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French may take intrusive measures to prevent inside-the-body bombers
Security experts are split over whether inside-the-body suicide bomb is a serious threat; the French say they may not take any chances, and warn that security measures at airports may become more intrusive
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Radioactive rabbit poo found at plutonium production site
A clean-up survey at the Hanford site in Washington State, where military-grade plutonium was produced during the early years of the cold war, discovered radioactive jackrabbit droppings around the site; the rabbits burrowed in the area and discovered the tanks in which nuclear waste is stored; they liked the salty taste of the radioactive cesium and strontium salts, so they began drinking and licking them routinely
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Imagining new threats -- and countering them
DHS air transport security lab is in the business of imagining new threats — then developing the technologies to counter them; their dream? To build a “tunnel of truth” in each airport lined with hidden sensors, scanners, and rays; passengers would get zapped and sniffed as they passed, and would not need to take off their shoes, toss their liquids, or anything else
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O'Hare gets grant for baggage screening system
DHS’s push for better baggage screening at U.S. airports continues; the latest recipient of baggage screening upgrade grants: Chicago’s O’Hare
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Princeton, Rice researchers develop new sensor for nitric oxide
Researchers develop new nitric oxide detector; the sensor could now be incorporated into a portable, shoe-box-sized system ideally suited for mass deployment in large-scale unattended sensor networks
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New York City to expand Ring of Steel's coverage
The system of surveillance cameras; license-plate readers; and chemical, biological, and radiological sensors that protect lower Manhattan will expand to cover mid-town
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New advanced sensors developed
Queen’s University Belfast researchers use Raman spectroscopy, which involves shining a laser beam onto the suspected sample and measuring the energy of light that scatters from it to determine what chemical compound is present; they mixed nanoscale silver particles to amplify the signals of compounds
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Smiths Detection, AeroVironment show chemical-sensing UAV
UAV technology combined with chemical sensors and advanced algorithms allow rapid aerial chemical detection and tracking
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Cheap, sensitive sensors could detect explosives, toxins in water
Terrorists could try to mix sarin into a reservoir or water mains; an electronic sensor that can instantly detect very low concentrations in water would be a desirable technology for staying ahead of potential attacks; Stanford researchers develop such a sensor
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Bomb hidden in body in Saudi attack "invisible" to normal detection
A terrorist in Saudi Arabia tried to kill the Saudi antiterror chief by carrying explosives inside his body; experts say there are “tremendous implications for airport security with the potential of making it even more complicated to get on to your plane”
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ASE shows cargo and vehicle inspection system
American Science and Engineering, Inc. combines its patented Z Backscatter technology with High Energy Transmission to offer enhanced scanning system for vehicles, cargo; system may be used in drive-by mode to scan stationary objects, or in portal mode to scan vehicles as they drive past the system
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Raytheon delivers mobile radiation detection system
Raytheon delivers advanced SUV-based radiation detection system to Florida’s Department of Transportation
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DHS emphasizes improved baggage screening
More than half of the stimulus package money TSA received — some $700 million — will go toward improving baggage screening at airports; in all, twenty-five airports would have their systems upgraded
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Des Moines International renovates baggage screening area -- and terminals
Iowa’s Des Moines International is renovating its baggage screening area — but uses the occasion for renovations to two terminals, bringing their style out of the 1980s and into this century
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Kansas City International Airport again to receive stimulus dollars
Kansas City International Airport will receive a $9.3 million stimulus package grant for new and enhanced closed circuit television systems; the airport’s new inline baggage screening system is already completed so it was not eligible for funding
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The long view
Keeping the Lights on with Nuclear Waste: Radiochemistry Transforms Nuclear Waste into Strategic Materials
How UNLV radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps –and making it safe.
Model Predicts Long-Term Effects of Nuclear Waste on Underground Disposal Systems
The simulations matched results from an underground lab experiment in Switzerland, suggesting modeling could be used to validate the safety of nuclear disposal sites.