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NTR invests in SES
Irish renewable energy company buys controlling interest in SES; SES is developing two of the world’s largest solar generating projects in the Imperial Valley and Mojave Desert
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Sustaining bridge infrastructure through Bridge Information Modeling
Bentley offers end-to-end bridge solution which will allow bridge engineers to create and renovate bridge infrastructure
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AWWA urges scientific approach to pharmaceuticals in drinking water
The sky may not be falling: Stories about pharmaceutical traces in U.S. drinking water abound, but an expert from Southern Nevada Water Authority testifies before Senate subcommittee that worries about the ill effects of such traces are exaggerated
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Emerging water contaminants a growing worry
As worries about pharmaceutical contamination of U.S. drinking water increase, a non-profit organization increases its efforts to build a coalition of organizations to research the issue
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Robots in search-and-rescure competition
A robot competition takes place in Germany this week; the robots compete with each other in how well they traverse, autonomously and without any input from handlers, through a maze resembling the aftermath of a natural disaster; robots sniff out toy dolls that either emit CO2, give off heat, make noise, or move
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Patent "trolls" bill not likely soon
Patent trolls, who file patents without any intention of developing them, have been the bane of the technology sector (remember the Blackberry case?); a bill to limit the rights of trolls passed the House but stalled in a Senate committee
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Swedish researchers find vulnerability in quantum encryption technology
Quantum encryption is supposed to offer air-tight security owing to the laws of quantum mechanics; to send a key over the quantum channel you must simultaneously send additional data over the traditional Internet channel, and then verify that the classical data has not been changed through an authentication process; data traveling though the quantum channel was 100 percent secure, but the combined system showed vulnerabilities
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Chicago testing Lake Michigan water for drugs
Lab tests found traces of pharmaceuticals in the water of Lake Michigan, the source of drinking water for millions in the greater Chicago area; city water authorities launch a thorough water testing campaign
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Energía renovable en Aragón
Renewable energy in Spain: Iberdola Renewables, one of Spain’s largest alternative energy companies, forms a joint venture with an Aragón bank to develop clean energy installations in the Aragon region of northeastern Spain
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Army future combat technology demonstrated for Congress
The Army exhibited its future combat systems on Capitol Hill last week; among the items demonstrated: urban unattended ground sensors, land warrior, small UGV, and Class I UAV
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Shape-shifting skin to reduce drag on planes and submarines
Dolphins induce their skin to wrinkle so water would not stick to them, thus reducing drag and friction; researchers design shape-shifting skin for submarines and planes to reduce drag
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World's first rocket racing event announced
The EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is the world’s largest air show, with this year’s expected attendance of 700,000; on the first two days of August the show will offer a new feature: Rocket racing; home-made rockets will compete
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Ontario invests in harnessing river flow for energy
New York City already has it: A Free Flow Turbine in the East River which will generate 10 MW when the project is completed; now Ontario wants to place a three-blade, horizontal-axis turbine on the floor of the St. Lawrence River
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Energy from vortices
When water flows over an underwater obstacle, whirlpools or vortices form alternately above and below it; the vortices create a tugging effect, so the result is an alternating force that yanks the object up and down; Wolverines researchers want to harness the power of vortices to generate energy
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New technology allows for better communication on the battlefield
Multi-User Detection technology allows radios to transmit at the same time while sharing the same frequency; MUD allows more traffic on various networking systems, which is an advantage to military personnel with critical need for high throughput air-to-air, air-to-ground, and soldier-to-soldier communications
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More headlines
The long view
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science
Biomedical science in the United States is at a crossroads. For 75 years, the federal government has partnered with academic institutions, fueling discoveries that have transformed medicine and saved lives. Recent moves by the Trump administration — including funding cuts and proposed changes to how research support is allocated — now threaten this legacy.
Bookshelf: Preserving the U.S. Technological Republic
The United States since its founding has always been a technological republic, one whose place in the world has been made possible and advanced by its capacity for innovation. But our present advantage cannot be taken for granted.
Autonomous Weapon Systems: No Human-in-the-Loop Required, and Other Myths Dispelled
“The United States has a strong policy on autonomy in weapon systems that simultaneously enables their development and deployment and ensures they could be used in an effective manner, meaning the systems work as intended, with the same minimal risk of accidents or errors that all weapon systems have,” Michael Horowitz writes.
Ukraine Drone Strikes on Russian Airbase Reveal Any Country Is Vulnerable to the Same Kind of Attack
Air defense systems are built on the assumption that threats come from above and from beyond national borders. But Ukraine’s coordinated drone strike on 1 June on five airbases deep inside Russian territory exposed what happens when states are attacked from below and from within. In low-level airspace, visibility drops, responsibility fragments, and detection tools lose their edge. Drones arrive unannounced, response times lag, coordination breaks.
Shots to the Dome—Why We Can’t Model US Missile Defense on Israel’s “Iron Dome”
Starting an arms race where the costs are stacked against you at a time when debt-to-GDP is approaching an all-time high seems reckless. All in all, the idea behind Golden Dome is still quite undercooked.