SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY
In the Polio War, a Tricky Endgame
The long campaign to eradicate polio faces a crucial turning point this month. In January, the 34 countries represented on the World Health Organization's executive board will be asked to ditch the vaccine that has cut polio cases by 99 percent since 1988. The aim is to prevent the vaccine itself from defeating the whole effort.
In other biomedical news, Scottish scientists say they have found a key genetic indicator of how long an individual will live. They say the lengths of tiny pieces of DNA called telomeres indicate whether a young creature is likely to live into old age.
A new study shows that people grieving the death of a close loved one could have a heart attack risk that is 20 times higher than normal.
It seems a long time since it was announced that the first draft of the human genome had been completed. Knowing the "genetic blueprint" of human beings promised to usher in a new era of molecular medicine, bringing new ways to diagnose and treat disease. Almost 12 years on, you could perhaps be forgiven for thinking it's been a long time coming.
Nicotine gum and patches that millions of smokers use to help kick the habit have no lasting benefit, according to the most rigorous, long-term study to date of nicotine replacement therapy.
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