Business continuity

New virus fights other viruses by spreading at their expense
Newly discovered virsu may help fight viral infections by hijacking the replication machinery of the lethal viruses; the new virsus — called Sputnik — is the first member of a new class they call “virophages”
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Bacteria were the real killers in 1918 flu pandemic
Medical and scientific experts now agree that bacteria, not influenza viruses, were the greatest cause of death during the 1918 flu pandemic
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FEMA's still struggles with IT security issues
DHS’s IG reports that “These issues collectively limit FEMA’s ability to ensure that critical financial and operational data is maintained in a manner to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability”
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Tuffin Technology's products win F&S award
Security and network operations are becoming increasingly complex. Large enterprises have multiple firewalls spread across different time zones and business units and are also required to comply with stringent regulatory requirements; Tuffin Technology offers management solutions to help businesses cope
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DHS releases national emergency communications plan
Seven years after 9/11, and three years after Katrina, DHS releases the U.S. first strategic plan aimed at improving emergency response communications
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Sharp increase in "zero-day" exploits
Cyber-criminals are adopting new automation techniques and strategies that allow them to exploit vulnerabilities much faster than ever before
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Five ways for humans to trigger a natural disaster
Most scientists now agree that human activity contributes to a long-term changes in global climate, with serious consequences for humans, animals, and plants; human activity, though, can also trigger sudden “natural” catastrophes
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Worry: South Korean cat infected with bird flu
A cat found dead in a South Korean city was infected with a virulent strain of bird flu, the first mammal in the country known to have had the H5N1 virus; cats and dogs are usually not susceptible to the virus
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Floods strip Midwest of tons of valuable topsoil
Floods are stripping the Midwest of its most valuable resource: soil; farmers and environmentalists are at odds over what to do with erosion-prone land — take their chances planting crops on marginal land in hopes of good yields and high grain prices, or plant trees, native grasses, or ground cover that act as a natural flood buffer
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Earth's surface features predict earthquakes
Seismologists could make better use of the surface features of mountains to detect the troubles which lurk beneath
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People power is new weapon against Olympic terrorism
In addition to the latest anti-terrorist technology, the city of Beijing is enlisting the city’s 15 million citizens as anti-terror eyes-and-ears for the coming Olympic Games
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Booster vaccination to help against avian influenza pandemic
Evidence suggests that a booster vaccination against H5N1 avian influenza given years after initial vaccination with a different strain may prove useful in controlling a potential future pandemic
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Who should be treated first in case of pandemic outbreak?
Representatives from 35 states participate in an Indiana University-hosted discussion about how should limited, potentially life-saving resources like vaccines or ventilators be allocated during a pandemic
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Criticism of delays in coordinating national emergency communication
Congress criticizes DHS for delays in coordinating a national emergency communications plan for first responders
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NASA's UAV helps fight California wild fires
Fire crews are fighting more than 1,700 blazes that have blackened 829,000 acres of California this fire season; they need all the help they can get — and NASA extends such help by lending the state a modified Predator UAV
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