The article highlights a pressing concern for scientists, who warn that next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) technology could become a prime target for hackers. The NGS workflow involves complex steps from sample preparation to data analysis, each vulnerable to potential security breaches. As many DNA datasets are openly accessible online, cybercriminals can misuse the information for surveillance, manipulation, or malicious experimentation.

The research study, led by Dr Nasreen Anjum from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Computing, is the first comprehensive investigation into cyber-biosecurity threats across the entire NGS workflow. The study warns that protecting genomic data isn’t just about encryption; it requires anticipating attacks that don’t yet exist. Dr Anjum emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in securing the future of precision medicine.

The research team identified new and emerging methods that hackers can use to exploit or attack systems, such as synthetic DNA-encoded malware, AI-driven manipulation of genome data, and identity tracing through re-identification techniques. These threats pose risks to individual privacy, scientific integrity, and national security.

Dr Mahreen-Ul-Hassan, a microbiologist and co-author from the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, notes that genomic data is one of the most personal forms of data we have. If compromised, the consequences go far beyond a typical data breach.

The research team recommends practical solutions, including secure sequencing protocols, encrypted storage, and AI-powered anomaly detection. They urge governments, regulatory bodies, funding agencies, and academic institutions to prioritize this field and invest in dedicated research, education, and policy development before it’s too late.

Without coordinated action, genomic data could be exploited for surveillance, discrimination, or even bioterrorism. The study highlights the need for interdisciplinary cooperation between computer scientists, bioinformaticians, biotechnologists, and security professionals to prevent these threats.

The study was funded by the British Council’s UK-Saudi Challenge Fund and a Quality Related Research Grant from the University of Portsmouth.

The Harvard RoboBee has long been a marvel of microbotics, capable of flight, diving, and hovering like a real insect. But what good is the miracle of flight without a safe way to land? The RoboBee’s creators have now overcome this hurdle with their most reliable landing gear yet, inspired by nature’s own graceful landers: the crane fly.

Led by Robert Wood, the team has given their flying robot a set of long, jointed legs that help ease its transition from air to ground. This breakthrough protects the delicate piezoelectric actuators – energy-dense “muscles” deployed for flight that are easily fractured by external forces from rough landings and collisions.

The RoboBee’s previous iterations had suffered significant ground effect, or instability as a result of air vortices from its flapping wings. This problem was addressed by Christian Chan, a graduate student who led the mechanical redesign of the robot, and Nak-seung Patrick Hyun, a postdoctoral researcher who led controlled landing tests on a leaf and rigid surfaces.

Their paper describes improvement of the robot’s controller to adapt to ground effects as it approaches, an effort that seeks to minimize velocity before impact and dissipate energy quickly after. This innovation builds upon nature-inspired mechanical upgrades for skillful flight and graceful landing on various terrains.

The team chose the crane fly, a relatively slow-moving and harmless insect that emerges from spring to fall, as their inspiration. They noted its long, jointed appendages that likely give the insects the ability to dampen landings. This design was replicated in prototypes of different leg architectures, settling on designs similar to a crane fly’s.

The success of the RoboBee is a testament to the interface between biology and robotics. Alyssa Hernandez, a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in insect locomotion, notes that this platform can be used as a tool for biological research, producing studies that test biomechanical hypotheses.

Currently, the RoboBee stays tethered to off-board control systems, but the team will continue to focus on scaling up the vehicle and incorporating onboard electronics to give the robot sensor, power, and control autonomy. This three-pronged holy grail would allow the RoboBee platform to truly take off, paving the way for future applications in environmental monitoring, disaster surveillance, and even artificial pollination.

The use of diamonds with certain optically active defects has revolutionized the field of quantum computing and sensing. These color centers can store quantum information in their electron spin state, making them ideal for sensitive sensors or qubits. However, reading out these individual spin states has been a complex process, requiring delicate optical measurements. A team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has now developed an elegant method to detect single spins using photovoltage, paving the way for more compact and efficient quantum devices.

The nitrogen vacancy centers (NV centers) in diamonds can be manipulated with microwaves, allowing for the information from a single spin to be read out using light. However, this process is plagued by weak signals, making it challenging to detect each individual spin. To address this issue, the researchers modified Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), a variant of atomic force microscopy. By exciting the NV centers with a laser and capturing free charge carriers, they generated a measurable voltage around the defect center.

The photovoltage measured by KPFM depends on the electron spin state of the NV center, allowing for the individual spin to be read out. This breakthrough also enables the capture of spin dynamics by coherently manipulating the spin states using microwave excitation. The implications of this discovery are vast, as it opens the door to developing tiny and compact diamond-based devices that can be used in various applications, including quantum computing and sensing.

The research team, led by Prof. Klaus Lips, is optimistic about the potential of their newly developed readout method. “This would open the way to the development of really tiny and compact diamond-based devices,” he says. The team believes that this technology could also be applied to other solid-state physics systems where electron spin resonance of spin defects has been observed.

In conclusion, the use of photovoltage to detect single spins in diamonds represents a significant breakthrough in the field of quantum computing and sensing. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize the design and development of tiny and compact devices that can be used in various applications, making it an exciting prospect for researchers and scientists alike.