About: BreannaKane
Posts by BreannaKane:
Nebula Revolutionizes Genomics Industry with Cryptocurrency
Posted on: 13 Feb 2018
While most blockchain-based startups and companies transitioning into digital currency are met with heavy skepticism, Harvard genetics pioneer George Church is turning heads with Nebula Genomics. That the organization is based on cryptocurrency is not the most important factor– it’s that Church means to monetize and privatize DNA with it. The blockchain is set up to let people share their genome with researchers but maintain ownership over the data– and get paid with cryptocurrency. Nebula is directly targeting 23andMe with this approach. Church’s company addresses “data ownership and privacy concerns,…
Eyes Underground: Using Lasers to View Buried Maya Cities
Posted on: 09 Feb 2018
Archaeologists are applying laser technology to digitally “unearth” Maya cities in Guatemala. The process will change what the world knows about the Maya Civilization, putting it on the same level of advanced civilizations with sophisticated cultures like ancient Greece or China. Lasers have broad applications in drilling, cutting, alignment, guidance, and surgery. Everyday applications for the average person include reading bar codes and playing compact discs. Archaeologists, however, are using them for digital mapping: discovering ancient structures underground without having to physically dig them out. Searching 770 square miles of…
In-Flight Peanuts and Confidential Anti-Terrorism Documents
Posted on: 09 Feb 2018
A confidential Department of Homeland Security (DHS) December 2017 anti-terrorism report on anthrax was discovered by a CNN employee after having been left in a plane’s seat pocket. The document detailed how the DHS would respond in the case of a bioterrorism attack during the Super Bowl, CNN reported Monday. It outlined ways to improve after confusion in recent drills. The report’s cover sheet indicated that it belonged to DHS’s “BioWatch” program, created in 2001 and operating since 2003, CNN reported. It’s the “nation’s only system for early warning of…
Volkswagen Apologizes for Testing Exhaust Fumes on Monkeys
Posted on: 30 Jan 2018
On the heels of Volkswagen AG’s diesel-emissions cheating scandal, the carmaker apologized for using a test that exposed monkeys as test subjects to engine fumes to study the effects of the exhaust. “We apologize for the misconduct and the lack of judgement of individuals,” Wolfsburg, Germany-based VW said in a statement. “We’re convinced the scientific methods chosen then were wrong. It would have been better to do without such a study in the first place.” Hindsight is 20/20. “The organization that commissioned the study, the European Research Group on Environment…
Google Delves into Local News with Bulletin
Posted on: 30 Jan 2018
Google drew heavy skepticism when it introduced a service Friday called Bulletin that allows users to publish stories with text, tags, photos, and video through its app directly to the web. The purpose? The platform is for hyperlocal community news: “Bulletin makes it effortless to put a spotlight on inspiring stories that aren’t being told,” Google said. Maggie Shiels, Google spokeswoman, spoke to Business Insider: “Bulletin is an experimental app that gives people an easy way to tell stories about what is going on around them– ranging from local bookstore…
