• Lifelike, cost-effective robotic hand disables IEDs

    Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a cost-effective robotic hand that can be used in disarming improvised explosive devices, or IEDs; the Sandia Hand addresses challenges which have prevented widespread adoption of other robotic hands, such as cost, durability, dexterity, and modularity

  • Unmanned sub-tracker to address a silent threat

    The growing number of adversaries able to build and operate quiet diesel electric submarines is a national security threat that affects U.S. and friendly naval operations around the world; DARPA autonomous surface vessel will track and follow enemy subs for months

  • Soft robots for search-and-rescue and reconnaissance missions

    Soft robots are useful because they are resilient and can maneuver through very constrained spaces, which makes them useful for search-and-rescue and reconnaissance missions; researchers show a soft robot made of silicone; it can walk, change color, and light up in the dark; it can even change temperature; it can do all of this for less than $100

  • New earthquake assessment finds increased risk for Washington Dams

    Central Washington state has always been considered low risk for earthquakes back when big hydropower dams went up on the Columbia River many decades ago; a recently completed seismic hazard assessment, however, shows that there is a much greater earthquake potential for the area than previously thought; now, dam owners have to figure out whether their dams can hold up to an earthquake; if retrofits are needed, they could cost hundreds of millions of dollars

  • U.S. wind power market riding a wave which is likely to crest in 2012

    Facing looming policy uncertainty beyond 2012, the United States remained one of the fastest-growing wind power markets in the world in 2011 — second only to China; the expiration of key federal incentives could bring that wave crashing down in 2013, , despite a significant decline in the cost of wind energy

  • U.S. Army trains rats in explosives detection

    Landmines kill between 15,000 and 20,000 people a year, and continue to kill adults and children decades after a conflict ends; the U.S. Department of Defense currently relies on dogs as the animal of choice for explosives detection, but Pentagon researchers want to see whether rats can be trained to do the job; rats are smaller so they can search smaller spaces than a dog can, and are easier to transport

  • New system could predict solar flares, give advance warning to help protect power grids

    Researchers may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids, and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation

  • Close to 1,000 earthquakes shook Arizona in 3-year period: study

    Historically, most of Arizona has experienced low levels of recorded seismicity, with infrequent moderate and large earthquakes in the state; comprehensive analyses of seismicity within Arizona have not been previously possible due to a lack of seismic stations in most regions, contributing to the perception that widespread earthquakes in Arizona are rare; a new study debunks this myth

  • Future increases in U.S. natural gas exports may not be as large as thought

    Amid policy debate over potential liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the United States, a new study predicts the long-term volume of exports from the United States will not likely be very large; the paper also argues that the impact on U.S. domestic natural gas prices will not be large if exports are allowed by the U.S government

  • New process doubles production, slashes costs of butanol

    Butanol has a 30 percent higher energy content than ethanol, lower vapor pressure, and is less volatile, less flammable, and mixes well with gasoline; a new discovery should make butanol more attractive to the biofuel industry

  • Underground spies to secure Indo-Pakistan border

    With the discovery of a 400-foot long tunnel at the India-Pakistan Border, the IndianHome Ministry has decided to acquire Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS) that could be installed along the international border with Pakistan as an important line of defense

  • Farmers upset by plan for water banking system

    Depending on the depth of the drilling, it can take anywhere from two gallons to two million gallons of water to frack one well; drilling companies consumeenough water in their fracking operations to meet the needs of between 66,400 and 118,000 households; in the parched Midwest, farmers raise questions about water-use priorities

  • Penn Stater is first in family to earn masters degree

    Isiah Jones of Harrisburg will receive a master’s degree in Homeland Security-Information Security and Forensics, which he earned online through Penn State’s World Campus; the Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering more than eighty of Penn State’s most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate, and professional education programs through online formats

  • Hurricanes which pass over fresh water can be stronger

    About 60 percent of the world’s population resides in areas that are prone to hurricanes or cyclones; researchers find that if a hurricane’s path carries it over large areas of fresh water, it will potentially intensify 50 percent faster than those that do not pass over such regions, meaning it has greater potential to become a stronger storm and be more devastating

  • Earthquake risks in Europe

    How strong can earthquakes in Germany be? Where in Europe are the earthquake activities concentrated? These questions are the basis for risk assessments and become relevant when it comes to the safety of buildings or the generation of tsunami; a new Earthquake Catalogue for Europe and the Mediterranean, which offers details of 45,000 earthquakes during the last millennium, suggests answers to these questions