14 DAY TRIAL // There are plenty of science-fiction stories where inspectors and detectives can just run a scanner over a crime scene and instantly get all DNA matches and what have you.
That can't be done in real life, but maybe we don't have to wait so long until that changes. Not with what the MIT has just revealed.
Essentially, they've managed to miniaturize a certain technology known as mass spectrometry.
Normally usable only in special labs, the technique analyzes substances to find out exactly what they are. And since speed of finding clues is essential during an investigation, especially hit-and-run events, having a way to do this on the spot could be very useful.
That's what the people at MIT say they've managed to do: reduce the testing components in size, to nanoscale versions. So instead of needing a whole laboratory to run tests, you will only require a small, pocketable tool instead. Like a smartphone, size-wise.
The tool would also be able to vaporize samples and essentially analyze everything without sacrificing quality.
Most importantly, the price will drop from thousands of dollars to mere hundreds, meaning that the breakthrough is accessible to any police stations and investigator's offices, not just rich organizations.