They are normally seen as membranes that cover important organs but the study of bacterial capsule polysaccharides is one that is being conducted by the medical community to determine the role this has in disease. Bacterial infection is something that kills millions of people each year.
The Government's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill received Royal Assent on 17th July 2013, having been passed by both Houses of Parliament. The Bill followed a Government consultation in 2012.
The first state to allow same-sex marriage was Massachusetts, which granted the right in 2004. In recent years, a wave of legal rulings and a dramatic shift in public opinion have expanded gay marriage in the US. In 2012, the high court struck down a federal anti same-sex marriage law.