DNA diagnosis
About 100,000 people in England with cancer and rare diseases will have their genome sequenced over the next five years in a bid to better understand the role genes play in disease. The initiative, announced by Prime Minister David Cameron this week, aims to improve diagnosis and help personalise treatments.
SpaceX joins air force
Private space firm SpaceX has secured its first contracts from the US military. In 2014, SpaceX鈥檚 Falcon 9 rocket will place the US Air Force Deep Space Climate Observatory in between the Earth and sun to monitor solar storms. In 2015 the company will put multiple air force satellites into low Earth orbit.
First cheese
Ewwww! The remains of a 7000-year-old cheese have been found on ancient pottery in Poland. The vessels are riddled with small holes, which would have allowed the whey to drain away to make cheese. Sadly, the team only recovered traces of cheese, not suitable for a taste test (Nature, ).
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Famous wolf shot
A Yellowstone wolf dubbed the 鈥渕ost famous in the world鈥� was shot last week, just outside the national park鈥檚 borders in Wyoming. There are about 90 wolves in the park. The alpha female is the eighth fitted with a GPS collar to be killed in recent weeks, reigniting debate over hunting. Wyoming lifted the grey wolf鈥檚 protected status on 1 October.
Sky at Night demise
鈥淏efore I die, I would love to discover a bright comet,鈥� wrote the British astronomer and broadcaster Patrick Moore. Unfortunately, Moore died this week, aged 89, without fulfilling his wish. Moore presented the BBC鈥檚 The Sky at Night for 55 years, making him the longest-serving presenter of any TV show.