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DHS is searching for buyers for Plum Island facility
The Plum Island Biosafety level 4 facility — the only type of research lab authorized to handle diseases that are communicable between humans and animals and for which there is no known cure — is aging; DHS has selected a Kansas site for a new, $500 million replacement; DHS is beginning to look for buyers for the Plum Island facility
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Patent systems may discourage innovation: study
The traditional view is that patents foster innovation. A new study suggests instead that they may hinder technological progress, economic activity, and societal wealth
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Short-range communication company benefits from growing market
The Near Field Communication (NFC) market is growing, and Companies in the NFC market benefit; the latest: Innovision Research & Technology raises £5.4 million from existing and new institutional investors
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Robots perform fire-fighting duties in London
The robots, built by defense contractor QinetiQ, have been in use for a year; London’s fire brigade has been impressed by the robots’ performance
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DARPA searches for instant repair of soldiers' injuries
DARPA is soliciting proposals for a device that can use adult stem cells for a regenerative free-for-all, producing whatever needed to repair injured body parts, including nerves, bone, and skin
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Millimeter-wave imaging comes to Cleveland, Houston airports
TSA expands its testing of millimeter wave and backscatter imaging systems, deploying them in Cleveland and Houston; TSA claims passengers’ privacy is guaranteed, but passengers can opt out of being screened and choose body pat instead
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Anti-theft software creates security hole
A piece of anti-theft software built into many laptops at the factory opens a serious security hole
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U r pwned: text messaging as a hacking tool
Text messages appear on mobile phones without any interaction from the user, and sometimes with limited interference from the cellular network operators — giving criminals an opening to break into those devices
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New technology locks up Biometrics
Communication encryption relies on authentication being symmetric to work: the user’s password or PIN must match the password or PIN stored by the recipient (online shop, bank, etc.) to lock and unlock the data; biometric may be used for encryption — but biometrics is not a symmetric process; South African researchers now show how biometrics can nevertheless be used to make a consistent secret key for encryption
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Encouraging student technology start-ups
Wolverhampton University’s program gives students the opportunity to set up their own business while they are still at university
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Soldiers, first responders will self-power their gear
Soldiers and first responders will soon power electronic devices such as personal radios using just their own movements
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Life-saving location device to help in rescuing trapped disaster victims
There is usually a 24-hour window when people that are injured and trapped can be saved, followed by a three-day window for those that are unhurt; by analyzing the levels of carbon dioxide and ammonia, chemical sensors could detect whether a trapped person is still alive faster than traditional methods
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IBM acquires Ounce Labs
Securing software code is a growing business, and IBM is buying code security specialist Ounce Labs
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TSA's new lab tests new bomb detection technologies
The Transportation Security Laboratory in Atlantic City uses the latest intelligence from the military, CIA, FBI, and friendly foreign governments to manufacture improvised explosive devices like those being built by terrorists — in order to defeat them
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Biometrics tunnel helps identify individuals' unique walking patterns
The University of Southampton’s biometric tunnel provides the technology to analyze the way people walk as a unique identifier; university researchers have developed a technology which captures the unique walking patterns, and then characterizes and records them to a database
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The long view
A 20-Foot Sea Wall? Miami Faces the Hard Choices of Climate Change.
In Miami, the U.S. metropolitan area that is perhaps most exposed to sea-level rise, the problem is not climate change denialism. Patricia Mazzei writes that “the trouble is that the magnitude of the interconnected obstacles the region faces can feel overwhelming, and none of the possible solutions are cheap, easy or pretty.”
Hydropower’s Evolving Value to the Grid and Energy Storage
Across the United States, hydroelectric dams are capturing energy from river water to create electricity that powers everything from street lights to mega industrial plants. Hydropower represents 41 percent of all renewable energy generated across the nation and is a key element of a flexible, resilient electric grid. But in some parts of the country, operations at dams are changing.
Solar Geoengineering May Alleviate Impacts of Global Warming on Crops
Solar geoengineering — putting aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight and reduce global warming — is not a fix-all for climate change but it could be one of several tools to manage climate risks. A growing body of research has explored the ability of solar geoengineering to reduce physical climate changes. But much less is known about how solar geoengineering could affect the ecosystem and, particularly, agriculture.
Previously Unrecognized Tsunami Hazard to Coastal Cities Identified
A new study found overlooked tsunami hazards related to undersea, near-shore strike-slip faults, especially for coastal cities adjacent to faults that traverse inland bays. Several areas around the world may fall into this category, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Izmit Bay in Turkey and the Gulf of Aqaba in Egypt.
New Biodefense Lab to Focus on Food Security
The University of Nebraska has launched a 5-year project to help safeguard the U.S. food supply. The project will address agricultural and natural resources security, defense, and countermeasures; biological defense in support of the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and other government stakeholders; development and deployment of biosurveillance, biodetection and diagnostic tools; and pandemic preparedness related to human, livestock and crop plant diseases that could result in disruptions to the U.S. and global food systems.
The Next World War, Liberals and Crime, and UFOs Mystery
A new novel — 2034: A Novel of the Next World War — ) imagines a future war between the United States and China that takes place in the eponymous year. Rapes, aggravated assaults and thefts from and of cars continue to increase across the United States, which is a problem not only for the victims, but also for advocates of criminal-justice reform. The current UFO-mania notwithstanding, the U.S. military began investigating UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) in the summer of 1947: the military’s interest in UFOs – they were then called “flying saucer” – can be traced to the pilot and UFO godfather Kenneth Arnold’s ur-sighting in late June 1947.