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This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm BarbaraKlein.

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And I'm Bob Doughty. On our program this week: an American studyrecognizes caffeine withdrawal as a disorder and a report sayspeople in wealthy countries have a lot to learn from an animalnative to Australia.

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But first, scientists suggest genetic engineering experimentswith the virus responsible for the disease smallpox.

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An advisory committee to the WorldHealth Organization has proposed that scientists be permitted towork with a live, smallpox virus. The committee this month approveda proposal to let scientists carry out genetic experiments with thevirus for the first time.

W.H.O. officials say the aim would be to speed the development ofdrugs that could fight the disease. They say the proposal is justthe first step in what could be a long approval process for theexperiments. W-H-O member countries are expected to consider theproposal at a meeting in May.

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Smallpox is a serious, often deadly disease. A virus calledvariola is the cause. In nineteen eighty, the W.H.O. declared thatsmallpox was no longer a health threat to people around the world.The declaration came after an international campaign to increase theuse of smallpox vaccines. Vaccines help the body's natural defensesrecognize and fight disease.

For years, scientists have debated if the remaining variola virusshould be destroyed. Two laboratories have supplies of the livevirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention operates onesuch laboratory in the United States. The other is at the StateResearch Center of Virology and Biotechnology in Russia.

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Some officials have expressed fear that terrorists may get thevirus and use it as a weapon. Many adults were given the smallpoxvaccine years ago, but most young people have not been vaccinated.Also, American experts note that some people should avoid gettingthe vaccine for health reasons.

Several drug treatments have been tested against smallpox, butnone has shown much effectiveness. That is one reason why theW.H.O.'s Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research approved theproposal for the experiments.

In one proposed experiment, scientists would put a marker geneinto the virus. This gene would shine green when placed underspecial lighting. The gene would stop shining if a drug destroys thechanged virus.

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Not everyone thinks the genetic experiments are a good idea. Somescientists believe the process might make the variola virusstronger.

The Advisory Committee has said that placing the marker gene inthe virus would not make the disease more dangerous. Geoffrey Smithof Imperial College, London, led the recent meeting of theCommittee. He says many conditions and rules would be placed on theexperiments.

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How important is your morning cupof coffee? Research scientists in the United States have found thatpeople really can develop a need for coffee. They say people whodrink coffee every day and then miss a day can develop physicaldisorders such as headaches.

In general, the more coffee a person drinks, the more severe thedisorders are. However, the researchers note that drinking as littleas one cup of coffee a day can produce this effect, called caffeinewithdrawal.

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Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks. It also is presentin chocolate, cold medicine, and drugs that keep people awake. Anestimated eighty to ninety percent of all adults in North Americaeat or drink products with caffeine.

In the United States, adults who use such products get an averageof about two hundred eighty milligrams of caffeine a day. This isthe amount of caffeine in about two large cups of coffee.

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The American researchers identified more than sixty studies oncaffeine withdrawal. They examined each study to test thetruthfulness of the reported findings. The researchers identifiedseveral common caffeine withdrawal disorders. They include headachesand sleepiness. Some people have difficulty thinking. Others getangry easily or become very sad.

The researchers found that half of the people studied sufferedheadaches if they did not have caffeine. Thirteen percent had a moreserious problem. They were unable to work or do other normalactivities. These problems generally resulted twelve to twenty-fourhours after stopping caffeine.

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Ronald Griffiths of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore,Maryland, led the study. He noted that caffeine is the most commonlyused stimulant in the world. A stimulant is something that producesa temporary increase of activity. The researchers said it ispossible for people to free themselves from dependence on caffeine.They say people should slowly reduce the amount of caffeinatedproducts in their diet. Food or drinks with little or no caffeineshould be used in place of those with caffeine.

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Gabriel Margosis was born at Fairfax Hospital in the Americanstate of Virginia. Gabriel came about ten weeks before he wassupposed to. He was too small and underdeveloped to keep his normalbody temperature. Doctors immediately placed the newborn in aspecial machine called an incubator. The incubator helped to keepGabriel warm. It also continuously measured his breathing, heartbeatand other signs of life.

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Elise Margosis did not get to hold her baby until he was fivedays old. Gabriel was kept in the intensive care area for newbornsat the hospital. The area has a lot of modern medical equipment. YetElise says that, for all the high technology, she knew her babyneeded her to hold him close.

Gabriel's medical team knew thattoo. So several weeks after giving birth Elise began what is calledKangaroo Mother Care, or K.M.C. It is a method for increasing warmthand closeness between babies and their mothers.

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The baby wears just two things: A cloth cover for the top of thehead and a piece of cloth placed between the legs and around thewaist. A mother loosens or removes clothing from the upper part ofher body. She then holds the baby up high on her chest. Pieces ofcloth connect the mother with her baby.

The baby can be breastfed in this position. Mother and baby couldeven sleep together, although they should not lie flat. Othercaregivers also can get involved. Fathers and friends may take turnsholding the baby in the position.

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Kangaroo Mother Care was developed about twenty-five years ago inBogotá, Colombia. But it is now used in as many as twenty-fivedeveloping countries. Some doctors in wealthy countries also supportits use.

Last week, the British Medical Journal published a report onKangaroo Mother Care. Juan Gabriel Ruiz-Palaez of JaverianaUniversity in Bogota was the lead writer. His team examined theeffect of K.M.C. on low weight babies. They wrote that it is aseffective as an incubator treatment for many such babies. They saidthe method effectively turns the mother or caregiver into a humanincubator.

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The report says K.M.C. can begin as soon as a baby no longerneeds continual support from intensive care equipment. It saysbabies who received the treatment generally had shorter hospitalstays. They also had milder infections and better breastfeedingrates.

Doctor Ruiz-Palaez says the low cost of K.M.C. makes it veryappealing to developing countries. He says wealthy nations alsoshould make it part of normal care for small babies. He says thetreatment also helps mothers form emotional ties to their newborns.

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Elise Margosis agrees. She says it was hard having to wait solong to hold her baby. She says that when she finally got Gabriel onher chest, she knew it was the best thing for him.

But Elise has new difficulties holding on to her now healthy babyboy. At twenty months old Gabriel now weighs more than twelvekilograms and is a very active little person.

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This program was written by Jerilyn Watson, George Grow, and CatyWeaver. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. And, our engineer was DwayneCollins. I'm Barbara Klein.

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And I'm Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for Science in theNews in VOA Special English.