Mars And The Moon Will Align This Weekend. Heres When And Where You Can See Them Rise Together – Forbes

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Earth, the Moon and Mars come into alignment this weekend.

So far this summer has been all about super-bright Jupiter and, just 8 away, ringed planet Saturn, which have been dominating the southwestern night sky after dark.

This weekend its the turn of Mars, as the waning Moon passes close to the red planet. Three spacecraft are on their way to Mars right now, and its also a great time to admire it.

Mars is now creeping towards opposition in October, the point in its orbit when its closest to Earth, so as big and bright as it gets. Its already getting visibly bigger and brighter with every passing night.

Mars is rising earlier each evening, and this weekend is now in the sky before midnight, with a 65% illuminated waning gibbous Moon in tow.

Stargazers call this eventwhen two celestial bodies appear to pass close to each othera conjunction.

Look to the east around midnight on Saturday going into Sunday and youll easily find a waning gibbous Moon.

Only those in North America will see the closest conjunction, at around 4:00 a.m. EDT on the morning of Sunday, August 9.

The Moon will be close to Mars on Saturday night through Sunday morning.

You could even try to catch the Moon at moonrisethe most beautiful time to observe our satelliteby consulting this Moon calculator to get times for your exact location.

In doing so youll also witness a Mars-rise.

Just 0.8 north of the Moon will be Mars, shining at magnitude -1.3. Thats significantly brighter than any stars, so Mars will be obvious.

The conjunction of two of the night skys top sights isnt that rare, but there are few more pleasing celestial sights to unaided naked eyes than a big Moon passing a bright, red planet.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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Mars And The Moon Will Align This Weekend. Heres When And Where You Can See Them Rise Together - Forbes

The Red Planet Gets a Little Redder: Cornellians Work on Instruments for Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

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On July 30, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover blasted off for its months-long journey to Earths rust-colored neighbor. On a mission to seek out microbial life on Mars, the rover is armed to the teeth with scientific instruments that can analyze the planets ancient climate and geology.

Cornell researchers were involved in the research, development and calibration of two of these instruments specifically designed to find traces of life on Mars: Mastcam-Z, and a subsurface radar called RIMFAX.

Experts are fairly certain that life does not currently exist on the planet. However, Megan Barrington, a Ph.D. student in the earth and atmospheric sciences department, said that the Jezero Crater landing site could have potentially harbored life within the past several billion years.

The crater, which once hosted an ancient lake filled with water, has specific key features that support this hypothesis, such as highly preserved clay deposits that could store signatures of past life. Perseverance will seek out these signatures once it lands on Feb. 18, 2021.

Barrington, a fieldwork scientist, documentarian and camera technician for experiments relating to Mastcam-Z, described the instrument as the eyes of the rover. The camera is extremely important for the mission, as it provides panoramic color images of the landing site and more intricate data on geology and mineral composition. Barrington further explained that the instruments zoom capabilities make it the first of its kind to land on Mars.

Cornellians from the astronomy and earth and atmospheric sciences departments were responsible for calibrating the Mastcam-Z cameras a feat in and of itself.

Mastcam-Z, our instrument, required a lot of technical calibration for us to know exactly what well be looking at when an image comes back to us from the surface of Mars, Barrington said. In order to calibrate these cameras, weve spent multiple weeks of many 12 to 14 hour days, with teams the size of several hundred people, to quantify all of the parameters of our camera.

One essential aspect of calibration was the positioning of the cameras filters. Mastcam-Z can perceive wavelengths between 400 and 1000 nm on the electromagnetic spectrum, with each filter allowing in a smaller range of wavelengths, according to Barrington.

Calibration allows for the cameras to accurately and precisely determine the chemical composition of rocks in the Jezero Crater by collecting data on the distinct spectrum of wavelengths associated with the minerals of each rock.

The calibration of Mastcam-Z had to take place in a clean room, an environment free of biological contaminants to protect the delicate instrumentation during the camera experiments.

Barrington said she was thrilled to be a part of this clean room calibration process.

Knowing that you get to be so close to this instrument that is going to change the geologic knowledge of Mars thats amazing to me, Barrington said. So that was a real treat, and its something that most members of the team dont get to do.

Barrington also participated in pre-landing training missions, which involved traveling to sites on Earth that have a mineralogy and geologic history similar to Jezero Crater. During these mock missions, Barrington and hundreds of other science team members from universities across the nation conducted experimentation using instruments that behaved like those of the actual rover.

One of these instruments Barrington worked with was the Mastcam-Z Analog Spectral Imager, developed by Cornell astronomy graduate student Christian Tate.

[Ive been] learning about the strengths and weaknesses of our cameraand any potential issues we might run into on the way so that we can fully understand what to expect when we start to use Mastcam-Z at Jezero Crater, Barrington said. No one wants to be surprised by anything on the first day that we land we want to know as much ahead of time as possible.

Besides Mastcam-Z, a substantial team of scientists scattered across the globe worked on another one of Perseverances instruments called RIMFAX, or Radar Imager for Mars Subsurface Experiment. One of these scientists is Cornell principal researcher Michael Mellon.

Mellon said that this radar directs radio waves downward into the subsurface of Mars and captures reflections of the radio waves as they bounce off of the underground layers back toward the surface.

These reflections can occur every time the radio wave encounters a transition in the subsurface layers, such as a change in density between soil and rock, or a change in material between rock minerals and water ice.

According to Mellon, RIMFAX will send out pulses of radio waves for every four inches the rover moves as the Perseverance traverses the terrain of Jezero Crater.

The instrument will also measure the time interval between the initial pulse of radio waves and the returned reflection, which can help scientists determine the stratigraphy at the landing site a two-dimensional profile of rock layers beneath the surface.

Were going to be able to probe into those sediments [of Jezero Crater] and look for those layered structures in the subsurface, and so we can kind of help paint a picture of what the geologic history of the area was, Mellon said.

Understanding the geologic history of Mars is crucial to determining whether the planet was habitable for early life a question scientists have been trying to answer for decades.

The history of the climate, the history of geology and the potential for life are all tied together. Its often cited that theres a common theme between them, which is water, Mellon said. Water leaves a signature on the geologic record, and water is intimately tied to the climate and water is the necessary ingredient for life.

Mellon specifically researched the structure of soil on Mars, as well as the relationship between the geologic history of water ice and climate. Mellons research helped define important questions, such as how deep the radar should penetrate and what it should be looking for, informing the engineering requirements of the instrument.

Because of this, RIMFAX will be able to make useful measurements of subsurface structures that could indicate the presence of ice in the past, along with other key parameters.

In preparation for Perseverances landing, both Mellon and Barrington will be training for, practicing and refining the procedures involved in the post-landing operation of their respective instruments. This will require the collaboration of the entire science teams behind each instrument, allowing for smoother coordination once operation of the rover actually begins in six months.

Despite the long road ahead of her, Barrington said it was a gratifying experience to work on Perseverance.

Its been a total dream experience, Barrington said. Coming here and participating in the project for Mastcam Z and the Mars 2020 [mission] has been so very exciting and fulfilling, and Ive never been prouder of the work that I do.

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The Red Planet Gets a Little Redder: Cornellians Work on Instruments for Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

Mars Racer XRC Branded Peugeot – I Bet Matt Damon Wished He had One in Mars – autoevolution

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Every once in a while, we find an idea that maybe didnt get enough praise at the time it arose, or purely and simply, it has sparked a whole new genre of vehicles that we just aren't able to manifest yet. I feel this may be the case with the Peugeot XRC.

Now personally, I'm just an adult sized kid, so when I first saw the XRC my eyes lit up. Now, I didnt go fully bonkers, but parts of my childhood did flash before my eyes. It first reminded me of a sci-fi F1 car, or simply the way I saw F1 cars on TV. The next childhood scene that I witnessed was me playing with my old RC cars.

This later vision would prove to be much closer to the truth behind the design than I may have imagined at the time. Upon researching this concept, I found out that the original design for the XRC was made exactly with the idea of an adult-sized RC car. The design of the XRC is one destined for desert rallies and off-road terrain. It sure as hell looks like it, no doubt about that.

The design is a futuristic speed demon. I could very well see this in the next Mars movie. You know, the one about racing on different planets. Seriously just have a look again in the gallery. Notice the huge knobs on the front and back tires. Where have you seen a similar design? On Mars rovers. And it makes sense that all terrain wheels would look something like rover wheels - they're made to tackle unknown and unexpected terrains.

The body is reminiscent of F1 cars. The front dips low, real low, and the only real rise in the frame is caused by the driver pod. Speaking of driver pods, this design only allows one driver at a time. Once the windshield breaks the low body design, it continues to the back, offering a very aerodynamic look that really pulls the eyes in. The sides of the XRC run low and along the driver pod front the front all the way to the back.

That axel leads to two arms that hold the double-wide wheels in place. The rear tires are also twice as wide as the front tires and about 1/6 larger. This further lifts the vehicles rear and pushes the nose of the car into the ground. At the front two shorter arms are designed directly into the chassis and seem to eliminate the suspension, or we simply cannot see the same suspension set-up as on the back. If thats true, then the suspension for the front should be built right into the arms.

The driving and steering mechanism for the Peugeot seems to be one based on a static wheel upon which the tires rotate, much like a magnetic propulsion system, or like the drivetrain on the Nawa Racer.

The cockpit of the XRC opens forward to allow the driver to step in all futuristic like. OOO, I just can't wait to see a movie with these things.

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Mars Racer XRC Branded Peugeot - I Bet Matt Damon Wished He had One in Mars - autoevolution

Drake rumoured to be collaborating with Bruno Mars on new single – NME

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Drake is rumoured to be collaborating with Bruno Mars for the first single from his upcoming new album.

