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Jun 10, 2019

NIST Builds Statistical Foundation for Next-Generation Forensic DNA Profiling

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Although NIST has now published the data needed to generate match statistics for NGS-based profiles, other hurdles must still be cleared before the new technology sees widespread use in forensics. For instance, labs will have to develop ways to manage the greater amounts of data produced by NGS. They will also have to implement operating procedures and quality controls for the new technology. Still, while much work remains, said Peter Vallone, the research chemist who leads NIST’s forensic genetics research, “We’re laying the foundation for the future.”


DNA is often considered the most reliable form of forensic evidence, and this reputation is based on the way DNA experts use statistics. When they compare the DNA left at a crime scene with the DNA of a suspect, experts generate statistics that describe how closely those DNA samples match. A jury can then take those match statistics into account when deciding guilt or innocence.

These match statistics are reliable because they’re based on rigorous scientific research. However, that research only applies to DNA fingerprints, also called DNA profiles, that have been generated using current technology. Now, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have laid the statistical foundation for calculating match statistics when using Next Generation Sequencing, or NGS, which produces DNA profiles that can be more useful in solving some crimes. This research, which was jointly funded by NIST and the FBI, was published in Forensic Science International: Genetics.

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Jun 10, 2019

Communicating Via the Microwave Auditory Effect

Posted by in category: futurism

The microwave auditory effect, also known as the microwave hearing effect or the Frey effect, consists of audible clicks (or, with speech modulation, spoken words) induced by pulsed/modulated microwave frequencies… The cause is thought to be thermoelastic expansion of portions of the auditory apparatus.


Abstract:

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Jun 10, 2019

Demo abstract: A radio tomographic system for real-time multiple people tracking

Posted by in category: futurism

Radio Tomography:


A radio tomographic (RT) system uses the received signal strength (RSS) measurements collected on the links of a wireless mesh network composed of low-powe.

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Jun 10, 2019

This directory contains the Dec. 2013 (GRCh38/hg38) assembly of the human genome (hg38, GRCh38 Genome Reference Consortium Human Reference 38 (GCA_000001405.2)), as well as repeat annotations and GenBank sequences

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

For more information about this assembly, please note the NCBI resources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/51

Continue reading “This directory contains the Dec. 2013 (GRCh38/hg38) assembly of the human genome (hg38, GRCh38 Genome Reference Consortium Human Reference 38 (GCA_000001405.2)), as well as repeat annotations and GenBank sequences” »

Jun 10, 2019

Elon Musk says he’ll turn you into a cyborg in the next decade

Posted by in categories: cyborgs, Elon Musk, robotics/AI

It’s the only way you’ll survive the coming AI apocalypse.

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Jun 10, 2019

The Emerging World of Touchless Biosensors

Posted by in categories: electronics, wearables

Biosensors can also be sprayed.


A new touchless world of biosensing is emerging, and its implications are unequivocal. What does this mean for wearables, telehealth, and research?

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Jun 10, 2019

Human Cell Atlas

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The Human Cell Atlas (HCA) is a global collaboration to map and characterize all cells in a healthy human body: cell types, numbers, locations, relationships, and molecular components. It will require advances in single-cell RNA sequencing, image-based transcriptomics and proteomics, tissue handling protocols, data analysis, and more. Once complete, it will be a fundamental resource for scientists, allowing them to better understand how healthy cells work, and what goes wrong when disease strikes.

The idea for the HCA grew from an enthusiastic scientific community, and represents a collaborative effort to increase the impact of single-cell biology by federating results from different organs, cell types, experimental approaches, and countries, without suppressing the dynamism of individual communities and projects. The HCA project welcomes participation by scientists, physicians, and engineers around the world. CZI joins groups such as the Wellcome Trust, the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the Broad Institute, the Sanger Institute, and UC Santa Cruz to support this work. We are supporting the HCA through a variety of mechanisms, including:

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Jun 10, 2019

This directory contains the Sierra Leone 2014 (G3683/KM034562.1/eboVir3)

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

This directory contains the Sierra Leone 2014 (G3683/KM034562.1/eboVir3)

Assembly of the Ebola virus 2014 genome

(eboVir3, West Africa 01 June 2014 EBOV/G3683/KM034562.1).

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Jun 10, 2019

Mathematical Beauty Activates Same Brain Region as Great Art or Music

Posted by in categories: mathematics, media & arts, neuroscience

People who appreciate the beauty of mathematics activate the same part of their brain when they look at aesthetically pleasing formula as others do when appreciating art or music, suggesting that ther.

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Jun 10, 2019

Can Self-Replicating Robots Lead To A Society Without Scarcity?

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, economics, governance, robotics/AI


The status quo of economies today seems to be leaning towards automation as the base provider of all products and services. Owing to rise of robots in factories and AI in computing, automation is becoming one of the most integral parts of society.

While self-replicating robots have largely been kept to science fiction books, their rise is becoming more and more likely with the rise of supplementary technologies such as 3D printing.

This technology could hold the key to a truly post-scarcity society. The question then arises, how would the rise of a post-scarcity society affect human institutions such as economy and governance that rely on scarcity?

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