The science and technology of keeping Singapore safe
With experts in fields as diverse as forensics, biometrics and robotics, the new Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) has placed itself firmly in the front line when it comes to keeping the nation safe. Health and science editor Chang Ai-Lien gets an exclusive look at the agency's high-tech methods of solving crime, saving lives and safeguarding borders.
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Chang Ai-Lien
One nanogram is a billionth of a gram.
Yet these days, a nanogram of DNA - the amount found in roughly 170 cells - is all it takes for accurate genetic sequencing, says senior forensic scientist Simon Lim. This is a minuscule amount, considering that people shed skin cells at the rate of 500 million cells every day.