The Toronto rapper is putting the finishing touches to his next studio album, which will follow on from 2018s Scorpion. He dropped the Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape back in May, and previously said that his next studio album will be released this summer.

A new report on OnSMASH has now claimed that Drake will partner with Mars for the first single from his next album, which is reportedly titled Skeleton King. The song could be released as soon as this week, with a potential release date of this Friday (August 14) being mooted.

An official release date and title for the new Drake album has yet to be announced. NME has reached out to representatives of both Drake and Bruno Mars for comment.

On July 28, Drakes engineer Noel Cadastre gave fans an update on the progress of the new album on Instagram, saying that it was 90% complete but that yall gonna have to wait on that last 10%.

Drake has collaborated with a number of high-profile artists in recent weeks, including Popcaan, Headie One and DJ Khaled.

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Drake rumoured to be collaborating with Bruno Mars on new single - NME

UAE Mars Mission: how to track Hope probe in real time – The National

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The UAEs Hope spacecraft remains healthy and is on the way to the Red Planet, according to a live tracking website by US space agency Nasa.

Communication with the Mars weather satellite, which lifted-off from Japan on July 20, is possible through massive antennas by Nasas Deep Space Network, located in three countries to provide a 24-hour coverage of the craft.

The spacecraft is expected to arrive to its desired Martian orbit in February and will remain there for two years, capturing data so scientists can study the dynamic weather conditions of the planet.

During this mission, the satellite will be sending data to one of the antennas in Canberra in Australia, Madrid in Spain or Goldstone, California.

The data, or telemetry, is then sent to Emirati engineers at the mission control centre at Dubais Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.

However, anyone can track the status of deep space missions that use Nasas network.

The National explains how you can follow UAEs Hope probes journey live.

A Nasa website shows all deep space missions, which use the Deep Space Network, sending telemetry in real time.

The live feed helps show the status of the spacecraft, including its range, frequency, and power levels of radio transmissions, as well as the speed in which the craft is sending data.

Currently, there are 10 active deep space missions that the network is tracking, including the Emirates Mars Mission.

The steerable and high-gain antennas were strategically installed in three countries so Nasa can stay in contact with a spacecraft around the clock as the Earth rotates.

As of late Sunday, 11.30pm, UAEs spacecraft was sending telemetry to the antenna in Canberra, Australia. An hour later, Madrid was looking after it.

The satellite remains in good health and was sending data at a healthy rate and frequency.

The range figure, which tells the distance travelled so far, is not available while it is for the nine other missions the network is tracking. This could be because the Hope Mars Mission team requested Nasa to hide that figure publicly.

Within two days of the launch, the probe had travelled a million kilometres from Earth. By July 27, a distance of 2.47million kms was travelled.

At that rate, it is likely the spacecraft has already voyaged more than seven million kms. The remaining cruising distance, in this case, would be 486.5 million kms.

In the live feed, the public can see if and when a spacecraft is sending data, which antennas are communicating with the crafts, as well as the speed, power and rate being used to send and receive telemetry.

However, the network does more behind the scenes, such as acquiring, processing, decoding and distributing data to mission control rooms in different parts of the world.

Mission operations team, including the UAE Mars Mission engineers, use the Deep Space Network Command System to control the spacecrafts activities.

During an exclusive visit to the ground control room last month, The National learnt that Emirati engineers already have a series of commands prepared for the Hope probe during its 200-day journey to Mars.

They are working in 24-hour shifts at the mission control room until August 20 to ensure the spacecraft is cruising in the correct route.

The long-distance calls are smooth so far, but as the Hope probe travels further away from Earth, there will be a communication delay between it and the ground control team.

The signals from the spacecraft are received within seconds as of now, however, that time frame will be increased to minutes in the next few weeks.

When it reaches Mars, there will be at least a 15-minute delay.

If you dont want to wait until the Hope probe becomes live on the website next, there are a few Twitter accounts that post each time the spacecraft sends telemetry.

One of the most active ones is the Dsn_Status account, an unofficial version of the network.

Updated: August 10, 2020 03:01 PM

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UAE Mars Mission: how to track Hope probe in real time - The National

Mars and the Moon Will Align in the Sky Tonight. Here’s When & How to See Them. – Thrillist

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You're in for a veritable stargazing feast over the next several days.On Saturday, Mars and the moon will form a dazzling conjunction overnight, which you can think of as sort of an appetizer beforethe Perseid meteor shower's spectacular peak early next week, the main course. You're gonna want to enjoy both.

On the night of August 8 into the morning of August 9, Mars and the moon will appear to violate social distancing rules in the sky. You'll have to stay up late in order to spot the pair, but that shouldn't be much of a problem on a warm weekend night in the middle of summer. The stargazing spectacle, known as a conjunction, will only get better as the night turns into the early hours of the morning. Should you find yourself with clear skies (definitely check the weather before you head out), you'll likely also be rewarded with a few meteor sightings as the aforementioned Perseids shower nears its peak. Venus will also be hanging around.

Head outside and direct your attention to the East around midnight and you may be able to spot the red planet in the vicinity of a waning gibbous moon, weather permitting, according to EarthSky. The pair will appear to travel together (to be clear, they're still millions of miles apart) westward across the sky before peaking at their highest point together around dawn. Like with viewing anything in the sky at night, you'll want to get away from the bright lights of the city and suburbs for the best results, though you'll still be able to see the two through light pollution. You'll also want to give your eyes some time to adjust -- 30 minutes should do the trick -- once you've found your spot.

If you have any trouble locating Mars, I recommend turning to a stargazing mobile app like Night Sky, which will label the stars, planets, and more as you point your phone at the night sky. Then again, Mars is set to look brighter and brighter every night this month and next ahead of reaching opposition, when Earth passes between it and the sun in October, its brightest. In other words, if you haven't been watching Mars yet this summer, the conjunction with the moon marks the perfect time to start.

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Mars and the Moon Will Align in the Sky Tonight. Here's When & How to See Them. - Thrillist

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Fewer than half of U.S. mental health treatment facilities providing care for children offer services for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a report published in the June issue of Health Affairs.Jonathan Cantor, Ph.D., from RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California, and colleagues assessed the availability of behavioral health care services...

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Tokyo, Basking Ridge, N.J. and Munich (August 6, 2020) Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) announced that it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration with AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN) to evaluate the combination of patritumab deruxtecan (U3-1402), a HER3 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate (ADC),...

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA Aug 3, 2020 Today, members of the COVID R&D Alliance AbbVie, Inc. (NYSE: ABBV), Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN), and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (NYSE: TAK) announced the first patients enrolled in the I-SPY COVID Trial (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your COVID Therapeutic Response with Biomarker Integration...

Posted 3 days ago in New Drug Approvals

August 7, 2020 -- Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Evrysdi (risdiplam) for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in adults and children 2 months of age and older. Evrysdi showed clinically-meaningful improvements in motor function across two clinical trials in...

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(BUSINESS WIRE) August 7, 2020 -- Bayer announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lampit (nifurtimox) for use in pediatric patients (from birth to less than 18 years of age and weighing at least 2.5 kg) for the treatment of Chagas disease (American Trypanosomiasis) caused by Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi).1...

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Folks who want to eat healthy by choosing whole grain foods aren't helped by product labels that can confuse and mislead consumers, a new study shows.Almost half were unable to identify the healthier whole grain option when asked to rely on food package labels, researchers discovered.A similar proportion of participants were unable to accurately...

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What if you were given a heart screening when you see your gynecologist?New research suggests that such a strategy might be smart medicine.Scientists found that 86% of women seen at an outpatient gynecology clinic had a cardiovascular risk factor and 40% had at least one cardiovascular symptom, but there was low awareness of cardiovascular risk...

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Two-thirds of U.S. adults say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the results of a survey released Aug. 6 by the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public's Policy Preferences Across States.Roy H. Perlis, M.D., from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues conducted the seventh wave of a large, 50-state survey (June 10 to 26)...

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Many children are eligible for type 2 diabetes screening, but few test positive for prediabetes or diabetes, according to a study published online Aug. 10 in Pediatrics.Amelia S. Wallace, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis involving 14,119 youth aged 10 to 19 years...

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Most practices are complying with the American Academy of Ophthalmology guidelines for scheduling patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in JAMA Ophthalmology.Matthew R. Starr, M.D., from the Wills Eye Hospital at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and colleagues surveyed 40 randomly selected...

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In 2008, the Washington Post made national headline news with its front-page news article about the dangers of BPA (Bisphenol-A), a chemical used to make sealants and a hard clear plastic called polycarbonate. The FDA investigated, but according to their most recent safety assessment in 2014, still considers BPA safe at the current levels occurring []

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With the weather heating up across the U.S. it seems good timing that most states are easing their lockdown restrictions. Escaping into the sun is something we are all looking forward to, especially after a winter of confinement at home. But did you know that heat-related deaths are one of the deadliest weather-related outcomes in []

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Vitamin C has always been a controversial supplement. To some, it belongs firmly in the alternative medicine basket, with apparently no substantial evidence to support its use. To others, it holds promise, particularly if you are talking about certain groups of people who are likely to be low in vitamin C. Because we NEED vitamin []

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After more than 50 years in medicine, Brandon doctor dies of COVID-19 – FOX 13 Tampa Bay

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Doctor said he would never retire, dies of COVID-19

Josh Cascio reports

BRANDON, Fla - The medical community is mourning the loss of longtime-doctor at Brandon Regional Hospital, Sam Scolaro.

He said, 'I made a promise to God at 20 years old that Id serve my patients 'till the day I die, so Im never going to retire,' his daughter, Stephanie Scolaro told FOX 13.

At 75 years old, Dr. Scolaro passed away Friday from complications from COVID-19.

Since I was a little kid, I was so proud to tell people my dads a doctor because he helped everybody, she said.

Dr. Scolaro tested positive for COVID-19 on his 53rd wedding anniversary -- June 25.

