Biometric Updates

• Sensitive sensor detects Down syndrome DNA with blood test during pregnancy February, 2019
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Down syndrome is the most common birth defect, occurring once in every 700 births. However, traditional noninvasive prenatal tests for the condition are unreliable or carry risks for the mother and fetus. Now, researchers have developed a sensitive new biosensor that could someday be used to […]
• Novel laser technology for microchip-size chemical sensors December, 2018
  A special laser system has been developed, using two slightly different frequency combs. This allows for chemical analysis on tiny spaces -- it is a millimeter-format chemistry lab. With this new patent-pending technology, frequency combs can be created on a single chip in a very simple and robust manner.
• Innate 'fingerprint' could detect tampered steel parts November, 2018
  Researchers using magnetic signals have found unique 'fingerprints' on steel, which could help to verify weapons treaties and reduce the use of counterfeit bolts in the construction industry.
• Machine learning masters the fingerprint to fool biometric systems November, 2018
  Fingerprint authentication systems are a widely trusted, ubiquitous form of biometric authentication, deployed on billions of smartphones and other devices worldwide. Yet a new study reveals a surprising level of vulnerability in these systems. Using a neural network trained to synthesize human fingerprints, the research team evolved a fake fingerprint that could potentially fool a […]
• Levitating particles could lift nuclear detective work November, 2018
  Laser-based 'optical tweezers' could levitate uranium and plutonium particles, thus allowing the measurement of nuclear recoil during radioactive decay. This technique provides a new method for conducting the radioactive particle analysis essential to nuclear forensics
• 3D printers have 'fingerprints,' a discovery that could help trace 3D-printed guns October, 2018
  Like fingerprints, no 3D printer is exactly the same. That's the takeaway from a new study that describes what's believed to be the first accurate method for tracing a 3D-printed object to the machine it came from. The advancement could help law enforcement and intelligence agencies track the origin of 3D-printed guns, counterfeit products and […]
• Combining multiple CCTV images could help catch suspects September, 2018
  Combining multiple poor quality CCTV images into a single, computer-enhanced composite could improve the accuracy of facial recognition systems used to identify criminal suspects, new research suggests.
• New test kit for quick, accurate and low-cost screening of diseases September, 2018
  A multidisciplinary team of researchers has developed a portable, easy-to-use device for quick and accurate screening of diseases. This versatile technology platform called enVision (enzyme-assisted nanocomplexes for visual identification of nucleic acids) can be designed to detect a wide range of diseases - from emerging infectious diseases (e.g. Zika and Ebola) and high-prevalence infections (e.g. […]
• Switching DNA and RNA on and off August, 2018
  DNA and RNA are naturally polarized molecules. Scientists believe that these molecules have an in-built polarity that can be reoriented or reversed fully or in part under an electric field. In a new study scientists show that all the DNA and RNA building blocks, or nucleobases, exhibit a non-zero polarization in the presence of polar […]
• Autonomous gene expression control nanodevice will contribute to medical care August, 2018
  Researchers constructed integrated gene logic-chips called 'gene nanochips.' These self-contained nanochips can switch genes on or off according to the environment, where photo-reprogramming of the logic operation by UV irradiation is possible. Moreover, the researchers completed proof-of-concept experiments using artificial cells that produced the diagnostics and reactants (the desired RNA and protein) in a confined […]