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Raytheon buys BBN for $350 million
The latest example of traditional defense contractors expanding into the information systems sector is Raytheon’s acquisition of Massachusetts-based BBN, the company which put the “@” in e-mail addresses
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Israeli company shows unmanned smart-missile pack
A large box contains several vertically launched missiles and its own communications and power; it is generally light enough to be driven about by a Humvee or similar, parachuted down from a transport plane, dropped off by helicopter, tied down on the deck of a ship or barge; the missiles are launched by remote control
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Boeing eyes energy sector amid defense cuts
Boeing, the U.S. second largest military contractor, cites its expertise as it bids on slices of the $20 billion U.S. power-grid market; to compensate for cuts in funds for defense programs in which it was traditionally involved, the company is also moving into the helicopters, UAV, cyber-security, and intelligence businesses
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Lockheed Martin stumbles but outlook for other defense contractors is good
Analyst downgrades Lockheed Martin shares on weak earnings outlook for next year; outlook for the broader industry has not changed, with low to mid-single digit revenue growth, greater strength in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, and support for ground forces as the war in Afghanistan ramps up
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Kansas officials confident that BioLab project will not be derailed
Congress has allocated $32 million for the design of the Manhattan, Kansas biolab which will replace the aging Plum Island facility; Congress conditioned the release of the rest of the money on the result of studies examining the risks involved in building a biolab in “Tornado alley”; other states that wanted the lab have been slow to give up the fight
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NRC rejects Westinghouse's new nuclear reactor design
In what must be seen as a setback for the nuclear power industry, the NRC said that a key component of Westinghouse’s new reactor design might not withstand events like earthquakes and tornadoes
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New Dutch project helps U.S. security companies find European clients
The Dutch government launched its Public Security Innovation Center (PSIC); PSIC will work to match foreign companies selling proven security technologies with interested customers, such as governments, voluntary organizations, and other companies from across the world
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A-T Solutions acquires anti-terrorism firm
Trancite software products help with crime and accident scene investigations; other products help with site inspections and surveys; the company also has tools for investigating and analyzing terrorist attacks; this is A-T Solutions’ second acquisition in four months
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Reveal Imaging awarded $3.9 million for personnel inspection system
The company said it plans to use multiple sensor technologies and automation to avoid the need for human operators to separate threats from harmless objects using multiple monitors
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iPhones, social networking add to IT security woes
The security staff at private and government organizations have new security problems to contend with: smartphones and social networking
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Growing demand for IT forensics experts
As reliance on the Internet increases, so do Internet-related crimes; the growing need to investigate such crimes and find out the culprits and their methods has increased demand for IT forensics experts
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Food safety programs alter farming
Anticipating greater attention by the Obama administration to food safety, farmers are already changing their practices; the majority have began to keep better records; other changes farmers have undertaken include researching information about better food safety practices by subscribing to topical publications, networking and meeting with other farmers, and changes to facilities and to processes
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Backscatter technology: the future of airport security scanning?
Manchester Airport is testing backscatter scanning technology from Rapiscan; the Rapiscan system works by bouncing X-rays off an individual’s skin to produce an outline image of the person’s body
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DHS recommends three emergency management standards
DHS, under its Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep), is proposing the use of three existing emergency management and business continuity standards; the three were selected from twenty-five standards submitted to DHS for consideration
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ASIS International wraps up successful seminar and exhibits in Anaheim
More than 19,300 attending security professionals from industry, government, and law enforcement, along with product manufacturers and service providers from 90 countries around the world, and more than 715 exhibiting companies, justify ASIS’s claim that this annual forum is the most comprehensive education and networking event in the security industry
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More headlines
The long view
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.”
A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science
By Jake Miller
Biomedical science in the United States is at a crossroads. For 75 years, the federal government has partnered with academic institutions, fueling discoveries that have transformed medicine and saved lives. Recent moves by the Trump administration — including funding cuts and proposed changes to how research support is allocated — now threaten this legacy.
Bookshelf: Preserving the U.S. Technological Republic
By John West
The United States since its founding has always been a technological republic, one whose place in the world has been made possible and advanced by its capacity for innovation. But our present advantage cannot be taken for granted.
Critical Minerals Don’t Belong in Landfills – Microwave Tech Offers a Cleaner Way to Reclaim Them from E-waste
E-waste recycling focuses on retrieving steel, copper, aluminum, but ignores tiny specks of critical materials. Once technology becomes available to recover these tiny but valuable specks of critical materials quickly and affordably, the U.S. can transform domestic recycling and take a big step toward solving its shortage of critical materials.
Microbes That Extract Rare Earth Elements Also Can Capture Carbon
By Krisy Gashler
A small but mighty microbe can safely extract the rare earth and other critical elements for building everything from satellites to solar panels – and it has another superpower: capturing carbon dioxide.