Move over WebMD, make way for Dr. iPhone!

Pulling a sickie for work or school might soon be a thing of the past as a pair of Korean researchers are trying to integrate advanced bio-detection software into a smartphone app.

Hyun Gyu Park and his colleague Byoung Yeon Won from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology recently published a research paper entitled “A touch screen as a biomolecule detection platform” in the international edition of the German chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie.

Modern touchscreens are so advanced they might be able to detect bacteria in a drop of saliva, with the right software, of course.

What they’re aiming to do is capitalise on the highly sensitive touch screen technology being rolled out in your higher end smartphones. With the integration of biomolecule detection software developed by the Korean pair, you might soon be able to detect the differences between bacteria-free saliva and saliva from a sick person when a tiny drop of it is placed on the screen, not to mention temperature variations through simple touching of skin to the screen.

This makes it all the harder to bluff your way out of work or school by faking a temperature. Now the doctor is officially inside your house: all your boss/mom would have to do is get you to spit on a smartphone screen with the app running, and your cover is blown. Damn you, science. Damn you.

[Source: Times LIVE]