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Terminating the terminators: Anti-robot defense company launched
Dot.com 1.0 wonder boy Ben Way launches a company dedicated to anti-robot defense systems; unmanned systems proliferate on and above the battlefield, and more and more of these systems are endowed with autonomous life-and-death decision making capabilities; Way says he wants to make “sure we have control over our own weaponry”
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Three companies compete for a long-endurance UAV concept
DARPA’s quest for a long-endurance surveillance UAV — “long endurance” means staying in the air for five years — is not yet a reality, but it is no longer regarded as a pipe dream
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IBM shows hardware-based encryption tool
System x Vault protects data when a server’s hard drive is disposed or stolen, without affecting server performance
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Small robotic drones to join Air Force's arsenal
Micro Air Vehicles, or MAVs, will add surveillance capabilities to the military and law enforcements; scientists have studied the flight of fruit flies, the crawling of insects, and the perching of birds as they look for ideas for smaller and more effective surveillance machines, and MAVs are one result of these studies
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Using quantum physics to make better detectors
MIT researcher shows how entanglement, a peculiar property of quantum physics, may be harnessed for surveillance systems which are as much as a million times more efficient than existing systems
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FDA hires 1,300 new doctors and scientists
Staffing drive, launched just five months ago, will result in an estimated 10 percent increase in the FDA’s work force
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Drug-resistant plague may be a bioterrorism concern
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have located a gene that could mutate to make Yersinia pestis resistant to many common drugs; the bacteria might be used as a potential bioterrorism agent
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Xoma in $65 million anti-botulism drug development contract
First human monoclonal antibody drug program to target multiple botulinum toxins
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Russian army adopts new reconnaissance drones
The Russian army has ordered a large number of Tipchak UAV systems from Vega Radio Engineering Corp.; the UAVs will serve in intelligence gathering, but company president says: “Our next project is the development of an attack drone based on the current design”
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Flame-retardant grenades help firefighters, first responders
Most hand-held fire extinguishers are pressurized with nitrogen or carbon dioxide to propel powdery potassium bicarbonate, liquid water, or a fluorocarbon at a fire; new device, using potassium carbonate, quells blazes with less risk to firefighters
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Yucca Mountain project clears another hurdle
The Yucca Mountain nuclear storage project moves forward, as NRC says it would conduct an in-depth review of the government plans
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U.S. start-up develops uncloneable RFID chips
Silicon Valley start-up says it has developed RFID chips which cannot be cloned; the company uses technology called Physically Unclonable Functions (PUF) which was developed by researchers at MIT
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L-3's millimeter wave scanning technology tested at ten U.S. airports
Two technologies — backscatter X-rays and millimeter wave — compete in the airport security scanning market; TSA is currently testing millimeter wave at ten airports, and the fact that the technology is faster than its rival may make it the scanning technology of choice
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Blumenthal: Impact statement regarding Plum Island seriously flawed
Connecticut’s attorney general: “[DHS’s] draft environmental impact statement is profoundly flawed — factually deficient, and legally insufficient — mis-assessing the monstrous risks of siting a proposed national bio- and agro-defense facility on Plum Island”
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New York officials want Plum Island to remain a Level-3 BioLab
DHS is considering upgrading the Plum Island BioLab from Level-3 to Level-4 so it could conduct research into the deadliest diseases; the department argues that Plum Island’s relative isolation would make an accidental pathogen release less costly relatively to such release from a mainland-based lab; New York officials strongly disagree
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The long view
Will Generative AI Fundamentally Change Terrorist Threats?
Does generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) represent a genuine transformation in terrorist capability, or are its risks being overstated within contemporary security discourse? Gen AI tools, particularly large language models, can improve the efficiency, accessibility, and scale of certain terrorist activities, but there remains limited evidence that they fundamentally alter the nature of terrorism or significantly enhance operational capability.
AI-Generated Zero-Day Vulnerabilities: Implications for Future Warfighting
Cybersecurity has long been viewed as a support function, largely focused on protecting military computer networks and information systems. This paradigm is now obsolete. AI is now reshaping the character of warfare itself, turning cybersecurity into a foundational layer of combat power.
More States Restrict 3D-Printed Firearms
For decades, making an untraceable firearm required specialized tools, technical expertise and hours of work. Today, it can start with a downloaded file and a consumer-grade 3D printer. At least six states this year have outlawed or imposed regulations on such guns.
Low-Cost Technique to Get Lithium Out of Rocks
Demand for lithium has surged in recent years as lithium-ion batteries power increasingly more of our world. A new low-temperature process could unlock cleaner lithium from America’s abundant hard rock while minimizing waste.
The U.S. Military Is Spending Big on Critical Minerals
Over the past decade, DOD spending for critical minerals transformed from virtually nonexistent into a major spending area. The last five years in particular have seen a dramatic surge in both contracts and dollar value. Indigenous peoples raise the alarm as Pentagon spending on lithium, graphite, and other minerals skyrockets.