Human gene sequencing gets an official yardstick

Gene sequencing, once a rare feat, is pretty common these days… but how do you know that your DNA data is up to snuff? As of now, there’s an easy way to find out. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released reference genetic material that serves as a “measuring stick” for human gene sequencing. Researchers have tested this sample genome so thoroughly that it’ll tell labs whether or not they’re making typical mistakes, and ensure that their results are trustworthy. The hope is that you’ll see bulletproof sequencing devices that take the anxiety out of pinpointing genetic conditions or understanding your ancestry.

[Image credit: Gerald Barber, Virginia Tech University (with permission of the National Science Foundation)]

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Via: EurekAlert

Source: NIST

NASA patched Curiosity rover’s autofocus problem over the air

Pardon me while I say something that might not be entirely popular: Software updates are pretty awesome. Maybe not so much for game consoles, but, I digress because the Curiosity rover recently received a patch that improved the autofocus of its “ChemCam” telescope. Over the air. On Mars. Before the update, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory would take nine pictures of a subject (each at a different focus) to get one usable close-up image of any of the Red Planet’s rocks and soils, and send them back home. Same goes for any sample analyses the laser was doing. The problem is that for those analyses to be anywhere remotely useful, the telescope projecting said laser needs to be in focus and the workaround in place wasn’t very efficient.

The solution? Get the rover to keep taking nine images, but for it to self-analyze the photos and choose the one that has the best focus — all with software totaling 40 kilobytes. That’s right: The software used to spot water in Martian soil is lighter than the last Gmail update for your phone. The patch went live this week and Curiosity‘s already back in action.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory

NVIDIA Shield Tablet getting Android 5.1 update

As a long holiday weekend got underway in the U.S., NVIDIA took the opportunity to start rolling out Android 5.1 to their NVIDIA Shield Tablet devices. As is typically the case with operating system updates, NVIDIA says this one brings improved performance and responsiveness to the devices. Users will also enjoy improved security and support for Android for Work along with typical Android 5.1 improvements like a better quick-settings menu, better profile management and other items.

As part of the Shield tablet software upgrade 3.0, NVIDIA took the opportunity to make some improvements to display performance. They also provided a firmware update for the Shield controller to improve the pairing experience. The package also includes a variety of unspecified system improvements to items like the camera, audio and the modem.

If you have an NVIDIA Shield tablet, be on the lookout for the notification that an over-the-air update is available.

source: NVIDIA

Come comment on this article: NVIDIA Shield Tablet getting Android 5.1 update

CIA shuts down program using spy satellites to track climate change

For most of the past two decades, a handful of climate change scientists have had the CIA’s MEDEA (Measurement of Earth Data for Environmental Analysis) program as an ace in the hole: they could draw on classified info from spy satellites and subs to study global warming in extreme detail. However, they’ll now have to make do with alternatives. The agency has shut down MEDEA, saying that its projects to study the security implications of climate change “have been completed.” While the CIA says it’ll still “engage external experts” on the subject, it won’t be providing consistent access to its extremely accurate and rare data.

Whether or not the closure is a major problem depends on who you ask. There are doubts that the CIA is really a good leader in climate research, and it’s safe to say that the organization typically has its hands full with the espionage business. However, there are also concerns that officials are cutting off access to accurate info at the very moment when things are getting complicated — researchers need more data, not less. That may not be as much of an issue in the long run as non-classified satellites provide increasingly valuable findings, but the loss is still bound to hurt for at least a while.

[Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Flickr]

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Via: io9

Source: Mother Jones

DOJ lays down some privacy rules for feds flying drones

The Justice Department promises to keep a closer eye on how its agencies are using drones from now on — after all, they can be useful in nabbing suspects, but they can also be used as a tool to abuse power. In its new five-page policy guidance, the department has listed when its agencies can and can’t use drones, with a focus on people’s right to privacy. For instance, they can’t be deployed to monitor activities protected by the First Amendment, such as peaceful protests. Authorities will also have to secure warrants to use the machines in places where the subject of investigation has “reasonable expectation of privacy.” Obviously, the drones can only be used for authorized investigations and never for engaging in discriminatory acts.

In order to make sure the whole department follows these policies, the DOJ plans to train all its drone operators, subject its agencies to annual reviews by the deputy attorney general, and require them to keep logs of every drone flight. The department will then publish a flight summary from those logs on its website. At the moment, only the FBI has an operational drone program (reportedly with 17 machines and two pilots) within the DOJ, though the ATF has a suspended one it might relaunch in the future. Now that the department’s agencies finally have a concrete idea of what they can use drones for, they can get ones fit for the job instead of wasting so much money (again) on shoddy pieces of equipment.

[Image credit: Alamy]

Filed under: Misc

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Via: The Hill, The Huffington Post

Source: US Department of Justice