When we went to the hospital, my mom told me she knew it would be the last time we saw him. He was very sick, Stephanie said.

But even in his final days, Dr. Scolaro never stopped thinking of others.

He told his nurses, 'We need to hurry and get me out of here, my patients need me,' Stephanie said.

It was just the doctor in him, honoring the promise he made all those years ago.

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After more than 50 years in medicine, Brandon doctor dies of COVID-19 - FOX 13 Tampa Bay

Group applies to be recognized as national certifying board for oral medicine specialty – American Dental Association

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August 10, 2020 The American Board of Oral Medicine submitted on Aug. 5 an application and request to the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards to be recognized as the certifying board for the newly approved specialty of oral medicine. The application comes about four months after the National Commission recognized oral medicine as a dental specialty, based on the determination that the American Academy of Oral Medicines application met all the ADAs Requirements for Recognition of a Dental Specialty. If approved by the National Commission, the American Board of Oral Medicine would become recognized as the national certifying board that administers the board certification examination certifying qualified dentists as diplomats in the specialty of oral medicine. According to the Requirements for Recognition of National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists, only one certifying board that has a close working relationship with the sponsoring organization will be recognized by the National Commission. According to the National Commission, the national certifying board for a dental specialty must go through an application process and meet several requirements as outlined in the ADAs Requirements for Recognition of National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists.

All documentation in the application is confidential until the review committee has determined that the application is contains the required documentation. If the application contains the required documentation, the National Commission will invite public comment for a 60-day period on whether the applicant has demonstrated that it meets each of the Requirements for Recognition. Incomplete applications are returned to the certifying board for modifications. For more information on the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, visit ADA.org/en/ncrdscb or by calling 1-312-440-2697.

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Group applies to be recognized as national certifying board for oral medicine specialty - American Dental Association

Australia’s nuclear medicine agency chartered flights to deliver children’s cancer treatment – The Guardian

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Australias nuclear medicine agency has spent more than $350,000 on chartered flights to deliver critical medicines to diagnose and treat childrens cancer, as the Covid-19 pandemic exposes worrying gaps in health supply chains.

As it prepares to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation has revealed how widespread flight cancellations temporarily put at risk the supplies of certain nuclear medicines.

Ansto disclosed the charter flight costs in response to questions from Guardian Australia, saying that it was focused on doing everything we can to continue the supply of life-saving nuclear medicine for Australians around the country.

It said it had also needed to deliver medicines to Brisbane by truck since April, with this road freight costing $4,000 per week, split between Ansto and its customers.

Australia lost the capacity to make the radioactive isotope iodine-123 - used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the nerve cells of children just over a decade ago with the closure of the National Medical Cyclotron in Camperdown, NSW.

But according to Ansto, iodine-123 is needed in clinical settings by about a dozen patients around Australia at any one time most of them children with neuroblastoma. This means Australia now relies on imports from Japan.

But with a half-life of just over 13 hours meaning the levels of radioactivity halve every 13 hours this isotope needs to be distributed to Australian hospitals and health centres very quickly. It expires within 33 hours of being manufactured in Japan.

The challenge with transporting nuclear medicine is the products have a short half-life, Ian Martin, the general manager of Ansto Health, told Guardian Australia.

We need to get the isotopes from point A to point B before they decay too much to be effective, a complex task when B is in another hemisphere.

In response to questions, Ansto said the chartered flights included one from Japan to Sydney, followed immediately by flights from Sydney to Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne illustrating the rush to get the isotope to where it was needed.

Given that Covid-19 is causing ongoing disruptions to normal supply chains, Ansto said it was continuing to work with clinicians to refine delivery logistics and ensure nuclear medicine reached Australian patients in need.

Martin thanked those who had helped Ansto deal with these difficult circumstances, including the airlines Qantas, Virgin and ANA.

His comments expanded on a submission to a parliamentary committee, in which Ansto said the international and domestic charter flights were needed to ensure that this essential product reaches patients, at not insignificant expense.

The submission also noted that the case highlights the potential for disruption to the import of nuclear medicines caused by pandemics.

Despite the difficulties with iodine-123, Ansto said it produced a number of other important nuclear medicines in Australia. These include molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) which is used to make a radioisotope commonly used for the diagnosis of conditions such as cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders.

The submission said the completion of the Ansto Nuclear Medicine Facility in 2019 meant that the organisation was able to meet domestic demand in Australia while also supplying up to 25% of the Mo-99 required globally.

It is pursuing contracts in existing markets, such as North America and Europe, and predicts an increase in use in growing markets especially in Asia. Ansto said the pandemic had underscored the importance of Australia having a domestic Mo-99 production capability.

The reduction in flights as a result of Covid-19 has meant that access to overseas supplies of this important isotope has become more difficult and more unreliable, it said.

If Australia did not have such a capability, there could have easily been major shortages in supply of this lifesaving product during the height of the pandemic, especially given our remoteness from the main producers in Europe.

Witnesses from Ansto are expected to expand on these issues when they appear before the joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade on Tuesday afternoon.

The committee is looking at supply chains as part of its inquiry into the effect of Covid-19 on Australias defence, trade and international relations.

The inquiry chair, Liberal senator David Fawcett, said the committee wanted to hear from Ansto because it was a leading producer and exporter of some of the most important nuclear medicines used in diagnosing and treating cancers, heart disease and neurological disorders.

Ansto has worked hard to ensure Australians have ongoing access to vital nuclear medicines during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is also doing important work in the processing of rare earth metals, an area that has great potential to enhance Australias sovereign capabilities, Fawcett said.

In earlier hearings, the committee was told that Australian companies had experienced shocking price gouging and had trouble accessing critical supplies to make medicines and personal protective equipment at the height of the pandemic.

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Australia's nuclear medicine agency chartered flights to deliver children's cancer treatment - The Guardian

Town halls at Penn State College of Medicine reveal the same racial tensions that plague the nation | Opinion – pennlive.com

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On May 29th, 2020, four days after the killing of George Floyd, we received a message from a Black medical student at the Penn State College of Medicine on the Hershey campus. She said she was scared. The administration, she told us, hadnt offered her any support. She was finding it hard to focus.

Her message prompted a long overdue conversation. After years of practicing medicine at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus, we were embarrassed to discover how little we knew about just how different the experience of medical school was for Black students.

Our friend told us she constantly felt invisible because white attending physicians routinely address white students. She said white students in class would consistently talk over her. As two white medical professionals, we were appalled.

Many of these concerns were echoed through a series of town hall meetings that were eventually called for Hershey campus students and faculty to address tensions that grew as our campus, like the rest of the country, grappled with the ugly revelations that followed George Floyds killing.

Some of the things we heard at these meetings were shocking. One Black medical student said she had been insulted by a physician during hospital rounds.

Some of the things we heard at these meetings were shocking. One Black medical student recalled being deeply offended by a physician who, intentionally or not, used a blatant racial slur in asking her a question during hospital rounds. Another asked why there are so few Black students and faculty on campus, as well as for specific plans and goal to move towards racial equity.

Curious to know just how big a racial disparity there was, we looked for statistics on the makeup of the medical student classes at Hershey.

National data shows that Black medical students comprised 6.2 percent of the student body in medical schools across the U.S. in 2015, 6.4 percent in 2016, 6.8 percent in 2017, 7.1 percent in 2018, and 7.3 percent in 2019 admission years.

Penn States Hershey campus says that it values diversity and that it is committed to educating students, from all backgrounds, who also reflect our nations demographics.

But proof of this commitment turned out to be impossible to find.

While there appears to be a demonstrable lack of Black students on campus, no statistics were publicly available for the Penn State College of Medicine.

Statistics show an inexcusable disparity in the medical profession nationally.

While Blacks comprise 13.4 percent of the general population (US official Census for July of 2019) only 5 percent of practicing US physicians are Black (Association of American Medical Colleges, 2018 report).

Projecting from the current slow growth in the percentage of Black medical students, it will take over 40 years to reach an equitable representation. And since an equitable representation is a matter of justice, it will take 40 years for Black medical professionals to attain justice.

Consequences of this painfully slow track to justice are enormous.

Equitable representation has shown to lead to better health outcomes in Black patients. Causes behind African American distrust of white physicians have been well documented by the rich history of medical mistreatment.

The most frequently cited example is the Tuskegee experiment where Black men with syphilis were observed untreated starting in 1932 and were finally told about their condition when this unethical experimentation was exposed in 1979.

More recent investigations demonstrated that disproportionately more Black patients are enrolled in risky no-consent studies that lack personal benefits for the enrolled subjects. At the same time, Black patients are under-represented in studies of new promising drugs. This robs them of an opportunity to experience effective new medication for cancers and other conditions that would not be available outside the study protocols.

Increasing the percentage of Black doctors in the United States is important for the sake of restoring a sense of trust in the healthcare system among African Americans and for the future of the country as a whole. The evidence supports the conclusion that this increase will be followed by an improvement in health outcomes.

The Penn State Health websites diversity section banner shows three happy diverse faces: Our goal is to be best in class in increasing the diversity of our students and workforce, it reads.

But we found a different reality. We, as white allies, are in the best position to persuade the institution to be transparent on race statistics, act deliberately, and get on the fast track to justice.

Pamela Tulchinsky is a medical technologist. Her husband, Mark Tulchinsky, MD, is Asst. Director of Nuclear Medicine at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center where he practices and teaches radiology and medicine. He is current Vice President of the American College of Nuclear Medicine.

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Town halls at Penn State College of Medicine reveal the same racial tensions that plague the nation | Opinion - pennlive.com

Why is Precision Medicine Gaining Popularity in Healthcare? – Healthcare Tech Outlook

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The idea behind precision medicine has always been the aim of healthcare providers, and its becoming truly achievable with recent technological advancements.

