Here’s a bit of good news for the day. As some of you may know, that lovable psychopath, the Tasmanian Devil, has been staring extinction in the face thanks to a contagious cancer that has been decimating the population. Well according to Nature scientists studying the problem have identified a genetic marker that is common to animals that have resisted the disease, and they hope this can be used to build a breeding population that will save the species. It is too early yet to know if this will work, but it certainly sounds quite hopeful. The world would be a poorer place without Taz.