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"Discovery Files" Features from the National Science Foundation
"Background Check"
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A NEW TOOL FOR DIGGING... THE "DISCOVERY FILES": NEW ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. THERE'S NEWS BEING "GENERATED" OUT OF RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, OF A NEW COMPUTER ALGORITHM THAT CAN ACCURATELY IDENTIFY A PERSON'S ANCESTRY THROUGH NOTHING MORE THAN A SIMPLE D-N-A CHEEK SWAB. AND, IT CAN DO IT FOR THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS IN JUST MINUTES. THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT USE D-N-A AS A KIND OF A LADDER TO CLIMB ONE'S FAMILY TREE--BUT THOSE REQUIRE SOME PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF FAMILY HISTORY. WITH THIS NEW ALGORITHM, NO ANCESTRAL INFORMATION IS NEEDED. 99-PERCENT OF A PERSON'S GENES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS EVERYBODY ELSE'S; IT'S REALLY JUST ONE-PERCENT THAT VARIES. BUT, THAT SMALL VARIATION CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON HOW PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ANCESTRY REACT TO DRUGS AND MEDICAL TREATMENTS. BY BEING ABLE TO QUICKLY MAP AND STUDY THAT ONE-PERCENT DIFFERENCE IN ENTIRE POPULATIONS, RESEARCHERS MAY BE ABLE TO CUSTOMIZE FUTURE MEDICAL TREATMENTS--BASED ON ONE'S SPECIFIC GENETIC MAKEUP. THE NEW ALGORITHM PROVED TO BE MORE-THAN-99-PERCENT ACCURATE IN PINPOINTING THE EXACT ANCESTRY OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE; NOW, THAT'S A REAL "BACKGROUND CHECK". THE "DISCOVERY FILES" COVERS PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOU! LEARN MORE AT "N-S-F"-DOT-GOV--OR ON THEIR PODCAST.
For additional "Discovery Files" features from the National Science Foundation, click here.
