 |
DNA Authenticators: Anti-Counterfeiting Proposed by Philip K. Dick
In his unique 1964 novel The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K. Dick proposed using genetically unique, counterfeit-proof truffle-skins as money.
Applied DNA Sciences now offers tested security tags that use unique DNA authenticators that can be used as clothing labels, or actually built into a product along with a logo. A strand of DNA from twenty to tens of thousands of base pairs long is synthesized or extracted from a plant genome. This DNA strand is assigned a unique product name, and then is replicated with PCR to produce bulk quantities of pure DNA material. This material can then be mixed with ink for tags or actual use on the product itself; it can even be mixed into pharmaceuticals.
Inspectors can easily test this DNA in real-time in the field using a special test kit with a reverse complement of the DNA tag. Only a perfect match will spark a fluorescent reaction; this reaction authenticates the product for the inspectors.
Read more about it at Fighting Fraud With DNA.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/21/2004)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion (Back On) ( 0 )
Index of related articles:
What is encryption?
DES - The Data Encryption Standard
AES - The Advanced Encryption Standard
Related News Stories - (" Security ")
Indian Court Says Brain Scan Proves Murder
Using a test called Brain Electrical Oscillations Signature, an Indian court convicts a woman based on her brain contents.
Background Draw-a-Secret (BDAS) Makes Graphical Passwords
Interesting security technique that takes advantage of the greater ease with which we all recall pictures, as opposed to the kind of alphanumeric strings IT techs want us to use for passwords.
ID-U Biometrics Eye Tracking Signature
Interesting new method of secure identification gathers a unique response to stimulus each time; old data cannot be copied and presented to the system.
PCASS And The Original Handheld Lie Detector
The idea that a simple device could tell a soldier who was lying is an attractive idea; but can it really work? You might be surprised about the origin of the lie detector idea.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
MIT Robot Cheetah Video Shows Gait Transition
'The legs are long, curled way up to deliver power, like a cheetah's.'
TrackingPoint Smart Rifle
Not your typical 'smart bullet' approach.
'Hello, Computer!' Google Now Highlighted at IO13
'Hello, computer!'
Sky City's 220 Stories Are Go
'It rested among green parklands and... stood in total isolation, a glittering block of whites and flashing windows dotted with colors.'
CARMAT Bioprosthetic Total Human Heart Replacement
'George Walt's corporate existence proved the workability of wholly mechanical organs...'
Personal Sniffer Robots
'...The ticking combinations of the olfactory system of the hound.'
Physical Exam? We've Got Apps
See the future of handheld, personal medical devices.
The Interplanetary Internet, Vint Cerf Speaking
'This was the center of Interplanetary Communications.'
Drosophila Robotica, The Mechanical Fly
'... the Scarab [flying robot] buzzed into the great workroom as any intruding insect might...'
Robo-Raven Flapping Wing Robot Bird
'When he had first built them, they had been crude indeed, flying mechanisms with little more than a reflex-response unit.'
Japan's Nursing Home Robot Plan
Let's make the Roujin Z-0001 Robotic Bed!
Samsung Smart TVs With Gesture Control
'He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.'
Swiss HCPVT Giant Photovoltaic 'Flower'
'...leaning against one of the slender stalks of a sunshade-photocell collector.'
Mini-Livers Made By 3D Printer
Organleggers may experience an employment downturn.
Smartphone Sensor System Tracks Gunfire
'Sound trackers on the roof could zero in on weapons action...'
Bacteria Now Make Biofuel Like Oil
'They have ... germs that eat pretty near anything, and produce oil as a waste product.'
