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New paper gas detectors developed
Researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, have developed a quick and simple way to detect the presence of nerve gases
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Shift to green energy could mean crunch in rare Earth metals supply
A large-scale shift from coal-fired electric power plants and gasoline-fueled cars to wind turbines and electric vehicles could increase demand for two already-scarce metals — available almost exclusively in China — by 600-2,600 percent over the next twenty-five years
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Verifying passengers’ identity
The cruise industry has been expanding at a rate of more than 7 percent annually in the past few years, resulting in bigger ships, more destinations, more on-board/on-shore activities, and more passengers – making it more difficult to keep track of passengers
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The Bruzer – a less lethal, compact 12-gauge
To augment local police officers’ growing array of non-lethal weapons, Tommy Teach, a military combat veteran, has designed a compact non-lethal 12-guage shotgun
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Company develops telephone line “fingerprint” detector
Researchers at Pindrop, a new security company, have developed technology that can read telephone line “fingerprints” to prevent fraud and identify a caller
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New cargo screening unveiled
Smiths Detection’s new HCVMe uses the power of a 4MeV X-ray accelerator and can scan loaded cargo containers with a steel penetration of 200 mm
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New radiation sensor developed
Scientists have created one of the most advanced radiation sensors in the world: an X-ray detector that can reveal the composition of materials in a fraction of a second
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Google's new privacy policy
“On its best day, with every ounce of technology the U.S. government could muster, it could not know a fraction as much about any of us as Google does now.”
Shelly Palmer, technology analyst -
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Taser rolls out redesigned wearable cameras
Last week Taser, the manufacturers of the electric stun guns, unveiled its newly remodeled wearable camera system which is sleeker and more advanced than its predecessor; the Axon Flex, introduced less than a year after the company rolled out its first wearable cameras, represents a significant upgrade
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U.S. Navy tests electromagnetic railgun launcher
The electromagnetic railgun launcher is a long-range weapon that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants; magnetic fields created by high electrical currents accelerate a sliding metal conductor, or armature, between two rails to launch projectiles at 4,500 mph to 5,600 mph; the new railgun will allow the U.S. Navy to conduct precise, long-range naval surface fire support for land strikes, ship self-defense against cruise and ballistic missiles, and surface warfare to deter enemy vessels
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Smartphone biometric security market set to grow five-fold in three years
A new report projects that the market for mobile phone biometrics will grow more than five times in the next three years
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Startup developing eye blood vessel biometrics
Smartphone users could soon be using the whites of their eyes as their passwords. EyeVerify, a Kansas City-based startup, has developed eye biometrics that use a smartphone’s camera to analyze a user’s blood vessels around their irises
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Cheaper natural gas leads to reduced U.S. carbon emissions
In the United States, lower emission from power plants in 2009 was driven by competitive pricing of natural gas versus coal; Harvard University researchers develop a model which identifies the relationship between the cost of electricity generation from coal and gas and the fraction of electricity generated from coal
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Universal Detection developing smartphone radiation scanner for food
In the wake of Japan’s nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic energy plant, concerns over contaminated food supplies have swept the nation, sparking Universal Detection Technology to develop a smartphone radiation detector specifically designed for comestibles
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SOUTHCOM deploys radar that sees through foliage, rain, darkness, and dust storms
Lockheed Martin’s TRACER is a light weight, low-frequency synthetic-aperture radar that can peer through foliage, rain, darkness, dust storms, or atmospheric haze to provide real-time, high-quality tactical ground imagery; U.S. Southern Command has just deployed the penetrating radar to support the Command’s counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance missions, and disaster relief operations
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More headlines
The long view
Need for National Information Clearinghouse for Cybercrime Data, Categorization of Cybercrimes: Report
There is an acute need for the U.S. to address its lack of overall governance and coordination of cybercrime statistics. A new report recommends that relevant federal agencies create or designate a national information clearinghouse to draw information from multiple sources of cybercrime data and establish connections to assist in criminal investigations.
Trying to “Bring Back” Manufacturing Jobs Is a Fool’s Errand
Advocates of recent populist policies like to focus on the supposed demise of manufacturing that occurred after the 1970s, but that focus is misleading. The populists’ bleak economic narrative ignores the truth that the service sector has always been a major driver of America’s success, for decades, even more so than manufacturing. Trying to “bring back” manufacturing jobs, through harmful tariffs or other industrial policies, is destined to end badly for Americans. It makes about as much sense as trying to “bring back” all those farm jobs we had before the 1870s.
The Potential Impact of Seabed Mining on Critical Mineral Supply Chains and Global Geopolitics
The potential emergence of a seabed mining industry has important ramifications for the diversification of critical mineral supply chains, revenues for developing nations with substantial terrestrial mining sectors, and global geopolitics.
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”