New Sensor Technology Looks at Molecular 'Fingerprint'

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Tuesday May 23, 2006 @05:22AM from the that's-profiling-and-profiling-is-wrong dept.

New sensor technology developed by engineers at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory can now detect chemical, biological, nuclear, and explosive materials much more quickly and efficiently. From the article: "The millimeter/terahertz technology detects the energy levels of a molecule as it rotates. The frequency distribution of this energy provides a unique and reproducible spectral pattern - its 'fingerprint' - that identifies the material. The technology can also be used in its imaging modality - ranging from concealed weapons to medical applications such as tumor detection."

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Obligatory jab at WMD intelligence by cdogbert · 2006-05-23 05:32 · Score: 0, Troll

If only we had this technology when we first went to war with Iraq.

Oh wait...
Great by Shadow+Wrought · 2006-05-23 05:45 · Score: 0, Troll

So now they'll justify full body scans at the airport as merely part of a Cancer Reviewing Awareness Program.

--
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
Re:Thanks Star Trek by Locus+Mote · 2006-05-23 06:13 · Score: 0, Troll

Um... no.

The tricorder on Star Trek was a prop. The actors just waved it around and went "wee oooo weee oooo weee oooo..." followed by proclaimations of discovery. "It's life Jim, but not as we know it!"

This is a real, functioning scientific instrument.