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New simulation tool for handling hazardous situations
Irish, Israeli companies develop new simulation tool which immerse trainees in a scene which has been designed for them; new tool will help first responders and law enforcement familiarize themselves with situations before they occur
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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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DHS awards $1.8 billion in preparedness grants
DHS will award approximately $3 billion in Fiscal Year 2008 for preparedness; department has provided roughly $25 billion in grants since Fiscal Year 2002 to state, local, and tribal governments, as well as non-profit organizations
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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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Midwest floods to create record dead zone in Gulf of Mexico
Each year, an influx of nutrients — mainly nitrogen — which come from fertilizers flushed out of the Mississippi basin creates dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico — zones where there is not enough oxygen to sustain life; the summer’s Midwest floods flush record levels of nutrients into the Gulf, creating a dead zone the size of New Jersey
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New, quick method for identifying food-borne diseases
European researchers have developed a system which prepares samples and performs DNA tests on the salmonella and campylobacter bacteria in a portable and cost-effective chip
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Better picture of what lies beneath the Earth's surface
A tool which measures minute changes in the planet’s gravity field from the air allows a cheaper alternative to seismic surveying
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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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Evidence of acid rain supports meteorite theory of Tunguska catastrophe
There are many theories about the source of the mysterious 1908 explosion in Siberia, an explosion which leveled more than 80 million trees over an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers; presence of acid rain lends support to one of them
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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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The crisis of U.S. infrastructure, III
The crisis of U.S. infrastructure is one of political will — the will, that is, to vote for money to maintain this elaborate infrastructure; the true political divide lie between Americans who are willing and able to pay up front for the nation’s needs — whether through taxes or tolls — and those who would rather skimp or burden their children
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The long view
Strengthening School Violence Prevention
Violence by K-12 students is disturbingly common. Ensuring that schools have effective ways to identify and prevent such incidents is becoming increasingly important. Expanding intervention options and supporting K-12 school efforts in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) would help.
Huge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.
Trump’s Cuts to Federal Wildfire Crews Could Have “Scary” Consequences
President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters and support personnel, fire professionals warn, leaving communities to face deadly consequences when big blazes arrive this summer. States, tribes and fire chiefs are preparing for a fire season with minimal federal support.