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Blair signals gene therapy expansion
Genetic technology has the potential to transform health care in the future, prime minister Tony Blair has said. Mr Blair was speaking on Tuesday morning hours before new health secretary John Reid was due to unveil a white paper containing plans for a big expansion in the use of gene therapy and testing in the NHS.
(BBC)

European rivals steal the march in nanotech
Britain is throwing away an opportunity to lead Europe in nanotechnology because hundreds of millions of pounds of public funding has been held up by Whitehall, scientists said yesterday. The Department of Trade and Industry is expected to announce more than ?200 million of new money for nanotechnology in the next month to help British companies and scientists to exploit discoveries in areas as diverse as medicine, cosmetics and the construction industry. Leading researchers said the strategy could easily have been published nine months ago, and that other countries had used the delay to gain a vital competitive advantage.
(Times)

Global internet laboratory launches
A global internet laboratory that simulates tens of thousands of virtual users has been launched by more than 60 companies and universities. PlanetLab will be used to test new weapons for fighting internet worms and to develop better distributed computer programs, ie those that operate on many machines at once.
(New Scientist)

Unfair bosses make blood pressure soar
Unfair bosses can send their employees' blood pressure soaring to levels that significantly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, reveals newly published research by UK scientists. The study focused on healthcare assistants who worked for two different bosses. For those who only liked one of their managers, their blood pressure jumped when working for the disliked boss.
(New Scientist)