Free Republic

DNA molecules are well known as carriers of huge amounts of biological information, and there is growing interest in using DNA in engineered data storage devices that can hold vastly more data than our current hard drives. But new research shows that DNA isn't the only game in town when it comes to molecular data storage. A study led by Brown University researchers shows that it's possible to store and retrieve data stored in artificial metabolomes—arrays of liquid mixtures containing sugars, amino acids and other types of small molecules. For a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers...

Miss New Jersey thought her online photos were private. So did an "American Idol" contestant from Point Pleasant. Amy Polumbo and Antonella Barba instead discovered that their racy just-for-fun photos, posted on members-only sites such as Facebook and MySpace, were accessible to everyone, including would-be blackmailers with modems. But it's not just Jersey girls who fail to realize that deleting images and gossip from Web pages -- or placing them in password-restricted areas -- can't keep them from prying eyes. Many people are at risk because they don't understand how data are stored and shared. "When you delete it, content...

PROVO — A man who digitally created pornography by using his computer to attach facial images of family and members of his LDS Church ward to other people's bodies will spend time behind bars after all. Fourth District Court Judge Claudia Laycock on Wednesday sentenced Lance Rushton, 37, to 45 days in Utah County Jail and 45 days of wearing an ankle-monitoring GPS bracelet. Wednesday's sentencing comes nearly a month after Laycock rejected a sentence recommendation of a GPS bracelet but no jail time. Rushton is to appear at the Utah County Jail on Aug. 18 and will begin the...