Touch DNA sampling with SceneSafe Fast™ minitapes.

To achieve optimal results in the forensic analysis of trace DNA, choosing the right collection technique is crucial. Three common approaches are currently well-established for DNA retrieval from items of clothing, notably cutting, swabbing and tape-lifting. The latter two are non-destructive and therefore preferable on items of value.

Beyond scale-free small-world networks: cortical columns for quick brains.

We study to what extent cortical columns with their particular wiring boost neural computation. Upon a vast survey of columnar networks performing various real-world cognitive tasks, we detect no signs of enhancement. It is on a mesoscopic--intercolumnar--scale that the existence of columns, largely irrespective of their inner organization, enhances the speed of information transfer and minimizes the total wiring length required to bind distributed columnar computations towards spatiotemporally coherent results.