Dr Christakis and Dr Fowler suggest that a hybrid method might be developed in which the search queries of a group of highly connected (ie, popular) individuals could be scanned for signs of the flu.

ECONOMIST: Epidemiology: Infectious personalities | The

Working out where on the hybrid's chromosomes the genes for apomixis are located was much trickier, because the traditional method of tracking genes down relies on watching them being swapped around during sexual reproduction.

ECONOMIST: Genetic engineering