Wha–?? Now Hackers Can Get Passwords from Brain Waves??

| Posted by Sheryl Scarborough

Um…come again? Yeah, as if hackers haven’t caused us enough trouble lately, now it’s concievably possible for them to hack your brain and obtain your passwords. Our mother’s told us all this online stuff was going to lead to no good. Well, here we are. It all sounds uber creepy and sci-fi but once you review the study, you understand that tapping brain waves works the same way as just about every other hacking technique out there…and that is by studying the participants and looking for a unique pattern. A group of study participants were fitted with EEG headsets and … Continue reading →

 4N6 Fans
, , Comments Off on Wha–?? Now Hackers Can Get Passwords from Brain Waves??

Uh oh…Irrefutable Proof or Faux Science?

| Posted by Sheryl Scarborough

I am a true 4n6FAN…you could even call me a 4N6FREAK and not be in danger of offending me. I watch the shows, read the books, I even proudly write books featuring a group of teens who use forensic skills they learned in high school bio class to solve murders. I believe in the power of the science. But here’s the thing, some of it isn’t perfect science. In fact, some cases are being reexamined and the outcomes overturned because the conclusions or results of an evidence match were over-stated. Here’s an article about this from The Washington Post. Imagine, being convicted … Continue reading →

 4N6 Fans
, Comments Off on Uh oh…Irrefutable Proof or Faux Science?

Nuclear 4N6 Is Awesome! (guest post)

| Posted by Sheryl Scarborough

My Favorite 4N6Fact by: Paul Kim My favorite crime-themed TV show is Bones, because of it’s strict accuracy on the scientific aspect with the balance of comedy, action, and character development. In one episode, one of the forensic scientists mentioned a technique called, “radioisotoping,” which was used to approximate the age of a corpse that has been decomposing for weeks. From the bones of the remains, they can approximate that it was a man that was in his mid to late 50’s; however, they needed a more accurate age to narrow down the identification pool, so the scientist tried radioisotoping. The … Continue reading →

 4N6 Fans, teens + forensics
, 1 Comment

High School Journalists FTW!

| Posted by Sheryl Scarborough

I write about smart teens for teen readers. But it’s well known that many adults read YA books. Which is great. The more the merrier. I love YA books for a variety of reasons. Every now and then I will come across a review criticizing a YA author for creating teen characters who are smarter than the adults in the story. Because in the reviewer’s mind that would never happen. Aside from the fact that this is Story 101…your protagonist needs to be the one to figure it out. There could be many cases where the teen is more savvy and … Continue reading →

 teens + forensics, Writing for YA
, , Comments Off on High School Journalists FTW!

How’s this for a visual DNA Database?

| Posted by Sheryl Scarborough

On January 1st, 2017, I drove past the Seattle Gum Wall. The gum wall is an incredible display of millions of pieces of chewed gum, pressed into the side of a brick building, on a narrow alley under Pike Place Market. And, while there is an ew factor at seeing all of this goo on display, it is an astounding visual testament to the sticking power of um, gum. At the time I just thought, wow, that’s really weird and also, that’s a crap load of gum! But after reading the recent story of a cold case murder in the UK that was solved by extracting DNA from … Continue reading →

 4N6 Fans, teens + forensics
, Comments Off on How’s this for a visual DNA Database?