Imagine electronic medical devices, implanted to heal wounds and then dissipating inside the human body.

FORBES: DARPA's 'Transient Electronics' Will Disappear Anywhere

's patents on two genes linked to increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer say patent protection should not be given to something that can be found inside the human body.

NPR: Can Human Genes Be Patented? Utah Firm At US Court

Flu viruses can swap genes with each other, so if someone carrying a human flu virus catches the new bird flu, the two strains could mingle inside the victim's body, creating a new, highly contagious and lethal human plague.

ECONOMIST: Averting a global plague | The