FREMONT, CA: The healthcare environment is in the turmoil of disruptive changes, with new technologies promising revolutionary advances in medicine and life-extending therapies. As a result, continuing to accelerate innovation in health while reducing the cost curve is a vital pain point for the years to come. Technology solutions have arisen with the development and evolution of the principles of precision medicine, where innovations are making breakthroughs possible on a patient-specific basis.

The quest for personalized care means offering the right drug to the right patient at the right time. Achieving a personally tailored therapy is not a simple process, but breakthroughs in developing precision medicines are making huge in-roads. The growth of mobile and wearable technology has created new markets in healthy living and also changed patient expectations for more holistic care approaches with a personalized experience beyond the pill. For healthcare providers, this makes enhancing the patient experience at the hospital and home care with telemedicine, telehealth, and teleconsultation critical.

For years, healthcare models have revolved around the curative care process. Healthcare innovation brings a revolutionary promise, a move towards prescriptive care. This will require changes in healthcare value chains. Challenges are not merely the rollout of value-based care models tied to patient outcomes to favor economy but the development of outcome-based payment models, enabling care to be rewarded with proactive support for their patients health, with economic incentives, and precision medicine makes this possible.

Faced with the demand to care better for less, it is essential that healthcare providers develop more effective clinical pathways. This requires a reduction of clinical and administrative redundancies and a transformation to low-cost, standardized clinical processes, like a better use of generics, shared service centers, and many more. To succeed, healthcare players can improve treatment coordination by developing electronic health records (EHR). They can help caregivers in diagnostic, monitoring, and process management tasks in precision medicine. And they increase collaborative productivity and faster communication between medical teams, administrative staff, patients, and other stakeholders.

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The pandemic has propelled military medicine into another dimension | TheHill – The Hill

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When the nation calls, the military answers. So it is with COVID-19. In this case the military responded by sending two Navy hospital ships, medical supplies, equipment, field hospitals, and scores of medical personnel to assist numerous communities in the fight against this invisible enemy. While our military has appropriately supported pandemic demands, the complexities of a pandemic such as COVID-19 highlight the need to review our military medical force structure and rebalance it to adequately meet needs in a rapidly and constantly changing health security environment.

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has exceeded 160,000, more than twice the total killed in action from the Vietnam War and far above the losses from Iraq and Afghanistan. By June this year, the unemployment rate was 11 percent, from a high of 14.7 percent in April, including cutbacks across the defense industries supporting the fighting force. The Brookings Institution adds: How will we keep our military combat-ready, and thus fully capable of deterrence globally, until a vaccine is available to our troops?

All in all, the coronavirus has degraded the readiness of the military, even if only temporarily. We are fortunate that the virus likely has degraded the capabilities of the nations that compete with our national interests and threaten national security. Plagues, and wars, are disorienting events that have biological as well as political and social consequences. The coronavirus has alerted us that warfare in the 21st century has changed and catapulted military medicine into another dimension. The battle against the virus presents an opportunity to recalibrate as well as advance our practices and policies.

Traditionally, the militarys primary role has been to deter war and protect the security of our country, overseas as well as domestically. While not primary, the military also has a role in supporting crises and disasters when the nation calls. One reason the militarys medical assets were called to respond to the pandemic is that the military has what the civilian sector lacks a readily deployable, integrated health care system. This health care system has unique expertise in three areas that are useful in response to this pandemic: rapid deployment of treatment structures, a supply chain and logistics expertise, and a complement of personnel, trained and ready, to man large and small complex health care organizations.

However, U.S military medical assets are primarily funded and organized to support the fighting force. Medical structure typically is embedded and arrayed around and in support of the combat force. As such, the stuff (supplies and equipment), staff (personnel) and structure (facilities) are primarily designed for battlefield conditions and care of combat casualties.

Confounding the medical response to COVID-19 is the recent direction by Congress to reduce the militarys medical force by 18,000 providers, reduce the capacity to care for the enrolled population, and to streamline service lines to focus on combat casualty care, e.g., trauma care. Clearly this is not the type of medical expertise required in a viral pandemic.

The militarys medical force must balance this domestic response with the requirement to stay ready to deploy globally in response to a state or a non-state actor who threatens our national security interests. Additionally, Americas military medical force serves as a force-multiplier in diplomatic efforts as a soft power to win the hearts and minds of individuals around the world. They must stay ready. The Reserve Components are an integral part of the militarys medical assets, with over 50 percent of the Armys medical deployable capability residing in the Army Reserve.

Those reservists also provide medical care in their local communities. Mobilizing them to help care for Americans requires a careful balancing act to ensure local health care delivery is not jeopardized. Concurrently we learned that many civilian health care providers were furloughed because of a lack of personal protection equipment and a patient population demanding care. In hindsight, did the military need to be called to respond? And although our military can respond, should they be called?

A fresh look by the Pentagon and Congress is required to enable our medical force to support our national and health security and to be able to respond in a two-war scenario to meet both combat and domestic needs. Money cut from budgets must be reinstated, force structure must be reorganized and training must be expanded to allow for readiness to support health security, infectious disease scenarios and combat trauma with the caveat that there may be future scenarios where the combat force may need to be arrayed in such a way to support the medical force.

Peggy Wilmoth, Ph.D., R.N., a retired U.S. Army major general and former Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army Reserve, is executive vice dean and associate dean for academic affairs The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. She was inducted into the Army Womens Foundation Hall of Fame in March 2020. The views expressed here are hers alone. Follow her on Twitter @mcwilmot.

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School of Medicine faculty receive grants to study opioid use and COVID-19 testing – UC Riverside

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Assistant professors Andrew Subica and Ann Cheney of the UC Riverside School of Medicines Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health have received grants to support research on opioid use, COVID-19 testing, and public health education.

Subica was awarded a three-year, $727,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for a project titled Engaging Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in opioid use disorder treatment.

Next to COVID-19, the opioid overdose epidemic is the biggest public health crisis affecting the U.S. since HIV/AIDS, with 48,000 people dying per year from opioid overdose, Subica said. No research has sought to understand or address opioid use disorders in Pacific Islander populations a research and clinical gap this three-year intervention development grant will seek to address.

Subica said he decided to pursue this research because Pacific Islanders have nearly every major risk factor for opioid use disorders compared to other U.S. racial groups, including extremely high rates of mental health and substance use disorders the strongest predictor of opioid use disorders.

Our study will explore the scope of the opioid issue among Native Hawaiians in Hawaii and Tongans in Utah to design a culturally tailored intervention to engage Pacific Islanders with opioid use disorders in treatment, Subica said. People with opioid use disorders are at very high risk for death from overdose. It is thus a public health priority to intervene before Pacific Islanders overdose on opioids. We will create the intervention and pilot-test it, our goal being randomized controlled trials of this intervention in future studies.

Subica and his team will also seek to gain new data on methamphetamine use in Pacific Islander communities.

Methamphetamine abuse, which is extremely high among Pacific Islanders, is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in nearly all states where substantial Pacific Islander populations reside, Subica said. This study will ideally gain information about the drugs most closely linked to the risk of overdose and death in Pacific Islanders.

Subicas research partners include Dr. Li-Tzy Wu at Duke University School of Medicine; Dr. Scott Okamoto at Hawaii Pacific University; Dr. Nia Aitaoto at University of Utah; and Drs. Howard Moss and Esra Kurum at UCR.

Cheney received a $150,000 award from the Desert Healthcare District for COVID-19 testing and public health education for farmworking communities in Californias eastern Coachella Valley. The five-month grant involves a partnership with Riverside County Public Health, which will provide coronavirus testing kits and conduct contact tracing and case investigations.

UCR clinical faculty, medical students, pre-med students, and promotoras will be involved in engaging Latinx farm-working communities in testing and will disseminate public health material, Cheney said.

She explained that rates of new COVID-19 infection are high in the eastern Coachella Valley, especially in the communities bordering the Salton Sea, such as Mecca, Thermal, North Shore, and Oasis. Her work will be conducted in farmworking communities in these towns.

We have heard there isnt sufficient access to testing, she said. Factors like mistrust, stigma, and limited understanding of virus spread shape decisions to get tested. We have also heard some are hesitant to get tested because of the implications it could have for their employment; they may not be able to take time off or could lose their jobs as they wait for the results. We hope to reduce the spread of the virus in these vulnerable communities.

Cheney will be joined in the research by Dr. Marc Debay, director of the UCR family medicine residency program, who will lead UCR medical residents in the testing.

We are both working closely with Riverside County Public Health to get tests and be involved in contact tracing and case investigations, Cheney said. Promotoras will be trained to do the contact tracing. We also have a team of medical students who are monitoring Riverside County Public Health to assess any changes over time in new infections, confirmed cases, and deaths. And we have a team of pre-med students developing and implementing a public health campaign.Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R34DA049989. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Header image by Stan Lim.

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Coverage of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) virtual meeting featured on AuntMinnie.com – PR Web

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We're pleased to once again be offering coverage of the ISMRM annual meeting. This year's virtual format for ISMRM 2020 is a perfect complement to our exclusively online coverage.

ARLINGTON, Va. (PRWEB) August 10, 2020

For the second straight year, radiology portal AuntMinnie.com, part of Science and Medicine Group, has launched a new special section dedicated exclusively to the proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) annual meeting.

AuntMinnie's RADCast@ISMRM is available at radcast.auntminnie.com and features wall-to-wall editorial coverage of the premier medical conference dedicated exclusively to MRI. Important topics at the 2020 conference include the following:

"We're pleased to once again be offering coverage of the ISMRM annual meeting," said Brian Casey, editor in chief of AuntMinnie.com. "This year's virtual format for ISMRM 2020 is a perfect complement to our exclusively online coverage."

ISMRM's mission to educate the MRI community continues with this year's virtual meeting, even in an era of social distancing, according to Lawrence L. Wald, PhD, 2019-2020 ISMRM president.

