Darwin's Cipher - M. A. Rothman

n nJuan Gutierrez, a cancer researcher, has spent years studying the genome of animals that exhibit immunity to some types of cancer. Over the course of his study, Juan discovers a pattern that allows him to predict the course of a species' evolution across thousands of generations. n n Using the algorithm he's developed from the pattern, Juan uncovers what he believes to be the key to conquering humanity's susceptibility to cancer.

n n Others are interested in using what Juan has dubbed Darwin's Cipher, however, instead of cancer research, they see very different applications for the new genetic algorithm. n n Nate Carrington, an FBI forensic analyst has been struggling with several cold cases when he's alerted to an incident at a nearby ranch. It's a case of a newborn calf who is found in the middle of a herd of dead cattle.

It provides a single link to Nate's other cold cases: the DNA analysis of the calf doesn't match anything in the FBI's database. n n Somewhere in a rural hospital in West Virginia, four hospital workers are dead and a newborn child has been transported to the NIH's level-4 bio-containment unit. n n It's only when the NIH sends out an alert to all hospitals and law enforcement agencies that the world realizes the danger that faces them.n