• Climate Tipping Points Are Now Imminent: Scientists

    Around 13,000 researchers have called for urgent action to slow down the climate emergency as extreme weather patterns shock the world. They listed three core measures.

  • Can Drone Warfare in the Middle East Be Controlled?

    Drone attacks are causing a crisis in the Mideast and experts are calling for a better regulatory regime. The drone attacks are part of a worrisome trend in the region: The escalating use of UAVs, both for surveillance purposes and to attack opponents, by countries in the region — but also by nonstate actors there, like militia groups in Iraq, Yemen and Syria, among others. But would more rules even have an impact in the region?

  • Better Batteries for Grid-Scale Energy Storage

    Molten sodium batteries have been used for many years to store energy from renewable sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines. However, commercially available molten sodium batteries, called sodium-sulfur batteries, typically operate at 520-660 degrees Fahrenheit. Sandia Lab’s new molten sodium-iodide battery, using low- cost materials, operates at a much cooler 230 degrees Fahrenheit instead.

  • A 20-Foot Sea Wall Won’t Save Miami – How Living Structures Can Help Protect the Coast and Keep the Paradise Vibe

    There’s no question that the city is at increasing risk of flooding as sea level rises and storms intensify with climate change. But the sea wall the Army Corps is proposing – protecting only 6 miles of downtown and the financial district from a storm surge – can’t save Miami and Dade County. There are more effective – and cheaper solutions.

  • Extreme Heat Waves in a Warming World Don’t Just Break Records – They Shatter Them

    Scientists have warned for over 50 years about increases in extreme events arising from subtle changes in average climate, but many people have been shocked by the ferocity of recent weather disasters. We need to understand two things about climate change’s role in extreme weather like this: First, humans have pumped so much carbon dioxide and other planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that what’s “normal” has shifted. Second, not every extreme weather event is connected to global warming.

  • Cities Unprepared for Intense, Frequent Heat Waves

    Urban centers across the world are unprepared to face brutal, climate change-driven natural disasters. Many emerging global climate risks, such as heat stress, will be especially damaging in urban areas, because of urban infrastructure both exacerbates and fails to handle extreme heat. With over 50 percent of the world’s population residing in densely populated urban areas, heat-related deaths, economic disruption, and infrastructural damage are becoming a growing concern.

  • Protecting Lives on the Wildland Fire Line

    Unlike first responders who fight structural fires, wildland firefighters are unable to use the current standard respirator systems, which are heavy, limited to 45 minutes of air and are too bulky. Since the current standard equipment for respiratory protection is a bandanna, DHS S&T and partners designed the Wildfire Respirator around a lightweight mask covering just the mouth and nose, relying on filtration rather than on heavy tanks of compressed air.

  • U.S. Cyber Command Looks to Replicate UTSA’s National Security Collaboration Center

    Leaders from the U.S. Cyber Command’s Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network (JFHQ-DODIN) were guests at the National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC), located at the University of Texas – San Antonio (UTSA). The JFQH-DODIN is looking to the university as a model to guide it in developing collaborations similar to the NSCC with partners at its home base to further protect the nation from global security challenges. Outside of Washington, D.C., San Antonio is the largest global cyber-security hub in the United States.

  • Misplaced Trust: Trust in Science May Foster Pseudoscience

    Trusting science is, in principle, a good thing, but there is a catch: A new study finds that people who trust science are more likely to believe and disseminate false claims containing scientific references than people who do not trust science. In other words, says one researcher, trust in science “makes people vulnerable to pseudoscience.”

  • Malware Detection for Androids

    Conventional antivirus and malware detection often fails to detect malware where the software signature may well be only marginally different from the original virus. Researchers have developed a new approach that can detect malicious activity at the source code level.

  • Handheld Screening Wands May Reduce Need for Airport Pat-Downs

    Until recently, creating an effective and reliable handheld screening technology of passengers was too costly. Advancements made in 5G cell phones, automotive radars, embedded computing, and other critical enabling technologies now make screening solutions such as the handheld millimeter wave wand cost effective.

  • A 10-Year Look at the Battery Supply Chain in America

    A new report offers a detailed view of America’s EV battery supply chain over the last decade. The insights offered can help regulators and other key decisionmakers plan for the future growth of electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S. This is important, because EVs can help put America on the path toward a clean energy economy. but the supply chain behind them is not fully understood.

  • Global Approach Is Needed on Battery Regulation

    New EU regulations on batteries could offer a huge boost to the global decarbonization mission – but only if the EU leverages its political and economic weight to ensure a fairer global marketplace.

  • New Weapons Testing Capability Produces Richer Data, Saves Time, Cost

    A team of Sandia National Laboratories engineers developed a new testing capability in support of the lab’s nuclear weapons mission. The new weapons testing capability produces richer data, and saves time and cost. “Superfuge” test combines multiple environments on a full-scale weapons system.

  • High-Tide Flood Risk Is Accelerating, Putting Coastal Economies at Risk

    The frequency of high-tide flooding along the U.S. coasts has doubled since 2000, and it’s expected to increase five to 15 times more in the next 30 years. Already, areas at risk from sea level rise have seen decreases in property values, particularly where cities and homeowners haven’t taken steps to increase flood resilience. Insurance premiums are beginning to increase to reflect actual risk, and bond ratings are increasingly being tied to the resilience efforts of communities.