"Sharing research, networking, precipitating new thinking, and inspiring thought that does not come easily in isolation -- that is the goal of our annual meeting," Wald said. "Its been a challenging year for all of us, with plenty of isolation, but I am confident that the virtual meeting can achieve these goals. I look forward to participating in it with you. It has been an honor serving the society as the 2019-2020 ISMRM president."

AuntMinnie's daily editorial coverage of ISMRM 2020 will run from August 8 to August 14.

About AuntMinnie.com

AuntMinnie.com is the premier online destination for radiologists, radiation therapists, interventional radiologists, and related professionals in the medical imaging industry, while AuntMinnieEurope.com serves the European radiology community. AuntMinnie.com and AuntMinnieEurope.com feature the latest news, communities, continuing medical education, and board review education for medical imaging physicians, clinicians, residents, and medical students across the world. AuntMinnie.com and AuntMinnieEurope.com are part of Science and Medicine Group.

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Coverage of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) virtual meeting featured on AuntMinnie.com - PR Web

Pierre doctor of internal medicine: COVID is ‘definitely not the flu’ – The Capital Journal

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South Dakota health officials confirmed 98 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to 9,371 infections, with the disease causing 144 deaths.

And if you ask Dr. Philip Meyer of Avera St. Marys Hospital in Pierre, who has been practicing internal medicine for 26 years, Americans need to get used to masking up and social distancing.

In fact, Meyer doesnt even like the term social distancing because he said it does not fully convey the need to maintain physical separation.

I dont believe we are going to be out of the woods with COVID-19 until the fall of next year, at the soonest, in my opinion, Meyer told the Capital Journal during a Thursday interview.

Social distance should be called physical distance. Maintaining a physical distance of 6 feet is more helpful than we thought, Meyer added.

Speaking as a health professional, Meyer said he sees the politicization of COVID-19 as unfortunate.

I have seen some grotesque overreaction and some grotesque underreaction, Meyer said, though not citing any specific examples.

This is real. It is definitely not the flu. There really is no sense in trying to draw comparisons between this and the flu, Meyer added.

One major difference between COVID-19 and influenza, according to Meyer, is the average time in the hospital for someone who becomes severely ill from the disease. He said the average hospital stay for a COVID-19 patient is 15 days, compared to just two or three for the typical person who requires hospitalization for the flu.

Meyer also encourages people to wear masks in public, particularly during instances when maintaining a 6-foot physical distance is impractical.

It is not about politics, Meyer said. What the masks do is they prevent each of us from spreading it to each other.

At The Hospital

Earlier this year, South Dakota officials expressed concern about not having enough hospital beds in the event of a surge of COVID-19 cases. Mitigation efforts have reduced the possibility of this, but Meyer said Avera is ready for a large influx of COVID patients, should this occur.

We are very prepared, he said, noting the hospital normally houses 25-35 patients. Meyer said officials made extensive preparations to increase capacity so that as many as 150 patients can be hospitalized at the Pierre facility.

Prepare for the worst and pray for the best, he said of this philosophy.

While Meyer said the hospital stopped allowing patients to have visitors for some time, each patient is now permitted two visitors.

In terms of working to stop the spread of COVID-19 within the hospital, Meyer said staff members are required to cover not only their mouths and noses, but also their eyes. He also said everyone must enter through one of two entrances at the facility now, while those coming into the hospital must pass a temperature check.

When asked about the effectiveness of the somewhat controversial antimalarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, against COVID-19.

We dont have enough evidence that it is helpful, Meyer said. It is still open for debate.

Moving forward, Meyer said businesses, schools, governments, hospitals, and society in general have to get used to physical distancing until the virus dissipates.

Learning how to live with this threat is what people need to do, he added.

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Pierre doctor of internal medicine: COVID is 'definitely not the flu' - The Capital Journal

Second COVID-19 death in Medicine Hat – CHAT News Today

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There is some irony in the fact that my cautious optimism last week was followed by three days with new cases counts over 100. It is a reminder that COVID continues to be with us, and we cannot turn our backs on this virus, said Dr. Deena Hinshaw. We all need to make wise decisions every day that make life safer, regardless of whether case numbers are rising or falling at any given time.

Hinshaw addressed some of the most common questions she hears, including size of cohorts as school begins.

She said there is no single answer to that question.

We do know that the more people you come in contact with, the greater your risk of exposure, she said. Parents, guardians and family members should look at their cohorts and assess if they are comfortable with the current size or if they need to shrink it as school begins.

She recommended anyone in doubt should shrink their cohort for the first few weeks, then reassessing once the routines of school have been established.

As for COVIDs impact on pets, Hinshaw said theres limited research but that there have been very few reports of domestic animals testing positive for COVID-19.

She said those have occurred in pets who have been in contact with people who tested positive for the virus.

At this time, there is no evidence that domestic animals can transmit the disease to humans, she said.

For masks, Hinshaw recommended clean cloth masks be stored in a sealed and clean storage bag in a dry area.

If the mask becomes damp or soiled, it should be put into a separate breathable bag and taken home for washing, she said. When it comes time to clean them, empty the bags into the washing machine. Consider using a bag that can also be washed at the same time. Generally speaking, warm water is better but follow whatever directions are recommended for washing your masks material.

Another common concern, said Hinshaw, is how long it takes for notification of positive test results. She said that is currently two days.

This too long. We have put some measures in place and are working on more to reduce this wait time and speed up other components of the testing process in the coming weeks, said the chief medical officer of health, urging anyone who is feeling ill and has been tested to stay home, away from family and cohort members until test results return.

There are 66 Albertans currently in hospital due to COVID-19, 14 of which are in ICU. There are a total of 213 deaths, an increase of five.

The province conducted 26,357 tests over the weekend.

The South Zone has a total of 1,695 cases 1,614 recovered, an increase of 37, and 61 active, a decrease of 29.

There are seven people in the zone in hospital, four of which are in ICU, and there have been 20 deaths.

Cypress County has totalled 31 cases all recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 19 total cases, seven active cases and 12 recovered.

The MD of Taber has 37 total cases three active and 34 recovered.

Special Areas No. 2 has one active case and 14 recovered.

Brooks has 1,123 total cases 1,114 are recovered and there are none considered active. Brooks has recorded nine deaths. The County of Newell has a total of 28 cases five active, 22 recovered one death. Its the first death reported in the county.

The County of Warner has 54 total cases. There are now 53 recovered cases in addition to one previously reported death in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 141 cases. Of those, 23 are listed as active and 116 recovered and there have been two deaths there. Lethbridge County has 28 cases, two active cases and 26 recovered.

The figures on alberta.ca are up-to-date as of end of day Aug. 9, 2020.

Saskatchewan reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, one in the South Zone.

Saskatchewan has a total of 1,450 cases, 165 considered active. There are 1,265 recovered cases and there have been 20 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

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The best types of medicine for nausea and which is right for you – Insider – INSIDER

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There are many different reasons why you may experience nausea. Sometimes it is due to an underlying medical condition. Other times, nausea may occur as a result of motion sickness or eating too much.

In many of these cases, taking anti-nausea medication can help relieve your symptoms quickly. But which medicine you should take depends on what's causing your nausea.

The most common causes of nausea include:

If you know you're going to be nauseous in advance, you can prevent it by taking medication beforehand. So, for example, if you know you're prone to get nausea on airplanes, you should take medication approximately half an hour before your flight takes off.

Here are the most common types of anti-nausea medicine for motion sickness:

Motion sickness medications work best when taken before the activity that may cause motion sickness, Devine says, so it won't help as much to take it after you feel nauseous.

Nausea caused by acid reflux is best resolved by treating the acid reflux itself, Devine says. The two major classes of medication to treat acid reflux are:

These are prescription medications, but some of them are available over-the-counter at lower strength doses. You should contact your doctor if you experience symptoms of acid reflux, like heartburn and nausea, that persist for seven days even with over-the-counter treatment.

Nausea during pregnancy typically subsides in the second trimester, though there are some people who experience it for longer, or who may have an extreme version, known as hyperemesis gravidarum.

Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) is a common over-the-counter anti-nausea medication deemed safe during pregnancy, Devine says. However, the kind of anti-nausea medication or treatment best suited for a pregnant person depends on the severity of their nausea and other individual factors.

Some anti-nausea medications may impact fetal development, so if you think you may need anti-nausea medication, it's important to discuss options with your obstetrician first.

If you experience severe, recurrent episodes of nausea without a clear underlying cause your doctor may prescribe medications that act on histamine, dopamine, or serotonin receptors in the brain.

These prescription medications can help treat acute episodes of nausea or prevent future episodes. Examples include:

Common side effects of anti-nausea medication include:

Most medications to treat nausea are safe, Devine says, but there are cases where anti-nausea medication may not be a good idea. Some common anti-nausea medications, like those acting on dopamine and serotonin receptors, can affect electrical rhythms of the heart.

These medications are typically not recommended for people with a history of heart conditions or those on other medications with potential side effects of heart rhythm abnormalities.

Talk with your doctor about the best anti-nausea medication for your symptoms. Together, you can develop a treatment plan to prevent and treat your nausea.

"No one should have to suffer with frequent nausea and vomiting," Devine says. "In the overwhelming majority of cases, nausea can be well managed with a combination of lifestyle, dietary, and medication therapies."

For more information, learn about the best home remedies for nausea.

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The best types of medicine for nausea and which is right for you - Insider - INSIDER

‘Everybody Deserves To Be Seen As A Hero,’ Says ‘Old Guard’ Director – NPR

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TERRY GROSS, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. One of the summer's big movie hits, a summer with movie theaters closed, is the Netflix film "The Old Guard," directed by my guest, Gina Prince-Bythewood. It reached nearly 72 million households in its first four weeks and is already among the top 10 most popular Netflix films ever. She is the first Black woman to direct an adaptation of a comic book. "The Old Guard" is kind of a superhero film. When the film opens, we see several people lying dead, shot up with bullets. But soon, these bodies start moving. They eject bullets from their bodies, rapidly heal their wounds and get back up.

