May 13, 1995

The Ebola virus that is causing an epidemic in Zaire is one of the deadliest infectious agents, and no one knows why. Scientists can only guess why the thread-shaped virus has suddenly erupted to cause its third major outbreak in central Africa since 1976, when it was discovered in Zaire. Scientists do not know where the virus usually exists in nature or where it has hidden since it caused its last major outbreak, in southern Sudan in 1979.

Within easy reach of Senator Pete V. Domenici in the organized clutter of his Capitol Hill office is one of his most cherished political keepsakes: a framed, yellowing drawing of the Greek character Sisyphus. The mythological figure was condemned to Hades and the unexpected fate of rolling a huge stone up a hill, only to have it roll down again each time. But instead of a stone, Mr. Domenici's version shows Sisyphus burdened with a huge money bag marked "budget."

In an effort to make Cuba's sagging economy more efficient, the Government is abandoning one of the most cherished concepts of the Communist state, the guarantee of full lifetime employment, and has begun layoffs that are expected to eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs. By official estimate, as many as 800,000 people, or more than one-fifth of Cuba's total work force, may eventually be affected by the new policy, which began earlier this year and which is intended to reduce overstaffing, cut down on state subsidies and attract foreign investment.

Every killing added its own specific grief to the city, like water dripping in a bucket already too heavy to carry. In all, 21 people died violently in New Orleans from Feb. 25 to March 4, the bloodiest week in recent memory in a city with a record-setting murder rate. New Orleans, where they play jazz at funerals and the procession can break into a dance, usually heals quickly. But three of the murders that week, in a modest Vietnamese restaurant in the New Orleans East neighborhood, still haunt this city more than two months later.

Opening what could be a passionate new battle over religion and science, many mainstream religious leaders are about to start a campaign against a financial pillar of the biotechnology industry: the ability to patent human genes and genetically engineered animals. Leaders from virtually every major religion in the United States plan to issue a joint statement next week asking the Government to prohibit the current patenting practices for genetic engineering. To do so would reverse a 15-year policy that industry executives say was crucial to the birth of commercial biotechnology. The statement has been signed by religious leaders across the political and cultural spectrum: roughly 100 Roman Catholic bishops, numerous Protestant and Jewish leaders and groups of American Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.