Cracking the Code

As I sit here suffering with my first cold in about two years, I read this headline:
Scientists crack genetic code of common cold: Researchers move a step closer to finding a remedy that actually works.

Apart from washing your hands, avoiding people who have colds, or wearing a surgical mask, there isn't a lot you can do now to prevent getting colds. Even knowing the genome of the common cold doesn't mean that there will be any quick cure...vaccines and medications take years to develop, and with viruses that have so many strains, one vaccine probably wouldn't be enough. But I still find this good news.

Figuring out how the viruses are related may help scientists find the common weaknesses that will lead to research in developing new drugs. My grandkids may grow up in a world without the common cold...the way my kids will never know chicken pox or measles. That's pretty amazing. In the meantime, excuse me while I go get a juice refill. (Hope your February is healthier than mine!)