Bio-Hacking Regulators; Communicating Thoughts; Computing Cataracts; I Spy with My Little AI; Free Russian Land; and Detailed Rings

Genetics

The FDA Is Cracking Down On Rogue Genetic Engineers gizmodo

Since the DIY bio community first developed in the early aughts, it has largely avoided government regulation. But in 2017, cheaper equipment and simpler genetic engineering technologies mean that garage scientists can dream much bigger than simply turning yellow yeast red. We now live in a world where anyone can order custom DNA sequences on the internet to tinker with in their home. And the rules that govern genetic engineering today were not written with the foresight that it would one day be possible for 30-year-old hobbyists in Mississippi to try their hand at genetically engineering dogs.

Medical

Brain Computer Interface Allows Completely Locked In People to Communicate neurosciencenews

In the trial, people with complete locked-in syndrome, who were incapable of even moving their eyes to communicate, were able to respond “yes” or “no” via thought to spoken questions. A non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) detected their responses by measuring changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain.

AI

Computer Diagnoses Cataracts As Well As Eye Doctors Can livescience

In the study, scientists in China used an artificial neural network named CC-Cruiser. This network was a "convolutional neural network," meaning it was designed based on the way neurons are organized in the brain region that deals with vision. The scientists wanted to see if neural networks could help address rare diseases, which afflict about 10 percent of the world's population.

AI tracks your every move and tells your boss if you’re slacking newscientist

One company offering such services is London-based start-up StatusToday statustoday. The company was recently included in a cybersecurity accelerator run by British intelligence agency GCHQ, which offers technical expertise and helps to secure investment. StatusToday’s AI platform relies on a regular supply of employee metadata, including everything from the files you access and how often you look at them to when you use a key card at a company door.

Russia

Russia enacts law allowing every citizen to get a plot of Far Eastern land for free tass

From February 1, 2017, every Russian citizen is entitled to choose a plot of land in any of the regions of Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District. For this purpose, Russia has set up a federal information web portal allowing Russian citizens to file an application for a Far Eastern hectare without any bureaucratic delays.

Space

New photos from venerable spacecraft show off incredible details in Saturn’s rings mashable p

While the rings, as a whole, look like perfectly smooth disks from a distance, when viewed from close range, the smaller-scale bits of ice, dust and rock that form the rings can be spotted.

Others...

Ferret has successful pacemaker surgery at Kansas State kansas

Incredible photos of an eerie ship graveyard in the middle of the Uzbekistan desert thisisinsider