Lead balloon
The US is facing a “helium crunch”, and it’s bad news for cryogenics researchers, the aerospace industry and electronics manufacturers, says a National Research Council report. The reason? The US government’s ill-advised decision to sell off its helium reserves a decade ago. The panel worries that the US will become a net helium importer in 10 to 15 years.
Rotavirus vaccine
An oral vaccine against a major cause of diarrhoea, rotavirus, which kills 500,000 children each year, is to be introduced in 44 poor countries by 2015, says the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. The vaccine reduced…
