But it wasn't known whether the trigger was mechanical ventilation or early inflammation due to gestational age, the authors of the latest study said.

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In 1990, the Supreme Court ruled that software was, indeed, patentable, but only in the context of some mechanical entity, whether it be a steel plant, a computer system or even (unbelievably) a CD-ROM disc.

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"It would be nice if you could do that but I'm not sure it would work - it depends whether it is a simple mechanical component or something more complex, " Prof Pillinger, who now works at the Planetary and Space Sciences department at the Open University, told BBC News.

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