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SPIES CAN HIDE SECRET MESSAGES IN BACTERIA
Night Stalker
Member Posts: 11,967
Reminiscent of the time Nikita Kruschev visited the UN, and impressed the world with his famous shoe beating act.
"Allegedly", [;)] the toilets he used were re-plumbed by the Agency so that his urine and feces could be captured and analyzed.
The game continues.... [:)]
NS
SPIES CAN HIDE SECRET MESSAGES IN BACTERIA
Espionage just got a little more sophisticated and scientific. Invisible ink? Decoder rings? Lemon juice? Puh-lease -- that's mere child's play compared to what double agents scientists at Tufts University just created.
Now secret messages can be hidden in genetically engineered bacteria, thanks to a new method called steganography by printed arrays of microbes (SPAM). Developed by chemistry professor David Walt and his cloak-and-dagger team of researchers, this new method uses a assortment of Escherichia coli strains modified with fluorescent proteins that glow in seven colors.
Multiply that number by the two colors each message character is encoded with and spies like us have over 49 possible code combinations. That's enough for the alphabet, digits 0 to 9, with room left over for a few extra symbols.
The secret microbial messages are first grown in Petri dishes. The cultures are then transferred to a thin film and ready to be sent to the desired undercover recipient. To unlock the message, the recipient must transfer the bacteria to a genetically modified growth medium, which acts as the secret key.
For example, the bacteria could be engineered to react only with a certain antibiotic, therefore allowing the message to only be revealed when in contact with that specific chemical. If any other chemical key is used, the message would be scrambled.
Self-destructing messages could also be created by using bacteria that loses its fluorescence over time.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/spies-hi ... 10927.html
"Allegedly", [;)] the toilets he used were re-plumbed by the Agency so that his urine and feces could be captured and analyzed.
The game continues.... [:)]
NS
SPIES CAN HIDE SECRET MESSAGES IN BACTERIA
Espionage just got a little more sophisticated and scientific. Invisible ink? Decoder rings? Lemon juice? Puh-lease -- that's mere child's play compared to what double agents scientists at Tufts University just created.
Now secret messages can be hidden in genetically engineered bacteria, thanks to a new method called steganography by printed arrays of microbes (SPAM). Developed by chemistry professor David Walt and his cloak-and-dagger team of researchers, this new method uses a assortment of Escherichia coli strains modified with fluorescent proteins that glow in seven colors.
Multiply that number by the two colors each message character is encoded with and spies like us have over 49 possible code combinations. That's enough for the alphabet, digits 0 to 9, with room left over for a few extra symbols.
The secret microbial messages are first grown in Petri dishes. The cultures are then transferred to a thin film and ready to be sent to the desired undercover recipient. To unlock the message, the recipient must transfer the bacteria to a genetically modified growth medium, which acts as the secret key.
For example, the bacteria could be engineered to react only with a certain antibiotic, therefore allowing the message to only be revealed when in contact with that specific chemical. If any other chemical key is used, the message would be scrambled.
Self-destructing messages could also be created by using bacteria that loses its fluorescence over time.
http://news.discovery.com/tech/spies-hi ... 10927.html
Comments
and has actually been forecast, in a way, by science fiction.
Does anybody else remember that Star Trek: TNG episode where the old JAG judge lady starts a witch hunt on the Enterprise? Well it all started with a Klingon traitor who was encoding secrets to give to the Romulans through DNA which was injected into an accomplice.
funny how sci-fi writers have their finger on the pulse of future science fact
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
what was the movie recently where the messages were woven in binary into fabric?
Wanted. It was on FX last night.
enlighten us some more. what else do you know[?][}:)]