Is this really 12 year old whiskey? An artificial tongue with a nanopore sequencer will determine the composition and authenticity of drinks

An unusual device, called “artificial language” by analogy with artificial intelligence, was recently presented at Nanjing University in China. The task of a small portable device is to determine the composition of alcoholic beverages and draw conclusions about their quality, originality and safety.

Nanopores help with this - the same ones that at the end of the 2000s revolutionized the determination of the nucleotide sequence of DNA. With their help, it was possible to speed up genome processing tens of times and create a whole family of highly efficient third-generation DNA and RNA sequencing techniques. In 2009, nanopores were able to distinguish all nitrogenous bases in a DNA sequence, and a couple of years later the first nanopore sequencers were presented.

In subsequent years, the method was actively used not only for genome sequencing and gallotyping, but also for identifying viruses and tracking bacterial resistance. In 2023, the development of technology culminated in the discovery of an effective method for nanopore sequencing of proteins.

Well, now it’s as if serious technology decides to relax a little and, taking off his jacket and loosening his tie, devote time to a pleasant hobby - tasting exquisite alcoholic drinks. However, the matter is not limited to leisure.

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