It is thought that the technique could now be adapted to treat patients with genetic diseases such as sickle cell anaemia.

BBC: Foetus

Convincing farmers to adopt new methods is always a challenge, but between 50, 000 and 100, 000 people in eastern and southern Africa are thought to be using the technique already.

ECONOMIST: A new twist on an old idea is improving farm yields in Africa

Since the concept of achieving is elusive and hard to define, I thought I would borrow a time-tested technique from the comedian and entertainer Jeff Foxworthy.

FORBES: You Might Be An Underachiever If...

And perhaps the Karolinska could spare a thought for Leroy Hood, who invented the sequencing technique that made the whole thing possible though that work might, more properly, fall within the purview of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, which decides the winners of the chemistry (and also the physics) prizes.

ECONOMIST: This year, the Nobel authorities have shown a deft touch

But then I thought maybe he should check his eyes, go back to square one and look at his technique.

BBC: Vaughan's resignation shocks game

It will take years of additional testing to prove if the so-called PapGene technique really could work as a screening tool, used to spot cancer in women who thought they were healthy.

NPR: Retooling Pap Test To Spot More Kinds Of Cancer