Daily Archives: June 25, 2017

Futurism only supports companiesthat we trust. Disconnect is one of those companies. We may collect a share of the sales from the items featured on this page.Learn about Disconnect here. Privacy in the Age of Information

Once upon a time, the internet felt like a private and obscure place. But the reality of todays cyber climate is that every move we make is traceable and, in case you werent aware, that data is a desirable commodity. Whether its for innocuous advertisement purposes or for hacking crimes, all of our clicks are watched and collected.

This is an issue that has recently been brought to the forefront of conversations, as the Federal Trade Commission recentlyruled to letproviders sell users informationas long as there is some mention of it in the contract and the user can opt outa condition thats not very helpful, as the average internet user is often unaware of their rights or the current regulations.

In reaction, more and more people are talking about virtual private networks, or VPNs.

A VPN is a software tool used to create privacy on the web. It gives people the freedom to click without being tracked by creating an encrypted and secure network connection between the users device and the server.

To break this down a bit more, service providers are able to track our every move on the web, so are people who have access to public networks (AKA hackers) and the government. A VPN essentially scrambles our requests before sending them, which means that people who have access to our activity are unable to discern what were doing. Its basically like translating a transcript into a gibberish language that no one can decode, thus providing browsers with the reliable privacy theyre entitled to.

Security is the most alluring aspect of VPNs, but leading VPN providers like Disconnectoffer more than that. Disconnect, an app compatible with iOS, Android, Windows and Mac OS X, will block trackers from third parties that are harvesting data, but Disconnect goes a step farther by letting you know what tracking requests youre receiving, whether its social media, advertising, content, or analytics. It does this because not all tracking is dangerous or beneficial to block.

Some tracking helps to enhance your web experience and other tracking helps content providers keep track of their demographics if theyve stated so in their terms of use. A little tracking is respectful and useful, and Disconnect aims to bring transparency to both sides of the track.

The app will let you know what you cant see on the web, and in addition to giving you a sense of safety online, Disconnect will also increase your browsing speed. Trackers and malware puta huge strain on your device. By blocking tracking requests, Disconnect allows your web to process faster and, in return, it increases your battery life.

Moreover, while you might not often run into issues with this, Disconnect also unblocks locked content. Whether youre trying to watch Canadian Netflix and cant get to it because your location tag is routing you towards the United States Netflix, or whether youre searching for content that is blocked in the particular country youre browsing from, you wont have any trouble finding it with Disconnect.

For only $49 you can get a lifetime subscription to Disconnect so you can rest assured knowing that youre not being followed, your identity is private, and your webis operating at top speed.

Read more:
Why You Should Never Go on the Internet Without a VPN, and How You Can Get One - Futurism

CRISPR-Powered Viruses

Earlier this month, the annualCRISPR 2017 conferencewas held at Montana State University. Attendees were the first to hear about successes companies have had using CRISPR to engineer viruses to kill bacteria. One of the most exciting potential application for these viruses, called bacteriophages, would be killingbacteria that have becomeresistant to antibiotics. At least two of the companies aim to start clinical trials of these engineered viruses within 18 to 24 months.

The use of bacteriophages isnt new. In the past, they have been isolated in the wild and purified for use.Although bacteriophages are regarded as being safe and effective for use in humans, because they are found in the wild, research on them has been sluggish. New discoveries cant be patented, and furthermore, these discoveries can also betransient, because bacteria can, and often do, rapidly evolve.

However, usingCRISPR to engineer them is definitely innovative. It renders viruses uniquely lethal to the most dangerous bacteria in the world, and initial tests saved the lives of mice who were infected withantibiotic-resistant infections that would have ultimately killed them, explained conference speaker Rodolphe Barrangou, chief scientific officer of Locus Biosciences.

This ability has lead researchers from at least two companies to useCRISPR in an attempt to turnthe tables on antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Both companies cite treating bacterial infections linked to serious diseases as their primary goal. Eventually, they intend to engineer viruses that would allow them to do much more by taking a precision approach to the human microbiome as a whole. The idea would be to selectively remove any bacteria that occur naturally andhave been associatedwith various health conditions. This could be anything from autism to obesity and possibly even some forms of cancer.

Onecompany, Locus, is using CRISPR to send DNA that will create modified guide RNAs tofind pieces of the antibiotic-resistance gene. After the virus infects the bacterium and the guide RNA connects with the resistance gene, the bacterium produces a phage-killing enzyme called Cas3. This is the bacteriums usual response, only in this instance,it destroys its own antibiotic-resisting genetic sequence. Over time Cas3 destroys all of the DNA, and the bacterium dies.

Another company, Eligo Bioscience, is taking a slightly different approach. The team chose to insertthe DNA that creates guide RNAs (this time with the bacterial enzyme Cas9), which removes all genetic replication instructions. Cas9 then severs the DNA of the bacterium at a specific place, and that cut triggers the self-destruct mechanism in the bacterium.

The third approach, by Synthetic Genomics,involves creating supercharged phages thatcontain dozens of enzymes. Each enzyme offers its own unique set of benefits, including the ability to camouflage the phages from the human immune system by breaking down proteins or biofilms.

Despite these promising results thus far, there will be challenges to bringing successfulengineered phages to market. For example, there is a risk that phages could actually spread genes for antibiotic-resistance to non-resistant bacteria. Another potential issue is that it might take a very large number of phages to treat an infection, which in turn could trigger immune reactions that would sabotage the treatment.

Ideally, though, if clinical trials go well, engineered phages could provide humans with a powerful weapon in the fight against superbugs.A fight that has, thus far, included a variety of strategies. Whenever it happens, it wouldnt be soon enough:this past January, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that a patient died from a superbug that was resistant to all 26 antibiotics available in the US.

See the article here:
Scientists Modify Viruses with CRISPR to Kill Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria - Futurism