"An experimental vaccine based on a molecule related to DNA protects animals against influenza and may one day offer an ultra-rapid way to develop new shots for humans, German scientists reported on Sunday," Reuters reports (Hirschler, 11/25). "In a first for any infectious disease, a vaccine against flu has been made out of messenger RNA (mRNA) -- the genetic material that controls the production of proteins," New Scientist writes, adding, "Unlike its predecessors, the new vaccine may work for life, and it may be possible to manufacture it quickly enough to stop a pandemic" (Mackenzie, 11/25).