British scientists have deciphered the genetic blueprint of bubonic plague, the fearsome microbe that killed one-third of medieval Europe and could still be a frightening biological weapon in the hands of modern-day terrorists. The new gene map could offer clues to vaccines and other drugs that could keep the disease in check and perhaps even neutralize its use as a weapon of mass destruction.

Scientists have decoded the genome of the bubonic plague bacterium -- a possible bio-weapon, as well as an endemic disease in some countries.

Terrorists and rogue states can easily make lethal bio weapons by engineering well-known bacteria and viruses to turn them into mass killers.

Scientists studying how diseases spread believe there are many parallels between computer viruses and biological ones, enough so that when doctors want to know how AIDS engulfed a village in Africa, they may do well to look to their computers.

Scientists are altering the genetics of insects and bacteria to prevent them from transmitting diseases such as malaria but the ultimate effects are unpredictable.

Scientists are combining satellite data with ecological and social maps to dampen the \'disease aftershocks\' that usually follow natural disasters.

Even though the United States has the most extensive disease surveillance and response system in the world, there are gaps in its ability to detect outbreaks early, as the 1999 West Nile virus outbreak illustrated.

NASA is forming an internal 'planetary-protection' committee of about 15 people to determine the care and handling of extraterrestrial samples. They fear back-contamination by a Martian microbe that could create a true 'Andromeda Strain'.

Two strains of microbes from extreme environments on Earth appeared to survive a short flight through the vacuum and searing radiation of space, according to researchers at the University of Maryland. The experiment lends credence to the theory that primitive life might hitchhike between Earth and other worlds aboard debris from meteorite impacts.

Researchers, environmentalists and policymakers want NASA to consider carefully its plans to visit and bring back samples from Mars, Europa, and other solar system bodies.