New research shows how police could use forensic DNA to track down a suspect’s relatives in genealogy databases that store a different kind of genetic data—and that were never intended for use in police investigations.
In other words, if your sibling leaves DNA at a crime scene, it could lead detectives to your door. That suggests new investigative possibilities for police—and also new concerns about genetic privacy and whether authorities who use forensic DNA in creative ways might be overstepping their bounds, says Noah Rosenberg, a professor of biology at Stanford University and senior author of a study, which appears in Cell.
“The potential to link people’s genotypes across databases has been developing for some time. It is both of interest and concerning, depending on one’s point of view,” says Rosenberg, who is also a member of Stanford Bio-X.
Scientists in Australia have for the first time demonstrated the protection of correlated states between paired photons—packets of light energy—using the intriguing physical concept of topology. This experimental breakthrough opens a pathway to build a new type of quantum bit, the building blocks for quantum computers.
The research, developed in close collaboration with Israeli colleagues, is published today in the prestigious journal, Science, a recognition of the foundational importance of this work.
“We can now propose a pathway to build robust entangled states for logic gates using protected pairs of photons,” said lead author Dr. Andrea Blanco-Redondo at the University of Sydney Nano Institute.
When fish are filleted in a seafood-processing plant, or when shrimp and shellfish are boiled, a lot of wastewater is generated. Currently, that water is simply discarded. An experimental new system, however, is able to draw much of the nutrients from it – and those nutrients could have a number of uses.
Tesla owners will soon be able to drive their cars with their phones, Elon Musk said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday via Twitter that an upcoming software update will allow Tesla owners to drive their cars with their phones in some situations.
“Car will drive to your phone location & follow you like a pet if you hold down summon button on Tesla app,” Musk said.
“Also, you’ll be able to drive it from your phone remotely like a big RC car if in line of sight,” he added.
Early astronauts of the Apollo missions are often hailed as explorers, scientists and heroes, but they were also some of the most noteworthy photographers in history.
It includes a special foreword by Apollo 7 astronaut Walter Cunningham, and breathtaking photos taken by Apollo astronauts, many of which were previously unpublished.