These people, the heroes of the film, are immortals. They've lived for centuries, some dating back to the Crusades. Immortality may sound great. Who wouldn't want to live forever? But these immortals are warriors. And they've been killed over and over again through the centuries. They experienced physical pain and the emotional pain of watching friends and family die. And they know that their immortality will eventually wear out. But they never know when. The first voice we hear in the film is the immortal played by Charlize Theron after she's been killed yet again on a mission.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE OLD GUARD")

CHARLIZE THERON: (As Andy) I've been here before - over and over again - and each time, the same question. Is this it? Will this time be the one? And each time, the same answer. And I'm just tired of it.

GROSS: The plot of "The Old Guard" revolves around a young woman, a Marine, who's killed in Afghanistan but miraculously heals and doesn't understand why. The immortals find her and initiate her into the immortal world that she initially wants no part of. Meanwhile, the head of a pharmaceutical company is trying to capture and study the immortals and figure out how to duplicate their DNA so that they can market immortality. Gina Prince-Bythewood also directed the films "Love And Basketball," about a young woman trying to be good enough to become a professional basketball player, and "Beyond The Lights," about a singer who's pressured into creating her image around her sexuality.

Gina Prince-Bythewood, welcome to FRESH AIR. And congratulations on the new movie. You know, I've been thinking about having a movie about immortality and the pain of outliving loved ones, having that released during the pandemic - I mean, you couldn't have understood the context that this would be released in. Does it change or deepen the meaning for you of the film?

GINA PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: You know, it did. There were two things that, you know, became highlighted for me having this film come out now. It was, you know, both the pandemic and, you know, this certainty of how connected globally we are. You know, for me, one of the beautiful things about the script when I first read it and what I was excited to put into the world was that it was this group of warriors from different cultures and backgrounds and sexual orientations and genders that have come together to protect humanity. And, you know, it just feels, you know, even more relevant. And then the other is this national reckoning that we're having in this moment, which I certainly believe is tied to the pandemic as well.

But the - how important it is to have characters like Nile in the world given how, you know, complicit, really, Hollywood has been in the images of Black people that have been put out that damage our humanity, as well as the invisibility, which does the same damage, certainly of Black women - and so again, you know, to have these images suddenly, not only here but globally, has been, you know, I think, a really beautiful thing and I hope, you know, has given people some inspiration or aspiration.

GROSS: Nile is the young Marine who becomes one of the immortals. And she wears a cross. She believes in God. And Charlize Theron's character watches the young woman pray and basically says, yeah, you know, give up. God doesn't exist. And then when Nile the young woman doesn't believe in the supernatural story about immortality, Charlize Theron says, you already believe in the supernatural. Meaning, you already believe in a supernatural God. So you should be able to believe in this story of immortality. How does that part strike you? How does that part speak to you?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: It's interesting because that was something that I brought to Nile's character is her faith. And it really started with what I felt was truthful to this young, Black woman and knowing how important the church is in the Black community. So it just felt real that she would believe in God. And that goes to, you know, when you take on a project and you take on characters, to really do the work and really dig deep on who they are and the truth of who they are. So in adding that, then suddenly it sparked so many really good conversations with Greg and I about spirituality and about religion. And...

GROSS: Greg Rucka is the screenwriter who also wrote the book that the movie is adapted from.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah. He - the conversations were so great because he believes - and it makes perfect sense - a character like Andy, who has lived for so long, would not be religious. She would not really have any faith in religion because she's seen the way, you know, religion has been used for thousands of years for - honestly, for negativity and for evil, and the way that, you know, certain religious societies have really denigrated different people. And then on a (laughter) whole nother level, the fact that when people saw that she couldn't die, you know, early on, that she herself was worshipped as a god. But she knows she's not a god.

You know, to her, despite her immortality, she is just a person. And so she saw the hypocrisy in religion for so long that there's no way that she believes in that. And she wouldn't even call yourself spiritual. I think that reconnection to spirituality comes in meeting Nile and her relationship with Nile. But I just felt that that was a really interesting contrast between the two women. And, again, everything that's happening to Nile, the first thing she would do is try to connect with her spirituality and her belief in God to try and understand the why. But that's also why she doesn't stop asking why, because of her faith.

GROSS: Are you thinking any differently about life and death now after having (laughter) made the film and having to think so much about life and death and immortality?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: (Laughter) I've always been afraid of death. Like, ever since I was a little kid, it was just a thing that's always in the back of my mind. And so - so many times in my life, I have said I wish I could live forever because you just think about the courage that that would give you, all the things that you would do if you didn't have that fear. I mean, I have an incredible fear of flying. I have claustrophobia.

So in doing this film, it was so interesting because, you know, early on, there was some pushback in that some wanted to focus more on the aspirational aspects of immortality. And I just think that that is what makes it interesting to talk about the opposite side of what we all envision immortality to be. And the thought of outliving everyone and the loneliness, I think, alone would be so hard to live with. But also, at what point does the - you're just seeing the world just hurt itself on a loop. And, you know, what would that feel like, especially if you, you know, have this ability you think you can protect and save, yet you just feel helpless in that? That just felt so interesting and real to me and did make me kind of question. Maybe I don't want to live forever. Now, I'd love to have immortality for, you know, a couple of years (laughter) so that I could, you know, jump out of a plane, which is something I've always wanted to do. But it really did make me think about - that having a finite end is actually a good thing.

GROSS: I just think it's kind of strange you have a fear of flying, but you want to jump out of a plane. I'll process that later.

(LAUGHTER)

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: I think so that I could get over the fear, but I think that's the wrong way to get over it.

GROSS: Yeah, it might be the wrong way (laughter). OK. Was it ever your ambition to make an action film?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yes (laughter). I love the genre, and I've always loved it. It's just the nature of Hollywood. You - there was a long time where it was just a thing of - I like action films, but I'd never thought I'd get the opportunity to make one just because those doors were not open at all to women. It wasn't even in the conversation. And it really wasn't until Patty Jenkins did what she did with "Wonder Woman" and had such success not only making such a good film under such incredible pressure but the success of the film. And that absolutely cracked the door open.

And then suddenly, this thing of, oh, I love those movies - you know, I turned it into, I want to make that movie. And just putting that into the ether and now suddenly having, you know, a specific path - OK, how do I get there? What decisions do I need to make to get to that place? - and really started doing that for myself.

GROSS: So how did the door open to making "The Old Guard?"

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: It started with doing the pilot for Marvel's "Cloak And Dagger." And once you do that first one, then suddenly, people think, oh, that's what she does or that - or she can do that also. And that suddenly put me into the conversation of some of those percolating superhero films that were starting to be made and people starting to think, oh, maybe we should have a female director. And that got me to "Silver And Black," which was the Marvel-Sony film that was going to be the first, you know, Marvel film with female characters at the heart of it.

Unfortunately, that didn't go, but that year and a half of my life absolutely prepared me for the moment when Skydance sent me the script "The Old Guard." And they were very intentional on wanting a female director. And it was my previous work that got me in the room, and that is such a different thing because as I've said, it's so hard for women to get into the room because we don't have action on our resume. But how do you get action on your resume if you're not hired to do films with action? And it's such a catch-22, and it's so frustrating.

But the fact that - they loved my previous work with "Beyond The Lights" and "Love And Basketball" and wanted to bring that kind of character and story to "The Old Guard" so that it didn't feel just like an action film but felt like an action-drama, which was what I was so excited about. And so that really connected us, and, you know, we went from there.

GROSS: Do you think that having directed basketball scenes in "Love And Basketball" helped convince people who needed to be convinced that you could create - that you could direct fight scenes?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: You know what? It was interesting. In the meeting with Skydance, I remember Don Granger - it was Don Granger, Dana Goldberg and Matt Grimm and David Ellison. They had talked about - they were so impressed with how I got Sanaa Lathan, who had never touched a basketball in her life, to look so good as a ballplayer in "Love And Basketball." And they knew that this big action film with two women at the heart of it needed to have that same, you know, for lack of better words, dopeness. Like, you had to believe these women as warriors and fighters. And so they felt because I could get that out of Sanaa, I knew how to do that and felt like I could bring that to the two female actors that we cast for these two roles.

GROSS: Let me reintroduce you here. If you're just joining us, my guest is Gina Prince-Bythewood. She directed the new hit film "The Old Guard." We'll be right back after a break. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIG LAZY'S "CURB URCHIN")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Gina Prince-Bythewood. She wrote and directed the films "Love And Basketball" and "Beyond The Lights" and directed the new film "The Old Guard," which is now streaming on Netflix. It's about a small group of immortals, warriors who have lived for centuries but have had to experience their deaths over and over again before coming back to life.

So I take it you've seen a lot of action films. What do you like and not like about how - and this is a generalization here - but about how women have typically been depicted in action films? - because I'm thinking, like, sometimes there aren't any (laughter) or there's very few of them. And sometimes the ones that are there are, like, just very sexualized.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah. So when I say this - and you said as well - I'm going to give a generalization. There have been anomalies throughout the years - very few, but there have been. But it is - the female characters are not the center of the story. They're not integral to the plot or the climax. They are usually, if they do have superpowers, are sidekicks or comic relief or do not have full arcs or stories. And the fight scenes, the costume - it is about sexualizing the characters. And that - whenever there's a - you know, a cool fight between two women, it always has to turn into this sexy catfight as opposed to just - these two women are warriors. Let them fight. Let's marvel at their athleticism. That's what excites me, and, you know, I know it's because I am an athlete and grew up an athlete. And those were the women that I grew up with around me. And, also, there tends to be a thought that - OK, we cast this woman in this action role. Let's just design the fights - it doesn't matter that she's a woman; let's just design the coolest fight, as opposed to being true to what a fight with a woman would look like. A woman does not have the strength to pick somebody up and throw them up against a wall, like a man could. But there are different ways that a woman would fight and look cool.

