• Real-Time Satellite Data Improves Earthquake Early Warning System in the United States

    The U.S. Geological Survey and its partners have announced a new capability to characterize large earthquakes quickly, helping inform the public about potentially damaging shaking headed their way. The ShakeAlert System now makes use of sensors that detect earth-surface movement via satellite.

  • Artificial Geysers Can Compensate for Our Mineral Shortages

    By Bhargav Boddupalli and Lars Sørum

    By imitating nature, it may be possible to recover seabed minerals by extracting hot water from the Earth’s crust. We can harvest green energy and be sensitive to the environment – all at the same time.

  • Some Countries Could Meet Their Total Electricity Needs from Floating Solar Panels

    Researchers calculated the global potential for deploying low-carbon floating solar arrays. The researchers looked at nearly 68,000 lakes and reservoirs around the world which were no more than 10km from a population center, not in a protected area, didn’t dry up and didn’t freeze for more than six months each year. The potential annual electricity generation from FPV on these lakes was 1302 terawatt hours (TWh), around four times the total annual electricity demand of the UK.

  • Sounding the Alarm: Exposing Audio Deepfake

    By Helen Goh

    Audio deepfakes are becoming ubiquitous – blurring the line between fact and fiction – but researchers are working to develop methods to help the public navigate this new technological terrain.

  • Colorado Law Will Require Disclosure of AI-generated Content in Political Ads

    By Joe Mueller, The Center Square

    A law going into effect in July in Colorado will place new regulations and penalties on using artificial intelligence to manipulate video or images and using them in political campaigns. The new law will require disclaimers on communications generated or substantially altered by AI which falsely depict what a candidate or elected official has said or done.

  • Study Sheds Light on Shady World of Text Message Phishing Scams

    By Matt Shipman

    Researchers have collected and analyzed an unprecedented amount of data on SMS phishing attacks, shedding light on both the scope and nature of SMS phishing operations.

  • Radar Is Advancing at Historic Speed. How Engineers Are Setting the Pace.

    In a whirling geopolitical landscape of new nuclear weapons, hypersonic weapons, drones and satellites, the U.S. is hustling to test new kinds of radars aimed at detecting evolving threats.

  • Analyzing the Characteristics of AI-generated Deepfakes

    Most of the deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI) that spread through social media feature political representatives and artists and are often linked to current news cycles. The findings of a new research are applicable to different fields, from national security to the integrity of election campaigns.

  • Revolutionizing Energy Grid Maintenance: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming the Future

    By Liz Thompson

    Scientists are leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to transform energy grid asset maintenance, helping U.S. power companies identify and address problems before they even occur, helping to ensure the security and reliability of America’s energy infrastructure.

  • 2023 Was the Hottest Summer in Two Thousand Years

    Researchers have found that 2023 was the hottest summer in the Northern Hemisphere in the past two thousand years, almost four degrees warmer than the coldest summer during the same period. Even allowing for natural climate variations over hundreds of years, 2023 was still the hottest summer since the height of the Roman Empire, exceeding the extremes of natural climate variability by half a degree Celsius.

  • Nuclear Expertise Guides Global Nonproliferation Innovation

    By Christopher J. Driver

    Researchers tackling national security challenges at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are upholding an 80-year legacy of leadership in all things nuclear. Today, they’re developing the next generation of technologies that will help reduce global nuclear risk and enable safe, secure, peaceful use of nuclear materials worldwide.

  • Critical Minerals Need Insulation from China’s Market Manipulation

    By Angus Barker

    Investors can handle lots of different risks. They can price risks in construction, interest rates, weather and, with hedging, price movements in product markets. But the one risk they can’t price is political risk, the chance of some government action ruining profits. You can’t hedge against it.

  • Facing a Potentially Warmer, Drier Washington State, Scientists Develops Plans to Be Sure Nuclear Power Plants Stay Cool

    By Kristen Mally Dean

    Waterways — tried and true cooling sources for nuclear power plants — could get warmer due to global climate change. Washington is planning ahead. Argonne scientists will use Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to work with Washington’s Energy Northwest on climate-ready nuclear reactor designs.

  • Small Hydroelectric Plants Could Provide Emergency Power During Outages

    Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is seeking a hydropower utility to collaborate on a case study, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), to understand how small hydroelectric plants operating at 10 megawatts or less can be upgraded to provide emergency power to critical loads (e.g., hospitals and emergency service providers) during outages.

  • History Says Tariffs Rarely Work, but Biden’s 100% Tariffs on Chinese EVs Could Defy the Trend

    By Tinglong Dai

    Earlier this month, President Biden announced a hike in tariffs on a variety of Chinese imports, including a 100% tariff that would significantly increase the price of Chinese-made electric vehicles. Tariffs have a troubled history, but Biden’s move might defy historical precedent and succeed where other tariffs have failed. The Biden tariffs can succeed in giving the U.S. EV industry room to grow, and encourage similar protective actions elsewhere, reinforcing the global shift toward securing supply chains and promoting domestic manufacturing.