This 16-year-old won the Google Science Fair with a way to detect Ebola

[mfcorey1]

Oliva Hallisey, a 16-year-old from the United States, won the 2015 Google Science Fair with her project to develop a fast, cheap, and stable test for the Ebola virus, which she says gives easy-to-read results in less than 30 minutes — potentially before someone is even showing symptoms.

According to her project description:

Current Ebola detection methods are complex, expensive, require unbroken refrigeration from manufacture to use and up to 12 hours from testing to confirmed diagnosis ... The [test] provides rapid, inexpensive, accurate detection of Ebola viral antigens based on color change within 30 minutes in individuals prior to their becoming symptomatic and infectious.

The problem with many current Ebola tests are many, Hallisey wrote in her science fair description:

Current methods of Ebola detection utilize enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ("ELISA&quot detection kits which cost approximately $1.00 each, require complex instrumentation, trained medical professionals to administer, and up to 12 hours from testing to diagnosis.

While Hallisey wasn't able to test her invention on real Ebola patients or virus, she showed it could detect a protein from the virus.

The test uses the typical components of an Ebola test, which is made up of antibodies (the tags that our immune system uses to mark viruses and bacteria as invaders) and chemicals that cause the test to change colors if these antibodies bind to Ebola proteins in the sample.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/this-16-year-old-won-the-google-science-fair-with-a-way-to-detect-ebola/ar-AAeAOXm?li=AAa0dzB

[tblue37]

1. The kids are all right! nt

[Krytan11c]

2. Good for her!

Hopefully someone in the medical research community works with her to test it with the real virus. If it's cheap, fast, and accurate then she may have found THE way to combat Ebola.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. She is one of the growing number in her age to put her generation on the map!

[Orrex]

4. Did cops arrest her?

Hardy har har.


Stories like this one make me think that we might finally be seeing the generation that can un-fuck the world that we've spent generations fucking up. Congratulations to Ms. Hallisey for her amazing achievement!

[Stellar]

5. OK, that was funny though.

But point taken anyway and congratz to Ms Hallisey.

[Helen Borg]

8. Yeh, she was making Ebola!

[NewJeffCT]

14. she's white and blonde

and from Greenwich, CT (median home price $1.5 million+). Doubt she'll be arrested for anything even close to clock bomb making any time soon.

[Enthusiast]

6. She looks like a real Merican too!

I kid. :sarcas m:

[DrBulldog]

9. Well, another way to put it . . .

She used her intellect to bring a real benefit to many people, not to win a national spelling contest.

[Enthusiast]

10. True

[DrBulldog]

7. This is exactly the right kind of research work that deserves a national science fair award.

If I see another national science fair award for some complex nerdy computer software algorithm or for advanced abstract mathematics research by some high-IQ freak, I'll PUKE. Her work is truly innovative, practical, focused, and promises to impact directly many people in the very near future.

[GummyBearz]

12. No need to denigrate other kids to praise her

Her work speaks for itself.

Geez... calling out other kids for being high-IQ math freaks? Wow, that is a new one around here.

[Arugula Latte]

11. In the past couple years there have been so many stories about teen girls doing amazing

things in science. It is really encouraging.

[kacekwl]

13. It's a shame

that if this does work some pharmaceutical company will pay her a few bucks and then charge a fortune to actually use it.

[Volaris]

16. I think the first 'life cycle' of any patent should be 10 years,

And should belong to We The People, and managed by our elected government. It's the worst kind of immorality that someone could find the cure for dangerous diseases, and then NOT have that cure administered for as inexpensively as possible, especially since a lot of research (at public universities) is federally funded to begin with. Same with copyright...you want to copyright something, you have to put a digital copy of the finished original work to a library of Congress public access archive server for one year. No one's allowed to make money off of it, but it should be public domain for one year before you can, either.

[dembotoz]

15. do hope she gets an invite to the white house and mit visit too

cause like WOW

nice thing to put on your college app.

[Facility Inspector]

18. and free shit

load her up with free shit

[NewJeffCT]

17. sounds like she has a great attitude and a mature view

"Nothing exists in isolation," Hallisey has said of her research. "What affects one country affects everyone. We have to work together to find answers to the enormous challenges that threaten global health, our environment and our world."