Biobank open for business
The world’s largest medical experiment, involving half a million Britons, was launched on Wednesday. UK Biobank aims to find out how genetic and environmental factors combine to cause common diseases (New Scientist, 21 January, p 8). The pilot phase aims to recruit 3000 volunteers in the Manchester area.
Astronomically hot
The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth – more than 2 billion kelvin – has been achieved in plasma created in the “Z machine” at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. The temperature is higher than those found inside stars.
Heart disease hope
Statins, already hailed…
