Our New “Science & Tech Spotlights”
GAO has launched a new line of science and tech quick reads, 2-pagers providing brief overviews of key topics in the field. To complement our more in-depth evaluations and assessments, these “Science & Tech Spotlights” summarize emerging innovations and the relevant policy context.
In today’s WatchBlog we provide a thumbnail sketch of the first 4, released in September.
Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies allow users to carry out digital transactions without the need for a centralized authority. These technologies could fundamentally change the way government and industry conduct business, but questions remain about how to mitigate fraud, money laundering, and excessive energy use.
Hypersonic weapons, once developed, would fly faster than 3,800 mph and be extremely difficult to defend against. Advances in hypersonic technologies have significant implications for national security, as well as for transportation and space systems. Research and development of offensive and defensive capabilities in hypersonics is and will remain critically important.
Opioid vaccines are an emerging approach to the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States. More than 10 million people abused opioids in 2017, with more than 47,000 opioid-related deaths — a nearly 6-fold increase since 1999. Opioid vaccines could offer advantages over current treatment options.
Probabilistic genotyping software is a tool that could greatly facilitate criminal investigators involving contaminated or partly degraded DNA. However, the validity of the analyses being used and the implications for constitutional due process protections remain unsettled.
We are planning for a steady stream of Spotlights to meet the need for reliable information on this complex, constantly changing field. To see them as soon as they come out, subscribe to our Science and Technology email updates.
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