One of the riskiest things a driver may do while operating a vehicle is text while driving. This causes three types of distractions- visual, manual, and cognitive. That is because using your phone while driving can have dangerous consequences since it requires you to take your eyes off the road, take at least one hand off the wheel to type, and divert your attention from the road. Now, a new study has found that people who commonly text and drive are linked to psychopathic behaviour, as per a report in the New York Post.

According to the new statistics, which came from interviews with around 1,000 drivers in Germany-about 73 per cent of whom were women-more than 600 participants, or roughly 61 per cent, acknowledged the “problematic” usage of their gadgets while driving. Problematic smartphone users were linked to antisocial behaviour, fear of missing out, and three unfavourable qualities known as the “dark triad”. These include psychopathy, machismo, and narcissism. In combination with other studies, the same attributes have also been linked to drivers of deliberately noisy cars.

“Problematic smartphone use is an excellent predictor regardless of the Dark Triad personality traits. Since this factor can be changed more easily than personality, PSU should be targeted in public safety interventions, driving training and court-mandated medical-psychological assessment of driver fitness” the authors of the study noted.

The researchers also shared some other ways to curb the use of cell phones. “It might be a good strategy to help people reduce their PSU in everyday life, which should indirectly decrease the chances of using their phones on the road and prevent accidents and fatal crashes,” they said.

The research has been published in Plos One and is titled “Surfing in the Streets: How problematic smartphone use, fear of missing out, and antisocial personality traits are linked to driving behaviour.”
 

New Delhi:

Airborne human DNA could be used in forensic analysis of crime sites that have been wiped clean of fingerprints and trace evidence, a new research has found.

Offenders are unlikely to totally prevent their DNA from being released into the environment, as human DNA can be found in the air after people have spoken or even so much as breathed, researchers explained.

While collecting trace DNA, comprising human cells, is common in criminal investigations, researchers said “environmental DNA” (eDNA) from solid surfaces, soil, water and air are providing new avenues for gathering evidence.

Comparing samples taken from air-conditioning units in offices and homes, the research team, led by Flinders University in Australia, found that human DNA could be collected on the surfaces of these units and from the air, with air samples likely representing more recent occupation and surface samples representing prior occupation.

“Our study also showed that air circulating through air-conditioning could collect human DNA, which further supports the idea that human DNA can be found in the air and settle on surfaces,” said Emily Bibbo, a PhD candidate at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering, and author of the study published in the journal Electrophoresis.

Biological material is routinely collected from crime scenes and exhibits, and these new methods have potential in identifying the usual users of a room as well as visitors, said Mariya Goray, senior lecturer in forensic science, Flinders University.

“It is very unlikely that an average offender, even with forensic awareness, could totally prevent their DNA from being released into the environment,” said Mariya Goray. “We now know that eDNA and eRNA shed from sources such as skin or saliva can be detected in the environment, including soil, ice, air and water.” “We may be able to use (eDNA) as evidence to prove if someone has been in the room, even if they wore gloves or wiped surfaces clean to remove the evidence,” said Bibbo.

The researchers recommended follow-up studies that can determine the best location for air collection devices, along with the appropriate time after a crime to test and acquire DNA of interest, if it is present.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)