In today’s wrapup of technology and life science news: Vice President Joe Biden threatens drug makers over trial information; Windows 10 gets an update; Dow Chemical to cut N.C. jobs; and China’s top Internet regulator is replaced.

The details:

  • Biden threatens funding cut if cancer trials conceal results

Vice President Joe Biden threatened Wednesday to pull federal funding for cancer studies that fail to publicly disclose their results, putting pressure on researchers, clinicians and drug companies to speed up progress toward cancer cures.

Hosting a cancer summit in Washington, Biden said the culture in the cancer research world is stifling progress, and he said was “committed to doing everything in my power” to change that culture. He cited concerns that prominent medical institutions that receive millions in taxpayer dollars are flouting a federal rule that says they must submit their results to a publicly accessible database within a year.

“Doc, I’m going to find out if it’s true, and if it’s true, I’m going to cut funding,” Biden said. “That’s a promise.”

For months, Biden has been imploring cancer researchers to share their data and trial results more freely, so that scientists can build on each other’s progress and more readily identify treatments that might work for individual patients. His ultimatum at the summit was the first time Biden has suggested failure to heed that call could lead to National Institutes of Health grants being terminated.

There’s no mechanism in place to enforce the mandate that trials results be quickly posted to www.clinicaltrials.gov , where patients and their doctors can identify treatments that have been effective for other patients. The Obama administration is developing a rule to crack down on those who ignore the requirement, the White House said.

At the summit, the showpiece of Biden’s yearlong “moonshot,” the vice president said the world was “on the cusp of breakthroughs.” Yet he suggested the cancer community was essentially standing in its own way. He called out drug companies for unnecessary price increases and major research hospitals for insufficient collaboration.

“It’s not anybody’s fault, but we’ve got to fix it,” Biden said.

Cancer researchers and their institutions have pushed back on those critiques, arguing they already share reams of data and partner frequently with each other and the government. They’ve also cited major hurdles imposed by federal agencies with intense bureaucratic requirements that make it near-impossible to develop treatments quickly and get them approved for patients — a concern that Biden acknowledged.

  • Microsoft readies Windows 10 update, answers critics

Microsoft has a birthday present for Windows 10 users: more capabilities for its Cortana digital assistant and new ways to ditch passwords.

The company is also changing the notices it sends to users of previous versions, following complaints that it was too aggressive in pushing them to get the free Windows 10 upgrade.

Microsoft’s “Anniversary Update,” scheduled for release Aug. 2, will let users activate Cortana with a spoken command (“Hey Cortana”) even while their screen has gone into sleep mode. Cortana will be able to recall more types of information, such as frequent flier numbers or parking locations. Users can also ask Cortana to remember specific photos, such as a wine bottle to buy again later.

For devices that allow sign-ins with a biometric identifier, such as facial recognition, the update will extend that capability to third-party websites and apps, so users won’t have to remember separate passwords.

Other new features include Windows Ink, which will let users with a digital stylus add hand-written notes or reminders and draw on documents, maps or other apps. Video gamers will be able to start playing on an Xbox One console or a Windows 10 PC and resume on another device without losing their progress.

The Anniversary Update, which was previewed at Microsoft’s developer conference this spring, is free for anyone who already has Windows 10. Users of previous versions must get the current version of Windows 10 by July 29 or pay $119 after that .

“For the most part, all of those machines whose owners wanted the upgrade will hopefully have gotten one,” Microsoft corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi told The Associated Press.

There are now 350 million devices running Windows 10, which has been available since last July 29. Microsoft says adoption has been faster than previous versions.

  • Dow Chemical to cut about 2,500 jobs globally

Dow Chemical says it will eliminate about 2,500 jobs worldwide, or about 4 percent of its workforce, which is tied to the recent restructuring of its ownership in Dow Corning.

Dow Chemical announced earlier this month that it was now the sole owner of Dow Corning’s silicones unit, which had previously been equally owned by Dow Chemical and Corning Inc.

Dow Chemical Co. said Tuesday that it will shutter silicone manufacturing plants in Greensboro, N.C. and Yamakita, Japan. The Midland, Michigan-based company is also looking to close some administrative, corporate and manufacturing facilities, but did not give further details on their locations.

Dow Chemical now anticipates annual cost savings for the transaction to be $400 million, up from its prior estimate of $300 million.

Dow Chemical and DuPont, both agriculture and chemical companies, announced their plan to merge in December. After the merger, the companies plan to split the combined company into three separate publicly traded companies focused on agriculture, material science and specialty products. The split into three separate companies is expected to happen within two years after the merger.

Dow Chemical and Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont plan to hold separate shareholder meetings on July 20 to vote on their merger.

  • China replaces top internet regulator and censor with deputy

China has replaced its internet regulator, Lu Wei, the hard-liner responsible for leading the government’s efforts to tighten control over domestic cyberspace and export the ruling Communist Party’s philosophy of web control.

Lu wielded expansive powers as head of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs since 2014, dictating what 700 million Chinese internet users may view online and acting as gatekeeper for technology companies wishing to do business in China.

His successor will be his deputy, former propaganda official Xu Lin, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

The departure of Lu, one of the Communist Party’s rising stars and an ambitious ally of President Xi Jinping, had been rumored for months and is not expected to alter the broad direction of China’s internet policy. Xinhua did not mention a new post for Lu, who will keep his concurrent position as deputy head of the party’s propaganda department. He could be in line to lead the department or take over a provincial post, according to political analysts and speculation in Chinese media.

But the reshuffle likely means a new face will greet foreign executives like Apple’s Tim Cook and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella who have been dealing with thorny cybersecurity and trade issues on their visits to Beijing.