Scientists have announced a first-of-its-kind diagnostic test for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that only requires a single strand of hair. LinusBio, based in New Jersey, launched its Clearstrand-ASD Thursday to help physicians rule out the condition in children between one and 36 months of age when autism is a concern. It does not provide a diagnosis. 'The test is intended for infants and toddlers who are at an elevated risk of autism, such as those who were born preterm, who have a sibling with autism, or who have demonstrated characteristics associated with autism,' researchers said. While Clearstrand-ASD only rules out autism, doctors currently rely on observational signs that leave parents waiting for answers.

Police may soon have a new way to catch pedophiles who distribute child abuse photos anonymously online. The technology could also help law enforcement agencies in other ways, such as identifying smartphone thieves who take pictures with the stolen gadgets and then post their snapshots on the Internet. Riccardo Satta, scientific project officer of the European Commission Joint Research Center's Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, described the work he did with fellow researcher Pasquale Stirparo at the Computers, Privacy and Data Protection Conference in Brussels held in January.* The key is the ability to spot a unique, unremovable pattern--or signature--that each digital camera imprints on photographs. By comparing the signature from a specific camera with those found in images posted to social media, a forensic investigator would be able to establish that all the images had been taken by the same camera.