular as it ever was, is a blessing. I think about it all the time that if we had not put Michael J Fox in the movie, you and I probably wouldn't even be having this conversation right now.' Why, indeed, are we still talking about Back to the Future four decades later? 'Every person in the world wonders, how did I get here, how did my parents meet? The idea that your parents were once children is staggering when you realise it when you're about seven or eight years old. 'Your parents are these godlike creatures, and they're always saying, well, when I was your age, and you're going, what are they talking about, how could they have ever been my age? Then at some point it all comes together. If you have a younger sibling and you're watching them grow up, you realise, oh, my God, my parents were once screw-ups like me!' And if Gale had a time machine, where would he go? 'I don't think I would go to the future because I'd be too scared,' he says. 'We all see what happens when you know too much about the future. My mom, before she was married, was a professional musician, a violinist, and she had a nightclub act in St Louis called Maxine and Her Men. I'd like to travel back in time to 1947 and see my mother performing in a nightclub. That's what I would do.'
The Independent
15 hours ago
- The Independent
The best Apple Watch in 2025, according to our tech critic
It's been 10 years since Apple's first smartwatch was released, and the wearable has come a long way in that time (though you still need an iPhone to activate the Apple Watch and to act as a companion device). Capable of much more than regular watches, Apple's smartwatches can track your steps, calories, and how active you are during the day. They can measure exercise, from archery and yoga to running, swimming, walking and pickleball. A heart-rate monitor helps with the accuracy of fitness calculations, but it can also warn you if your heart rate goes unexpectedly high or low – there are cases of severe health episodes being prevented by timely Apple Watch notifications. Similarly, they can spot if you've taken a hard fall and can call loved ones or emergency services, with some models being able to measure blood oxygen levels and take an ECG. Beyond health and fitness, Apple Watches are available with GPS to guide you, tapping you on the wrist when you need to turn. Plus, the wearables work as digital wallets, show you weather forecasts and track your sleep. The devices can even cause your iPhone to make a noise when you can't remember where you've put it (I use this feature a lot). Plus, there's the option of an always-on display, so you can sneak a look at your wrist to see the time during a dull office meeting without having to raise your wrist. There's also the pricier GPS and cellular version, which means the watch connects to the same network as your iPhone, so you don't need to have both together to reap the benefits of connectivity. For example, you can go for a run without your iPhone but still send and receive messages, and have access to connected apps. Every model comes in more than one colour, and there are scores of watch bands to choose from, meaning you can truly customise your device. You can also choose between different sizes and case materials (such as aluminium or titanium), plus there's the option of glass or sapphire crystal as the protective covering on the watch face. If you're not sure which of Apple's wearables is right for you, I've gone into detail on each one. How I tested As The Independent 's technology critic, I've been reviewing and covering Apple products from the beginning, and each of these Apple Watches has been tested in the same real-world scenarios that you will be using them in. The review process involved using each device as if it were my own personal wearable, wearing each one for at least a month, taking it off only to charge it. I considered the simplicity of setup and how easy it was to use apps such as Maps, Workout and Weather, as well as the breadth of available apps. I tested all of the health features, including sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring and ECG. I assessed the range of watch faces, the comfort of the various bands, the size of the display and the ease of legibility. Perhaps most importantly, I monitored how long the battery lasts. Using my knowledge and experience in testing and reviewing consumer tech, I've ranked each Apple Watch based on its performance, giving it an overall star rating. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews David Phelan is The Independent' s technology critic, who covers everything from interviewing major players in the industry to writing IndyBest reviews and other articles. Having worked for the title since 1997, David has an abundance of experience when it comes to bringing you insightful, honest reviews of all the latest gadgets and devices. The best Apple Watches for 2025 are:
Reuters
17 hours ago
- Reuters
Summit, AstraZeneca in talks over $15 billion cancer drug licensing deal, Bloomberg News reports
July 3 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab is in talks with Summit Therapeutics (SMMT.O), opens new tab to license an experimental lung-cancer drug under a deal worth as much as $15 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of Summit Therapeutics surged 9.7% to $25.81 in morning trade. The Menlo Park, California-based drug developer did not immediately respond to Reuters' request seeking comment, while an AstraZeneca spokesperson declined to comment. A deal could include an upfront payment of several billion dollars to Summit, besides milestone payments later on, Bloomberg News said. The talks could still fall apart or Summit could opt for a different partner for licensing, according to the report. The negotiations involve ivonescimab, a drug Summit secured rights for through a separate deal worth up to $5 billion with China-based Akeso ( opens new tab in December 2022. Summit is testing ivonescimab to treat patients with a type of lung cancer who have received prior treatment. The drug has already been approved in China in May last year, and Summit plans to file for marketing approval in the United States. In a late-stage study, ivonescimab, in combination with chemotherapy, showed a positive trend in overall survival, but "without achieving a statistically significant benefit," the company said in May. An earlier data last year had shown some lung cancer patients having better survival rates on the drug than those on Merck's (MRK.N), opens new tab blockbuster Keytruda. Summit and Akeso were testing ivonescimab-chemotherapy regime in a study conducted in China, against BeiGene's ( opens new tab approved drug Tevimbra in combination with chemotherapy.
