— …just kidding. (April Fools!) Instead, a survey of around 19,000 individual genomes has found that large sections of commonly repeated DNA, and commonly deleted sections, seem to have little association with complex diseases. The sections, known as copy number variations, were suspected of influencing diseases such as type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis; however, aside from three previously discovered associations, no novel genetic links were found. (Genetic Future)

— Have you filled out your census yet? Well, beside it being April Fools, today is Census Day in the US. All that population data heading the government’s way will someday contribute to causes like the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS) at the National Institutes of Health. MIDAS researchers are creating computer models of the US — all the way down to the town level — that will aid in predicting disease spread. (ScienceDaily)

— Pfizer has become the first in the industry to disclose payments for clinical trials, according to the company. Yesterday, the pharma giant disclosed $35 million in payments to healthcare professionals for the latter half of 2009; $15.3 million specifically went toward those conducting clinical trials at 250 institutions. (NYTimes)

— The UK science writer accused of libel by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) has won the right to defend his statements as ‘fair comment,’ an appeals court decided today. The Guardian’s Simon Singh had written a column in 2008 that was critical of some of the BCA’s claims, such as that treatment could help childhood asthma and colic; a UK high court first ruled against Singh last May. (BBC, NatureNews)

Image: Apers0n via Wikimedia Commons