Free Republic

Amateur "biohackers" are making their own experimental COVID-19 test kits, which purport to diagnose the disease in just 30 minutes, and which patients can potentially perform themselves. The design copies experimental work conducted in the US and China, but has not yet been assessed by any regulatory bodies. The tests are designed to be used almost anywhere, without any specialised equipment, but to date have only been performed on a limited number of human samples. Some experts say the diagnostic test is promising, but they also warn of the potentially serious risks of using tests made by amateurs. "It would...

Moscow (AFP) - Gripping a scalpel, Vladislav Zaitsev makes an incision in the fold of skin between his client's thumb and index finger and pushes in a small glass cylinder. Alexei Rautkin, a 24-year-old programmer in a hoodie, is having a chip inserted in his hand so he can open the door to his office without swiping a card. "It's something I decided a long time ago," he says. "Mainly because it's convenient but there's also a kind of exclusivity, because practically no one else has this." Rautkin and Zaitsev are among a growing number of Russians interested in biohacking,...