Torture—the word conjures medieval images of mangled limbs and jagged scars. But the torturer’s repertoire today includes practices that leave less dramatic evidence of their use, such as rape and waterboarding. For victims fleeing torture or persecution, gaining the sanctuary of asylum in the U.S. often requires rigorous science-based assessment, experts said at a two-day workshop at AAAS.

Electronic medical records could speed up personalized medicine by improving genetic studies, according to a new report in the 20 April issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The findings suggest that by using electronic medical records, health providers can help research teams collect comprehensive, accurate data that reveal the relationship between disease and a person’s genetic makeup.