• Climate Change Is Increasing Stress on Thousands of Aging Dams Across the U.S.

    By Hiba Baroud

    There are more than 91,000 dams across the U.S., in all 50 states, with diverse designs and purposes. The average dam age is 57 years, and more than 8,000 dams are over 90 years old. The most recent report card of the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that 70% of U.S. dams will be more than 50 years old by 2030. Overall, the report gave U.S. dams a “D” grade and estimates that more than 2,300 are high hazard dams which could cause loss of life or serious property damage if they fail.

  • Collaborative Research Effort on Digital Identity to Support Secure Delivery of Public Benefits

    NIST has launched a collaborative project to adapt NIST’s digital identity guidelines to support public benefits programs, such as those designed to help beneficiaries pay for food, housing, medical and other basic living expenses.

  • Privacy-Enhancing Browser Extensions Fail to Meet User Needs, New Study Finds

    By Rachel Greenstadt

    Popular web browser extensions designed to protect user privacy and block online ads are falling short, according to researchers, who are proposing new measurement methodologies to better uncover and quantify these shortcomings.

  • Boosting Battery Research

    Most Americans don’t leave home without at least one lithium battery-powered device, and someday, the house itself may have a battery backup. Scientists are working to make these large backup batteries less expensive, hold more energy and be less prone to bursting into flame.

  • Critical Minerals: The Quiet Achievers Gallium and Germanium

    By Asaesja Young

    Australia produces 14 of the 31 critical minerals essential for modern technology and renewable energy. Gallium and germanium, critical for high-tech applications, are by-products of processing other minerals. Strategic mineral management and advanced processing can significantly boost Australia’s economic and global market position.

  • Bringing GPT to the Grid

    By Leah Burrows

    Much has been discussed about the promise and limitations of large-language models in industries such as education, healthcare and even manufacturing. But what about energy? Could large-language models (LLMs), like those that power ChatGPT, help run and maintain the energy grid?

  • Countering Coercion: Australia Must Engage with Allies on Critical Minerals Supply

    By Ian Satchwell

    China’s use of coercion to control critical mineral mining and processing projects, their output and even whole supply chains has motivated several countries to take increasingly strong measures to secure alternative supply chains. Meanwhile, China’s state-linked companies continue to use multiple channels to manipulate markets at scale.

  • Beach Erosion Will Make Southern California Coastal Living Five Times More Expensive by 2050: Study

    By Nina Raffio

    The region’s sandy coastlines are vanishing at an alarming rate. It’s a warning sign for coastal communities worldwide, USC research suggests.

  • ‘Time for a Reckoning.’ Kansas Farmers Brace for Water Cuts to Save Ogallala Aquifer.

    By Kevin Hardy and Allison Kite

    in this region of Kansas where water is everything, they’ll have to overcome entrenched attitudes and practices that led to decades of overpumping. After decades of local inaction, Kansas lawmakers are pushing for big changes in irrigation.

  • As Reservoirs Go Dry, Mexico City and Bogotá Are Staring Down ‘Day Zero’

    By Jake Bittle

    In Mexico City and Bogotá, reservoir levels are falling fast, and the city governments have implemented rotating water shutoffs as residents are watching their taps go dry for hours a day. Droughts in the region have grown more intense thanks to warmer winter temperatures and long-term aridification fueled by climate change. In South Africa in 2018, Cape Town beat a climate-driven water crisis, and the way it did it holds lessons for cities grappling with an El Niño-fueled drought.

  • Utah FORGE Achieves Crucial Geothermal Milestone

    By Brian Maffly

    In $218 million DOE-funded research project, scientists aim to make enhanced geothermal a key part of world’s energy portfolio. “The ability to tap more of the Earth’s natural heat through enhanced geothermal systems will expand access to affordable, secure and resilient clean energy for everyone,” say one expert.

  • Before “Superstorm” Sandy, Investors Underestimated Risk, Impact of Hurricanes

    By George Vlahakis

    Weather experts are warning that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season could be among the most active on record. Hurricanes and other extreme weather events cause millions of dollars in damage , but they also create spikes in uncertainty that can linger in financial markets for affected firms for months.

  • Can Europe Secure Its Own Critical Raw Materials?

    By Mathis Richtmann

    With the EU’s Critical Raw Materials’ Act coming into force, the 27-nation bloc is looking to diversify its supplies of minerals away from China. But can it source enough of it at competitive prices?

  • Fool’s Gold: Overhyped Tech Startups Distract from Military Innovation

    By Joseph Buccino

    Technology startups almost never live up to all the hype they generate. Much of this innovation is fool’s gold. Often, these solutions are not developed beyond an initial concept. It’s a missed opportunity for the U.S. military. Startup companies often present the Pentagon with more cost-effective, swift, and adaptable solutions compared to the weapons systems typically provided by the handful of major contractors the Pentagon usually turns to.

  • Why This Summer Might Bring the Wildest Weather Yet

    By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey

    Summers keep getting hotter, and the consequences are impossible to miss: In the summer of 2023, the Northern Hemisphere experienced its hottest season in 2,000 years. Forecasts suggest that this year’s upcoming “danger season” has its own catastrophes in store. El Niño has been rough, but its departure could be even rougher.