VOICE ONE:
This week —— news about a genetic map (遗传学图) that is being called a powerful new tool for medical research …… Then, a report on an ancient Christian (基督教的) church found under an Israeli prison ……And Angola says a recent outbreak (爆发) of Marburg virus is over.

(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Small genetic differences make one person different from another. Now medical researchers have a new map to help them find these differences. More than two hundred scientists from six nations developed the HapMap. The name comes from the word haplotype (单模标本).
A haplotype is a group of differences that are likely to collect close together, in a block. These blocks appear to pass from parent to child. The HapMap scientists hope to identify up to six million DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸) differences before they finish.
VOICE TWO:
The scientists say the findings may lead to identifying genes that cause common diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Linking diseases to genes could lead to new treatments (治疗). People could also learn if they have an increased risk (风险) of a disease because of their genes.
In some cases, such knowledge might lead to preventive (预防性的) action. For example, people whose genes show a possibility of developing diabetes could take steps like trying to control their weight. But for a condition like Alzheimer's disease (阿兹海默症), nothing known today could prevent it.
The scientists have published their work in Nature magazine and on the Internet at hapmap dot o-r-g (hapmap.org).
An organization called the International HapMap Consortium organized the study. The work involves researchers from Britain, Canada, China, Japan, Nigeria (尼日利亚) and the United States.