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Super Bowl Footballs Get The DNA Touch

Posted by Zonk on from the don't-wash-them dept.

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."

5 of 194 comments (clear)

  1. Perhaps by CountBrass · · Score: 3, Insightful

    33 trillion to 1? Yeah right. All a counterfeiter needs do is make it glow roughly the same green. No need to actually replicate the DNA sequence: no-one will actually check that anyway!

    --
    Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
    1. Re:Perhaps by RomulusNR · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And who's going to have one of those very specifically-tuned lasers to check them with?

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      Terrorists can attack freedom, but only Congress can destroy it.
  2. Business plan by pgfuller · · Score: 5, Insightful

    1) Purchase legitimate game ball for 'thousands' 2) Extract DNA sequence and replicate using PCR or actually sequence it and then create more 3) ... 4) Profit !

  3. Re:Not a zero sum game..... by AstrumPreliator · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I didn't mean to imply the technology was useless. It may very well have good applications. Putting synthetic DNA on a football is not a good application. I was actually ready to burn some karma on that comment as I'm very against sports where a guy gets paid millions to toss a ball or anything along those lines. Priorities are absolutely terrible in 1st world countries. I mean I know leisure activities are important but I don't think they're as important as we make them out to be. I would much rather go play a game of football than watch one.

    I'd like to note that if a certain technology is needed it will be developed, manufactured need or not.

  4. Who cares? by mh101 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If someone's stupid enough to pay thousands of dollars to buy a football just because it was supposedly used in a Superbowl game, then they deserve it if they get conned.

    Similarly, I don't get all these auctions where an article of clothing sells for huge sums of money simply because a celebrity wore it once. Why's it suddenly worth so much more than getting the exact same thing from a store?

    --
    Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.