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DNA law quashed
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DNA law quashed
University at Albany in New York, who works on wireless networks for developing nations. Mark Graham at the Oxford Internet Institute, who studies developing information economies, also welcomes X’s plans. But he thinks we should be clear up front what Alphabet might want in return. “If they want to try to harvest, sell and monetise the data of users, and further entrench their monopoly, we should we wary of their goals,” he says. “A free service may come at a price if Project Loon does not offer access to the open internet.”
KUWAIT has revoked the world’s first law requiring all citizens and visitors to submit DNA samples. Last week, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that the 2015 law violates the constitution’s guarantee of personal liberty. “We have prevailed,” says Adel AbdulHadi of law firm Adel AbdulHadi & Partners. “I’m very pleased to have succeeded in a case which is of high importance to maintain the principles of privacy and human civil rights.” The government introduced
60 SECONDS
the law ostensibly to allow the identification of potential terrorists, but there were fears that the DNA information could be abused. As well as potentially violating the personal privacy of all 3.5 million Kuwaitis and visitors to the country, the law could also reveal unwelcome paternity issues, AbdulHadi’s team argued. Anyone refusing to yield their DNA would have faced up to a year in jail or a large fine. “[We] hope that other countries considering going down the same road will take note of this decision,” said the European Society of Human Genetics.
Google’s in-ear translator buddy
THE World Health Organization and 50 other agencies have declared war on cholera. A road map launched last week by the Global Task Force for Cholera Control describes plans to cut deaths from the waterborne disease – now running at 95,000 a year – by 90 per cent by 2030. That will mean eliminating cholera from 20 of the 47 countries that have it, and enabling the rest to detect and stop outbreaks before they get out of control. Three million people get cholera every year, in Asia, Africa and Haiti. In Yemen, the biggest epidemic in modern times is now approaching 800,000 cases and is still growing. Experts say a “catastrophic” outbreak looms in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. We already have the tools to stop this, says Peter Salama at the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland. Cholera spreads in water containing infected faeces. Rich countries banished it a century ago with toilets and hygiene. The road map calls for coordinated spending on sanitation and the use of the oral cholera vaccine, a game changer that has recently been found to quickly contain outbreaks.
IF YOU have a Google Pixel phone, you will soon be able to speak 40 languages. All you need is a pair of the earbuds Google announced last week in San Francisco. These can be used to make phone calls and listen to music – but they also provide on-demand two-way translation. To talk in one of the supported languages, you use the earbuds to access Google Assistant and the Google Translate app. Pressing on the earbud and saying “let me speak German”, for example, initiates translation of your speech into German, playing the results on the phone’s speakers. Translated replies are heard via the earbuds. “It’s like you’ve got your own personal translator with you ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP/GETTY
Cholera campaign
everywhere you go,” wrote Pixel Buds product manager Adam Champy in a blog post. It’s not quite your own – the actual translation happens in a Google data centre – but the voice speaking the translated words is processed on your phone. The earbuds, which will ship next month for £159 in the UK, aren’t yet available for testing, a Google spokesperson told New Scientist. That means it’s not yet clear how comfy the earbuds are or whether their 5-hour battery life is adequate. Existing tech already does a similar job, including the Google Translate app and Skype Translator. So if the earbuds don’t improve on the experience, they might not stick around.
Ivory ban in the UK Sales of ivory should be banned in the UK, the government said in proposals issued for public consultation last week. However, it does suggest exceptions, including musical instruments, items containing only tiny amounts of ivory, items of artistic value and purchase of ivory items by museums.
Childhood obesity The number of children and adolescents worldwide who are obese has increased tenfold over the past four decades. In 1975, 5 million girls and 6 million boys were obese, but this had risen to 50 million and 74 million, respectively, in 2016 (The Lancet, DOI: 10.1016/S01406736(17)32129-3).
Nemo in dystopia Flying out of Dubai? Soon you won’t need to wait in line at security gates. Next year, these will be replaced with a virtual aquarium tunnel that scans your face or iris using 80 hidden cameras. The fish do more than tranquillise you; they attract your gaze to different cameras to optimise the capture of your likeness.
Escaping the cold A chilly climate may have driven ancient humans out of Africa. East Africa became colder and drier around 75,000 years ago, according to an analysis of past climates – just when modern humans were apparently migrating out of Africa (Geology, doi.org/cd3r).
Healthy marriage Men’s health is linked to the state of their marriages. A study of 620 married fathers found that deteriorating relationships were associated with worsening diastolic blood pressure, while weight and levels of “bad” cholesterol fell in men whose marriages improved (Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, doi.org/cd3q).
