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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."

2 of 194 comments (clear)

  1. Billions, so what? by leob · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Who cares about the probability of replicating the exact sequence? What is the probability that an arbitrary sequence DNA will glow under that light?

  2. Re:Perhaps by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Depends on how much that football actually is worth. Say for example such a football sold for a hundred thousand dollars. In this case, it would be worth paying a few grand to have the DNA sequence tested and verified for authenticity.

    Now if it's worth only a grand, chances are some sucker will plunk his cash down without actually going through all the trouble. In such cases, getting away with counterfeiting is much more likely.

    --
    Life is not for the lazy.