Paralysing geneUS SCIENTISTS have homed in on a gene defect linked to a debilitating nerve disorder known as Lou Gehrig's disease (Cambridge University Alumni Magazine). The disease, a celebrated victim of which is physicist Stephen Hawking, the author of A Brief History of Time, gradually paralyses its victims by killing off the nerve cells that control muscles.

While the researchers found only a fraction of Lou Gehrig victims had this genetic mutation, they believe insights obtained from this discovery could shed some light on other cases.