AnthraxDetector
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Portable device can sniff out anthrax in an hour, won't bring the noise
Got some mysterious white powder sitting on your coffee table? A new, suitcase-sized device can tell you whether you've got dandruff, or anthrax. Developed by researchers at Cornell and the University of Albany, the detector uses a microfluidic chip (pictured on the left) to collect and purify the DNA on a given sample, before conducting a series of polymerase chain reactions -- processes that can quickly identify biological materials. The machine, which has been in the works for seven years, is powerful enough to deliver test results in just one hour (requiring a sample of only 40 microscopic spores), but is slim enough to fit in an airline's overhead luggage bin. Scientists say their creation could also be catered to pick up on other pathogens, including salmonella, and may even pay dividends for crime scene investigators handling forensic evidence. No word yet on when the device could hit the market, but we won't touch an ounce of sugar until it does.
Veritide Anthrax Detector comes in happy face yellow
It's not often that we get to write about one of our favorite under-reported countries (New Zealand) and one of our favorite under-reported bacterial spores (anthrax) in the same post, but our lucky day has finally arrived. A Kiwi nation-based company called Veritide has just developed a handheld anthrax detector (aptly called the "Anthrax Detector"). This bright yellow gadget, which is about the size of a coffee mug, has a non-destructive optical scanner that'll determine in under a minute whether that spilled white powder in your laboratory is baking soda or the deadly bacteria. No intel yet on pricing, availability, nor if Veritide's Anthrax Detector comes with samples of anthrax spores to test it out, but either way it's something no self-respecting paranoiac should do without -- like the home geiger counter (and watch), or your handy cellphone radiation detector.[Via medGadget]
