Contraceptive patch available after US success
The first contraceptive patch in Britain will be launched next week. Clinical trials have shown that the patch, called Evra, is 99.6 per cent effective, matching the security of the Pill.
(Independent, Daily Mail)
British scientists warn EU rules could cost lives
Life-saving research is under threat from Brussels rules on clinical trials, British scientists said yesterday. The Clinical Trials Directive, drawn up by the European Commission, would add unnecessary layers of bureaucracy to every study that involved patients, researchers said.
(The Times)
Stone Age cook is trouble for Delia
A set of flint knives once used by a Stone Age cook has been discovered beneath the stadium of Norwich City Football Club, which is owned by Delia Smith. The discovery has forced the club to delay work on a new stand for four weeks while an archaeological dig takes place.
(The Times)
Swift solution to Stasi's jigsaw puzzle of secrets
The remaining secrets of the East German Stasi, torn into shreds and stored in 16,000 sacks, may soon be pieced together by a new software program. The program could shed light on love affairs between agents and Nato secretaries, contract murders and even the recruitment of foreign academics by one of the most thorough of the Communist secret police forces.
(The Times)
Britain 'let East German uprising fail'
In a new book 17 June 1953 - A German Uprising historian Hubertus Knabe argues that in his determination to retain the status quo in postwar Europe, Winston Churchill failed to help the East German protesters because he feared it risked a unified Germany.
(Daily Telegraph, Guardian)
Wild flowers at risk from global warming
One in every five species of wild flower could die out over the next century if levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere double in line with predictions, scientists from Stanford University, California, said yesterday.
(Independent)
Fame academy
Donald MacLeod meets the head of a new professional body that aims to help university teachers to compete with researchers for status and rewards.
(Guardian)
Geoffrey Asherson dies
Geoffrey Asherson, a founder of clinical immunology, has died at the age of 73.
(Guardian)