Researchers produce images of people’s faces from their genomes

[rcjordan]

Applying this algorithm to unknown genomes, the team was able to generate images that could be matched to real photographs for eight out of ten people. (This fell to a less impressive five out of ten when the test was restricted to those of a single race, which narrows facial differences.)

https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21728613-facial-technology-makes-another-advance-researchers-produce-images-peoples

[ergophobe]

Hypey headline... but pretty amazing. The Naysayers say it only works because of regression to the mean for a given race. To which I say: you fed genetic info and high res photos into a computer and it managed to produce a generic, racially appropriate photo based on a very small learning sample.

Fast forward five years with 1000x the sample size, better machine learning algos and see what it does then.

Ventner is the guy who has generally been able to see the impacts of exponential growth and build businesses around what happens when those effects become powerful. I wouldn't discount him lightly

[rcjordan]

"We got you": Arrest in 1992 cold case slaying of Mass. teacher's aide Lisa Ziegert

computer-generated rendering of a suspect using new technology that analyzed the DNA to predict the suspect's physical characteristics.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/we-got-you-arrest-in-1992-cold-case-slaying-of-mass-teachers-aide-lisa-ziegert/

[rcjordan]

DNA sketch leads to suspect confession in Texas slaying

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dna-sketch-leads-suspect-confession-texas-slaying-51544031