GROSS: What are some of the different ways you had women fight?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: You know, first, I started with the true ways that they were taught to fight. So Nile is a Marine, and there is a specific martial arts that Marines are taught and that female Marines are taught. And so that's what we taught Nile, and that's what we designed her fights around.

GROSS: And she's the young woman. Yeah.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah, she's the young woman played by KiKi Layne. And, you know, with Andy, Charlize Theron's character, we - she's a little different. She knows every fighting style known to man because she's been around for so long. But, you know, we were very intentional on just the conflict between them and making sure, again, that it stayed true to their strengths, what they could truthfully do. Even if they're stronger than most women, again, they're not superheroes; they just have a supernatural ability to not die.

GROSS: The actors had to learn a lot about fighting for the film. There was a fight choreographer for the film. What did you have to learn about various forms of fighting to direct the film?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: I mean, I certainly had an advantage because I did kickbox for two years, and so I know what it feels like to hit and be hit, which is not fun. But, also, I just know what it looks like, and I know what good fighting looks like. So I wanted it to feel grounded and real. And so that certainly, you know, starts with the action, that things were going to be hand-held. They were going to be at eye-level. I wanted the audience to feel like they were in the fight. I never wanted to have the camera be a character. So for the most part, the camera, you know, was never up high or really down low or swinging around. I wanted you to feel like these are real fights and not - honestly, not movie fights.

So we would talk about, also, the story of each fight, and that was incredibly important because, for me, that's what makes a great action scene, that it has a beginning, middle and end, that it's character-driven, that it's emotional. And so when talking about the story of each one, that helped design the fight and what should happen within the fight. It also helped the actors know what they were doing in the fight so that, you know, it's not just two people punching each other or people just shooting each other. There's got to be stakes to it.

And so it's - you know, it's a fascinating thing to sit and talk about the story, and then they start to build a fight, and then I look at it. And, you know, you know what? I think I want more of this. Like in the plane fight, I wanted a shift in the fight. I wanted Nile to get a couple of shots in, to surprise Andy, to impress Andy, but also to give herself swagger, you know? But then I wanted, you know, Andy to take that back. And that was that face-grab - that was something that I really wanted to push the humiliation in that moment.

GROSS: Sometimes the editing in fight scenes is so - sometimes it's so highly edited that, speaking for myself, I have no idea who's doing what to who. All I see is, like, you know, guns and bullets and arms swinging and chaos, but I don't know, like, who's killing, who is getting wounded.

(LAUGHTER)

GROSS: Is that something you tried to avoid?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Oh, absolutely. It's fascinating. You know, you see how action, it evolves, and it goes in cycles, and people get excited about one thing that an auteur creates, and then everyone tries to copy it for a while. You know, you look at Bourne - the Bourne movies. You know, that first one created a new style of action in - not only just the action itself, but how to shoot it. And it was that super quick-cutting, when you don't quite get what's going on, but it was so well done that you still understood it. But so many people tried to copy it without that same - having that same aesthetic. And it - I think a lot of action following that became this kind of mess, you know, or you're using it to try and hide the fact that you're using a lot of stunt doubles.

And then "John Wick" came, and they suddenly pulled the camera back. And you saw that it is really Keanu, and you could start to understand the choreography, which I think is a really beautiful thing because it just keeps you in it. You're not confused, and you're not having to think. The images are doing that for you. So - but what that takes is an actor willing to put in the incredible work it takes to be able to do, you know, most of your choreography and most of your fights and most of your stunts. And not every actor is - can do that or is willing to put in that work. So, you know, that's a big part of it as well.

GROSS: Well, let's take a short break here, and then we'll talk some more. If you're just joining us, my guest is Gina Prince-Bythewood. She directed the new film "The Old Guard," which is streaming on Netflix. We'll be right back. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Let's get back to my interview with Gina Prince-Bythewood. She directed the new hit film "The Old Guard," which stars Charlize Theron as the oldest member of a small group of immortals, people who have lived for centuries, fought many battles and died many times before coming back to life. These are warriors. KiKi Layne plays Nile, a Marine who's killed in Afghanistan but comes back to life. The immortals claim her as their own and initiate her into a life she doesn't really want. Meanwhile, the head of a pharmaceutical company is trying to kidnap the immortals so that he can replicate their DNA and market immortality.

Gina Prince-Bythewood also directed the films "Love & Basketball," about a young woman trying to be good enough to become a professional basketball player, and "Beyond The Lights," about a singer who's pressured into creating her image around her sexuality.

In some action films there's, you know, like, two characters who might start as adversaries but fall in love or there's a will-they or won't-they kind of friction going on. But in "The Old Guard," the love story part is that two of the male immortals have been a couple for centuries, and they deeply love each other. And in one scene where they're kidnapped, one of the kidnappers basically says in a mocking way, what are you guys, gay? And so one of the gay guys basically gives a long talk about how, yeah, we are. We've loved each other for centuries. His kiss still means everything to me, even after all these years. And it's a pretty interesting scene for an action film. So talk about that scene a little bit. Was that in the original book?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah, that was in the graphic novel and in the script. And it was just something I hadn't seen before. And I hadn't seen characters like that before. And you know, I think, you know, there's a recognition I think in what I bring as a Black female to my craft in being a director and in recognizing how important it is that everybody deserves to be seen as a hero given that I know how rare it is for myself to look up on screen in these films and see myself reflected that way. It was the same for these characters. And I just felt that they were so different and so distinct and so badass. And their love just felt real and special.

GROSS: What kind of reaction have you gotten to that scene? Well, it's not like you're in movie theaters with people 'cause movie theaters aren't open now. But without generalizing too much, I don't know that the action film audience is the most, like, gay-friendly audience in movie theaters. Is that too stereotyping there?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: No, that's - so it's interesting you say that because we had two - before COVID shut everything down, we had two audience previews of the film. So I actually got to see it in a theater with, you know, 250 people per screening. And you know, they target an audience of people they think will see the film for the previews. And I knew there would be nothing to get me to cut that scene, but we did not know what the audience reaction was going to be - at all.

And I remember sitting in the theater and as we're getting closer to the scene, just having - what is the reaction? And he gives that speech, and they kiss. And the audience erupted in applause both screenings. It was such an amazing moment and surprising, I think, given our generalization of the audience. But it honestly was tied to, I feel, this moment when we were shooting. After we'd finished shooting the scene, two different guys from the crew came up to me and said that they - how much they loved the scene and that when they were watching, like, they didn't see two men; they just saw two people in love. And that, you know - I was like, wow. I think, you know, maybe we did do our jobs here because that's what they felt, and that's what we wanted to feel - love is love.

I didn't actually know, but I guess there is a trope out there where when you have a - often when there's a gay character in the film or a film like this - and foremost, it's never been this overt; it's always been hinted at - but that they die or their partner dies. And I just - again, I had no idea that that was a thing. And so many have spoke out about how happy they were - and surprised - that these two characters got to have a happy existence and a happy relationship and live to tell another day.

GROSS: Let me reintroduce you here. If you're just joining us, my guest is Gina Prince-Bythewood. She directed the new hit film "The Old Guard." We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Gina Prince-Bythewood. She wrote and directed the films "Love & Basketball" and "Beyond The Lights" and directed the new film "The Old Guard," which is streaming on Netflix. It's about a small group of immortals, warriors who have lived for centuries but have had to experience their deaths over and over again before coming back to life.

I want to ask you about your film "Beyond The Lights" from 2014.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Mmm hmm.

GROSS: And this is about a singer in the hip-hop world who has to do, like, music videos and make stage appearances in very sexualized clothes and do very sexualized choreography. And she doesn't really want to do it. But you know, her mother is kind of like a stage mother and is basically functioning as her manager, too - you know, doesn't flinch about the whole thing and keeps pushing her. No, you got to do this if you want to be a star. And you have, like, a music video in it that is so perfect...

(LAUGHTER)

GROSS: ...In terms of that kind of sexualized music video. So I want you to explain what you put into that video and why you put it in and how you feel about that kind of video.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah, I mean so many things sparked that film, some personal things, but also, you know, the love that I had for hip-hop, but seeing what was happening with female artists and the way that it felt like there was a blueprint, that you come out hypersexualized. And even young singers - 17, 18, 19 - come out hypersexualized make a name for yourself there. But then they seemed to get locked into that. And they were unable to break free because they break free from that and then, suddenly, people are thinking they're not being authentic, where, actually, the way that they came out was not authentic to them. I wanted to put all of that into the video. And it was a fascinating day on set. It was tough for me as a female to be directing that scene. And, you know, Gugu - and all props to her - you know, she went there.

GROSS: She's the star. She's the leading actress.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah. And it was uncomfortable for her. And she had - but that was the thing of what I love about actors like her - the work ethic, but also the boldness. And as I said, it was my job to make her feel safe in that environment. And she felt safe because she knew the vision. She knew the story. She knew that we had to go there with this scene because what we are trying to say with this film is I can strip all that away and allow artists to be authentic and stop hypersexualizing, you know, our female artists and, certainly, our Black female artists. But it's - that was a hard day to shoot because there was a couple of times where I just - I'm looking at the monitor and saying, am I really doing this with a couple of the moves that she had? But that's really what we had to do with that video. And it was interesting. In the rehearsals for her, it was something that she had to tap into. You have to tap into a narcissism and a just - I mean, her teacher was Laurieann Gibson, who was so great, who, you know, worked with Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga. You know, I wanted people at that level to work with her and bring that reality to it.

