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Super Bowl Footballs Get The DNA Touch
theodp writes "All 120 Super Bowl XL footballs will be marked with a drop of synthetic DNA to thwart potential counterfeiters (free reg. required to read) who might be tempted to sell phony game-used Super Bowl footballs, which can be worth thousands of dollars. Exposed to a specific laser frequency, the DNA glows to a bright green. 'The chance of replicating this exact DNA sequence is one in 33 trillion,' said the president of PSA/DNA Authentication Services."
Eww... doesn't anyone wash their hands anymore?
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Well you figure 2 teams, 30 players each. Yeah it comes out to 120. No wait, you need a football, so 121.
The chance of replicating this exact DNA sequence is one in 33 trillion
Never tell me the odds!
1) Slaughter a pig.
2) Slice the hide into 120 footballs.
3) Serve the leftovers as bacon during the pre-game tailgate.
All the footballs have the same DNA.
The glow is related to the discount the company received by purchasing from Chernobyl pig farmers.
The U.S. has a huge trade deficit. Why aren't we exporting this junk?
it's a blue bright blue Saturday hey hey
1 in 33 trillion is still only a finite improbability, and now that I know the figures, I just need a cup of really hot tea and I'll have myself a goldmine of counterfeit footballs...
Am I missing something here? Why not just make the pig skins from green pigs in the first place. Try replicating that in your backyard.
So you're saying I have a chance.
In a related story, Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is reported to have been hospitalized follow the game this Sunday for strange growths on his hands and forearms.
cat
Someone stupid enough to waste "thousands of dollars" on a misshapen ball should be easy enough to fall for the simplest of forgeries anyway.
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.