DNA database clear-out
The DNA profiles of nearly 1 million people not convicted of a crime are to be removed from the UK鈥檚 national DNA database following last year鈥檚 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that retaining them was illegal. The move represents a retreat by the UK government, which originally said it had no plans to remove samples.
Artificial blood rejected
Advertisement
A pioneering blood substitute designed to boost supplies for blood transfusions was rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration last week. The FDA concluded that people given PolyHeme, made by Northfield Laboratories of Evanston, Illinois, were more likely to suffer 鈥渟ignificant adverse events鈥� than those who received real blood.
Seal product ban
The European Parliament voted on 5 May to ban the sale of all seal products in the EU, except those hunted by indigenous communities. The ban comes as a victory for animal welfare groups, but riles Canada, which licenses the culling of 280,000 seals a year and now fears the collapse of its sealing industry.
Down鈥檚 test snag
A simple blood test that would tell pregnant women whether their fetus has Down鈥檚 syndrome has hit a snag. Last week, its developer, of San Diego, California, said it had suspended four employees for 鈥渕ishandling鈥� test results. The company still hopes to win approval for the test in the future, based on outside trials.
Climate plan on ice
The White House is reportedly stalling a plan to phase out a class of 鈥渟uper-greenhouse gases鈥�. Using a treaty covering gases that deplete ozone, the State Department had hoped to immediately regulate hydrofluorocarbons, used in fridges. But the plan is now on hold.