And, you know, early on, we realized that Gugu had to train in front of a mirror. And it was something she balked at initially because it is hard to look at yourself doing that. But we knew she needed to do that. You look at yourself, tap into that, you know, and feed it, you know, feed it from the mirror back to you. And in doing that, that was - that kind of rehearsal was about building the character. And so by the time, you know, we did get to that set, again, she could access that. But, again, it doesn't take away from the fact that, you know, it was hard. And as soon as I would say cut, I'd be the first one there with her robe (laughter), you know, to put it around her.

GROSS: (Laughter) You mentioned the word narcissism. You have to have a certain amount of narcissism to do that kind of choreography for real, to do that kind of performance for real. And I think some women see it as, like, empowerment. And so did you get into conversations with people about, like, is that female empowerment? Or is that just hypersexualization (ph)?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Oh, yeah (laughter). Those were ongoing conversations about - you know, because that is the argument that a lot of people give, that I'm empowering myself. But how is that, you know - the issue is there are some who it is authentic, you know? I don't look at Beyonce and think that she is being exploited. Like, Beyonce has full agency in what she's doing. It is the younger artists who do not have that, who are being told to - oh, you have a magazine cover? Take off your shirt. You don't take off your shirt, you don't get the cover, you know?

And that's happened. In the research in talking to these artists, it was heartbreaking to hear. And a couple of them had that - they had that story of the first time they were told to take off their shirt for a magazine shoot. They all had that same story. And no one around them is stepping up and saying, you know what? Let's not do that. Every single one was, you know, turned a blind eye, was silent in the moment. And then you just - as young artists, you go with it. So that's not empowering. That is exploitation.

GROSS: Your film from 2000, "Love And Basketball," is about a girl who becomes a young woman soon in the film. And she's obsessed with basketball. She's really good. But her temper, her arguments with the refs, kind of hold her back. You are an athlete. You played basketball. What did basketball mean in your life when you were in your teens and 20s?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: It was - sports was everything and especially basketball and track because that's where I had the most success and excelled at, I mean, for so many reasons. But I was very, very shy, foremost, and an introvert and also struggling with self-esteem given the way that I grew up in terms of, you know, being Black and then adopted by white parents and being raised in, you know, mostly all white towns. You just - you never see yourself reflected anywhere. And even more than that, dealing with the racism. And, you know, so much of your existence is that you are other or, you know, it's just a very tough thing.

And so off the court, off the track, I was just this quiet person. But on the track, on the court, I could - it felt like I could be myself - and I am on volume 10 on both of those - where all the beautiful things about being an athlete, everything it teaches you and allows you to be, you know, to tap into, you know, your aggression and your ambition and, you know, this belief that you are the best. I mean, you have to have that as an athlete. That's what pushes you to work hard.

And just outworking everybody and having this incredible passion and just bigness and loudness, like, I loved that. And I wish that I could be that person in every aspect of my life. But I do bring so many of the things that I did learn on the court and on the track to being a director because you do need - especially as a female director, you need those attributes to compete and to succeed in this environment which is, you know, so male driven.

GROSS: Yeah. So competing in basketball, which is so male driven, helped you compete in filmmaking for jobs when most directors were male?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah. I mean, you have to - it's so much about perception in Hollywood. And not only perception, but it's also such inbred biases, where there's an assumption that men can do this and women are not equipped to do it. It makes no sense, but it's just there. So when you walk in a room and you're up for a job, they are looking at you to see, does this person - can I trust this person with millions of dollars? Can this person control a crew of, you know, 200, 300 - in the case of "Old Guard," you know, there's a thousand people that worked on that movie. You know, can this person do it? Can we trust them?

And so you have to come in with a confidence and a swagger that they can feel and believe. And that's me walking on the court or walking on the track because there I knew I was the best person out there. And so I literally bring that mentality into the meetings because, I mean, those things are scary. It's scary to sit across from, you know, this group of folks, most often men and already having a preconceived idea of who you are or what you're capable of, and I got to come in there and twist that immediately.

And so outside that room, I am putting myself back on the court so that when I walk in, I've got that little bop, and I've got that swagger, and I sit down, and it's the way I sit and where I sit and how I present myself that then makes them feel like, oh, damn, you know, I trust her; I think she can do this.

GROSS: How far did you get in basketball?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: With basketball, I got recruited by a couple schools but not UCLA, where I knew I wanted to go to film school. So I ended up running track at UCLA - I did triple jump - for my sophomore year and made it to the Pac-12 Championships. But after that, then I got into film school and finally had to make that definitive choice, that I think I can have a career in film. And I didn't think I had enough talent to get through to the Olympics.

GROSS: Well, let's take a short break here, and then we'll talk some more. If you're just joining us, my guest is Gina Prince-Bythewood. She directed the new hit film "The Old Guard," as well as the films "Beyond The Lights" and "Love & Basketball." We'll be right back. This is FRESH AIR.

(SOUNDBITE OF JAY-Z SONG, "'03 BONNIE AND CLYDE")

GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to my interview with Gina Prince-Bythewood. She wrote and directed the films "Love & Basketball" and "Beyond The Lights" and directed the new film "The Old Guard," which is now streaming on Netflix.

So I want to talk with you a little about growing up. As you mentioned, you were adopted by white parents. Tell us the story, to the extent that you know the story, of why your birth mother gave you up.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: It's - you know, it's a fascinating thing because you grow up with being told one story. And it was just - I was told the story that, you know, her and my birth father loved each other, but they were young, and they knew they couldn't handle it, and so they, you know, gave me up to, you know, for the good - the betterment of me. But the truth of it was, in meeting with my birth mother, that their - her parents did not want her to have a Black child.

And I was very close to being aborted, which is just mind-boggling to me. And it was the fact that she had a best friend who was really religious who convinced her not to. And I've always found that fascinating because I'm pro-choice, I mean, incredibly pro-choice. Yet here is an instance where I would not be in the world if it wasn't for, you know, this best friend convincing her of that. Though I have to believe there is a part of her, then, that, you know, wanted me to be in the world as well because she did, ultimately, make that decision. But yeah, her parents were not going to let her have or raise this Black child, and so I was given up.

GROSS: So your biological mother is white, and your biological father is or was Black. I don't know if he's still alive anymore.

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah, I don't know.

GROSS: Have you ever met him? Do you know who he is?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: No, I tried to track him down, and I have not been successful. She was easy, but he - I have not been able to.

GROSS: So you didn't know the real story about why your biological mother gave you up until...

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yes.

GROSS: ...You found her...

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Yeah.

GROSS: ...And talked with her? Did your parents know the real story? Did they just keep it from you, or did they not know, either?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: They didn't know, either.

GROSS: Do you think it's just as well that you didn't know, that you didn't grow up knowing that?

PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD: Oh, absolutely. It's - I think it was - because there's so much - when you're adopted, there's so many questions when you're little, and it really keeps centering around why were you given up? Why were you tossed away? You know, my parents were very good at making me believe I was chosen, but I still had those questions and that wonder of what was wrong because how do you give up a child? How do you give up your child? So in this - in creating this very positive narrative absolutely helped, it didn't temper the fact that I had this urge and need to find my biological parents, to know where I came from. And I didn't find find her till I was in my 20s. So I think I was better equipped to handle that as well at that age, as opposed to when I was little.

Link:

'Everybody Deserves To Be Seen As A Hero,' Says 'Old Guard' Director - NPR

Credible Is the ‘Death Becomes Her’ Remake Rumor Reportedly Starring Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Lady Gaga, and Robert Downey Jr.? – Showbiz Cheat…

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Rumor has it that Death Becomes Her the 1992 campy comedy starring Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and Bruce Willis will return to the silver screen. The original film followed a novelist (Hawn) who loses her husband (Willis) to her former best friend and celebrated movie star (Streep). The frenemies wind up head-to-head when they stumble upon a mysterious elixir granting eternal youth and beauty. Yet, the immortality drug is not without its drawbacks, leading to moments of outrageous physical comedy and witty one-liners.

While the movie did not premiere to rave critical reviews, it has become a cult classic over the years, which would make for quite the highly-anticipated reboot. Yet, where did this remake rumor begin, and how has it caught fire? Is the leak credible, or is the reported dream cast just that: a pipedream?

In early July, a Facebook user took to the social media platform claiming that a Death Becomes Her remake was in the works. The user noted that the film would star Kate Hudson in the role her mother previously portrayed, and Anne Hathaway in Meryl Streeps former role. Robert Downey Jr. will reportedly take on the man who falls for his wifes best friend. And, as for Lady Gaga, she would take over for Isabella Rossellini the wealthy socialite who gives the immortality potion to the films opposing ladies. Following this Facebook post, a few other digital media sites and social media presences followed suit on the report.

RELATED: The 2017 Beaches and Other Misguided Remakes of 80s Movies

FilmJunkie a page with about 100 thousand followers was quick to share the news, as was TrulyDisturbing.com. Both reports noted the remake report as a rumor, avoiding giving too much clout to the relatively unknown source origin. Yet, could it be true?

Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and other notable sources have yet to share the news, and these three sources, in particular, are known for leaking movie information as soon as it becomes available and credible.

The situation isnt looking too promising for a Death Becomes Her remake. While the rumor could be possible and in very early stages IMDb is often usually quick to include movies that have been announced on their actor profile pages. The movie is absent from the profile pages for Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, and Lady Gaga.

While fans of the original Death Becomes Her would surely enjoy a remake with such an incomparable cast, its not yet time to get excited. As of now, this film is still a rumor a dream that seems perfect but feels out of reach.

Go here to see the original:

Credible Is the 'Death Becomes Her' Remake Rumor Reportedly Starring Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Lady Gaga, and Robert Downey Jr.? - Showbiz Cheat...