A 16-year-old girl from the U.S. won the 2015 Google Science Fair with her project that discovered the world's fastest method for detecting Ebola, according to Tech Insider. The test is designed to provide results in less than 30 minutes, 24 times faster than the currently available tests, and can be conducted even on those that show no symptoms.
Oliva Hallisey is a sophomore at Greenwich High School and developed the test at a cost of just $25, according to RT.
"Current Ebola detection methods are complex, expensive, require unbroken refrigeration from manufacture to use and up to 12 hours from testing to confirmed diagnosis," said Hallisey. "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."
Although the test utilizes similar chemicals and antibodies as standard Ebola tests, what differentiates it from them is the use of silk fibers to stabilize the chemicals on card stock and allow them remain effective at room temperature for longer periods of time, eliminating the need for refrigeration.
The Google Science Fair is held to attract young scientists and inventors from around the world between the ages of 13 and 18, according to TechWorm. Hallisey took home the grand prize of $50,000 in scholarship funding from Google, beating out the other 22 finalists,