–Let me talk marketing-speak– 14 October 2017 | NewScientist | 5
DNA law quashed
University at Albany in New York, who works on wireless networks for developing nations. Mark Graham at the Oxford Internet Institute, who studies developing information economies, also welcomes X’s plans. But he thinks we should be clear up front what Alphabet might want in return. “If they want to try to harvest, sell and monetise the data of users, and further entrench their monopoly, we should we wary of their goals,” he says. “A free service may come at a price if Project Loon does not offer access to the open internet.”
KUWAIT has revoked the world’s first law requiring all citizens and visitors to submit DNA samples. Last week, the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that the 2015 law violates the constitution’s guarantee of personal liberty. “We have prevailed,” says Adel AbdulHadi of law firm Adel AbdulHadi & Partners. “I’m very pleased to have succeeded in a case which is of high importance to maintain the principles of privacy and human civil rights.” The government introduced
60 SECONDS
the law ostensibly to allow the identification of potential terrorists, but there were fears that the DNA information could be abused. As well as potentially violating the personal privacy of all 3.5 million Kuwaitis and visitors to the country, the law could also reveal unwelcome paternity issues, AbdulHadi’s team argued. Anyone refusing to yield their DNA would have faced up to a year in jail or a large fine. “[We] hope that other countries considering going down the same road will take note of this decision,” said the European Society of Human Genetics.
Google’s in-ear translator buddy
THE World Health Organization and 50 other agencies have declared war on cholera. A road map launched last week by the Global Task Force for Cholera Control describes plans to cut deaths from the waterborne disease – now running at 95,000 a year – by 90 per cent by 2030. That will mean eliminating cholera from 20 of the 47 countries that have it, and enabling the rest to detect and stop outbreaks before they get out of control. Three million people get cholera every year, in Asia, Africa and Haiti. In Yemen, the biggest epidemic in modern times is now approaching 800,000 cases and is still growing. Experts say a “catastrophic” outbreak looms in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. We already have the tools to stop this, says Peter Salama at the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland. Cholera spreads in water containing infected faeces. Rich countries banished it a century ago with toilets and hygiene. The road map calls for coordinated spending on sanitation and the use of the oral cholera vaccine, a game changer that has recently been found to quickly contain outbreaks.
IF YOU have a Google Pixel phone, you will soon be able to speak 40 languages. All you need is a pair of the earbuds Google announced last week in San Francisco. These can be used to make phone calls and listen to music – but they also provide on-demand two-way translation. To talk in one of the supported languages, you use the earbuds to access Google Assistant and the Google Translate app. Pressing on the earbud and saying “let me speak German”, for example, initiates translation of your speech into German, playing the results on the phone’s speakers. Translated replies are heard via the earbuds. “It’s like you’ve got your own personal translator with you ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP/GETTY
Cholera campaign
everywhere you go,” wrote Pixel Buds product manager Adam Champy in a blog post. It’s not quite your own – the actual translation happens in a Google data centre – but the voice speaking the translated words is processed on your phone. The earbuds, which will ship next month for £159 in the UK, aren’t yet available for testing, a Google spokesperson told New Scientist. That means it’s not yet clear how comfy the earbuds are or whether their 5-hour battery life is adequate. Existing tech already does a similar job, including the Google Translate app and Skype Translator. So if the earbuds don’t improve on the experience, they might not stick around.
Ivory ban in the UK Sales of ivory should be banned in the UK, the government said in proposals issued for public consultation last week. However, it does suggest exceptions, including musical instruments, items containing only tiny amounts of ivory, items of artistic value and purchase of ivory items by museums.
Childhood obesity The number of children and adolescents worldwide who are obese has increased tenfold over the past four decades. In 1975, 5 million girls and 6 million boys were obese, but this had risen to 50 million and 74 million, respectively, in 2016 (The Lancet, DOI: 10.1016/S01406736(17)32129-3).
Nemo in dystopia Flying out of Dubai? Soon you won’t need to wait in line at security gates. Next year, these will be replaced with a virtual aquarium tunnel that scans your face or iris using 80 hidden cameras. The fish do more than tranquillise you; they attract your gaze to different cameras to optimise the capture of your likeness.
Escaping the cold A chilly climate may have driven ancient humans out of Africa. East Africa became colder and drier around 75,000 years ago, according to an analysis of past climates – just when modern humans were apparently migrating out of Africa (Geology, doi.org/cd3r).
Healthy marriage Men’s health is linked to the state of their marriages. A study of 620 married fathers found that deteriorating relationships were associated with worsening diastolic blood pressure, while weight and levels of “bad” cholesterol fell in men whose marriages improved (Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, doi.org/cd3q).
–Let me talk marketing-speak– 14 October 2017 | NewScientist | 5