FDA Pilot Program Eases Rules for Nicotine Pouch Makers 
Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment 
NASA Resumes Cygnus XL Cargo Docking with Space Station After Software Fix 
Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage 
Lab-grown meat: you may find it icky, but it could drive forward medical research 
Eli Lilly’s Inluriyo Gains FDA Approval for Advanced Breast Cancer Treatment 
Trump Administration to Launch Autism Initiatives Targeting Acetaminophen Use and New Treatment Options 
Is space worth the cost? Accounting experts say its value can’t be found in spreadsheets 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Boost AI Research in Childhood Cancer 
Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast 
SpaceX Starship Explodes in Texas During Test, Citing Nitrogen Tank Failure 
NASA Astronauts Wilmore and Williams Recover After Boeing Starliner Delay 
Scientists and engineers have been pushing the digital frontier for decades and they have just pushed the boundaries towards new territory. Encoding a malware in DNA, scientists were able to infect computers that tried to read the genome. This could prove incredibly helpful in advancing digital storage or it could cause havoc amongst police computer systems.
The idea that data can be stored in DNA has been in circulating the scientific community for months, but applying the idea in a frankly destructive way does put a spotlight on the concept. This is exactly what a team of researchers did when they infected a DNA strand with a malicious software, which then went on to infect a computer, TechCrunch reports.
It’s worth noting that the scientists did this intentionally and in a controlled environment. If it wasn’t so disturbing, it would actually be quite hilarious. Unfortunately, it is disturbing and the implications are both terrifying and fascinating at the same time.
The science team in question are made up of researchers from the University of Washington and the reason for why they decided to conduct such an outrageous experiment is to actually improve security. It’s just a fact now that several laboratories all over the world are looking into the prospect of turning DNA into a storage unit. The problem is that in many of these cases, the transcription and analysis security is just not up to snuff.
There’s also the danger of criminal organizations being able to figure out that they can encode malware in DNA, regardless of how minute the possibility is. An infected DNA material could do some serious damage to CSI or other investigative branches of governments once they start analyzing the strands, ZDNet reports.
After all, DNA sequencing and analysis is standard practice in trying to identify suspects or victims. If a group of individuals had enough incentives and the resources, destroying entire networks of police computers would certainly be possible now.
