You know those scanners implemented by the TSA that can see through your clothing? They utilize terahertz (THz) radiation and it turns out that this could literally “unzip” the DNA molecule. And now they’re thinking of implementing the technology in mobile devices.

Fitting somewhere between microwaves and infrared on the electromagnetic spectrum, the terahertz wave is able to penetrate through porous material like clothing and wood, allowing the TSA security personnel to see if you’re hiding something in your underwear. It could also be used by medical professionals to find small tumors without invasive surgery or, in a more novel sense, for consumers to get “X-ray vision” like Superman.

But all is not well. Dr. Boian Alexandrov is a researcher at the Center for Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory and he has found that terahertz waves destroy human DNA, unzipping the helix strand. This could cause sickness, cancer or even death. To make matters worse, Dr. Kenneth O, director of the Texas Analog Center of Excellence and a professor of electrical engineering, University of Texas at Dallas have developed a CMOS chip for mobile phones that broadcast THz waves, giving cell phones radiation imaging capabilities. It sounds cool, but could be dangerous.

“CMOS is affordable and can be used to make lots of chips,” Dr. O said. “The combination of CMOS and terahertz means you could put this chip and a transmitter on the back of a cellphone, turning it into a device carried in your pocket that can see through objects.”  Due to privacy concerns, Dr. O and his team are focused on uses in the distance range of less than four inches.

Clearly, more research is warranted.

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For many people, a USB flash drive is like any other USB flash drive. Then there are people who want something that can more easily blend in with the rest of their gear, like a Swiss Army knife. That’s where the Victorinox Slim and Slim Duo drives come into place, but what about when you’re about to hitch a flight across the country?

Both the Slim and the Slim Duo are designed to be like real Swiss Army knives. In addition to the swing out flash drive you also get regular pocket knife things like scissors and a nail file. That’s not going to fly (terrible pun intended) with the guys and gals at the TSA, so how do you hang on to your docs without losing the cool of a Swiss Army flash drive?

Well, Victorinox is offering “flight friendly versions” of these drives too. The assumption is that these variants will offer the same kind of look, but they’ll lack in the sharp object department. Yeah, not as cool, even if you get to pick from red, blue, orange pink, green and silver.

In any case, the “advanced USB flash drives” of the Slim and Slim Duo variety will come in capacities as big as 128GB. That should be enough to store all the documents required for your, um, upcoming plot to overthrow the government.

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TSA spokeswoman Andrea McCauley said “Since December 25th, we’ve been enhancing our security measures at airports throughout the country, including random screenings at the checkpoints and at the gates.  TSA has been swabbing luggage for explosive residue for years but wanted to add another layer of security after the Christmas Day incident.”

Passengers have mixed feelings about this new procedure.  While most agree that it is a great idea to check for theses things, some are worried that because the machine takes 10 seconds to analyze the cloth, it will create longer delays.  You would also think that any terrorist capable of building a bomb, would be smart enough not to touch the explosives with their hands.  But really, if they place the test at the beginning of the many security procedures already being done, by the time you pass through the searching, scanning, analysis (and a few others) the results should be ready to read.

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