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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


Europe's First Humans: What Scientists Do and Don't Know
From ACM News

Europe's First Humans: What Scientists Do and Don't Know

Over the past two years, breakthroughs in ancient genomics and archaeology have revolutionized the story of the first humans in Europe—who are thought to have appeared ...

Ancient American Genome Rekindles Legal Row
From ACM News

Ancient American Genome Rekindles Legal Row

The genome of a famous 8,500-year-old North American skeleton, known as Kennewick Man, shows that he is closely related to Native American tribes that have for...

U.s. 'export Rules' Threaten Research
From ACM Careers

U.s. 'export Rules' Threaten Research

The U.S. government is considering policy changes that could dramatically affect how researchers handle equipment and information that have national-security implications...

The Pentagon's Gamble on Brain Implants, Bionic Limbs and Combat Exoskeletons
From ACM News

The Pentagon's Gamble on Brain Implants, Bionic Limbs and Combat Exoskeletons

When Geoffrey Ling talks about the future of technology, his ideas go flying around the room like a whirlwind.

Image Software Spots Links in Tattoo Ink
From ACM News

Image Software Spots Links in Tattoo Ink

In an unusual twist on biometrics research, US computer scientists have joined with law-enforcement officials to find new ways to automatically detect tattoos on...

Crispr, the Disruptor
From ACM Careers

Crispr, the Disruptor

Three years ago, Bruce Conklin came across a method that made him change the course of his lab.

Military Technology: Laser Weapons Get Real
From ACM News

Military Technology: Laser Weapons Get Real

Silently, the drone aircraft glides above the arid terrain of New Mexico—until it suddenly pivots out of control and plummets to the ground.

Quantum Physics: What Is Really Real?
From ACM News

Quantum Physics: What Is Really Real?

Owen Maroney worries that physicists have spent the better part of a century engaging in fraud.

­.s. Science Academies Take On Human-Genome Editing
From ACM News

­.s. Science Academies Take On Human-Genome Editing

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) will launch a major initiative to develop guidelines for editing human genomes...

The Trouble with Reference Rot
From ACM News

The Trouble with Reference Rot

The scholarly literature is meant to be a permanent record of science.

Nih Reiterates Ban on Editing Human Embryo Dna
From ACM Careers

Nih Reiterates Ban on Editing Human Embryo Dna

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reaffirmed its ban on research that involves gene editing of human embryos. In a statement released on 29 April,...

Mercury Mission Set to End with Dramatic Crash
From ACM Opinion

Mercury Mission Set to End with Dramatic Crash

On 30 April, after more than four years in orbit around Mercury, NASA's MESSENGER probe will plunge to its doom.

Ethics of Embryo Editing Paper Divides Scientists
From ACM News

Ethics of Embryo Editing Paper Divides Scientists

In the wake of the first ever report that scientists have edited the genomes of human embryos, experts cannot agree on whether the work was ethical. They also disagree...

Top 10 Hubble Images
From ACM Opinion

Top 10 Hubble Images

As the famous telescope turns 25, scientists who worked on the project choose their favourite pictures. 

Rule Rewrite Aims to Clean Up Scientific Software
From ACM News

Rule Rewrite Aims to Clean Up Scientific Software

The finding seemed counterintuitive: warming in North America was driving plant species to lower elevations—not towards higher, cooler climes, as ecologists had...

The Printed Organs Coming to a Body Near You
From ACM News

The Printed Organs Coming to a Body Near You

The advent of three-dimensional (3D) printing has generated a swell of interest in artificial organs meant to replace, or even enhance, human machinery.

Large Hadron Collider Restarts
From ACM News

Large Hadron Collider Restarts

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has kicked off its second run, as protons circulated in the machine after a two-year break.

Mini Enzyme Moves Gene Editing Closer to the Clinic
From ACM News

Mini Enzyme Moves Gene Editing Closer to the Clinic

A tweak to a technique that edits DNA with pinpoint precision has boosted its ability to correct defective genes in people.

Neuron Encyclopaedia Fires ­p to Reveal Brain Secrets
From ACM News

Neuron Encyclopaedia Fires ­p to Reveal Brain Secrets

An ambitious plan is afoot to build the world's largest public catalogue of neuronal structures.

Extreme Cryptography Paves Way to Personalized Medicine
From ACM News

Extreme Cryptography Paves Way to Personalized Medicine

The dream for tomorrow's medicine is to understand the links between DNA and disease—and to tailor therapies accordingly.
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