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Belgian police employ blind officers to analyze wiretap recordings
As wiretapping of potential criminal and terrorist-related activity in Belgium grows, so is the need of the Belgian police for individuals with acute and sensitive hearing to analyze wiretaps; police found that some blind individuals have that extra sensitivity to sounds which allows them better to analyze wiretaps
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New bomb detector spray
Israeli chemist develops spray that can detect urea nitrate, a powerful explosive that can be created by amateurs; urea nitrate is commonly used by suicide bombers, and was also used in the first attempt on the World Trade Center in 1993
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Battery-powered textile allows for glowing garments
University of Manchester researchers develop yarns which glow in the dark; this is good news for cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians on dark winter days — but also for first responders and police having to operate in buildings or city streets darkened as a result of power outage
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New baggage screening tool
U.K. researchers to combine scattered X-ray signals with high-resolution 3D X-ray images to give baggage screeners previously unseen information regarding luggage size, shape, and chemical composition of the contents contained in the luggage
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TSA tests Auto-EDS at BWI
Last week TSA sent randomly selected passengers at BWI to be screened by a new screening device from a Massachusetts company; the devices use computed axial tomography (CAT), similar to medical scanners
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ICx delivers underwater radiation detection devices
The Coast Guard is bolstering its ability to detect underwater smuggling of nuclear materials into the U.S.; one way to do so is to equip the service with ICx’s identiFINDER-U
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Tartans' “Boss” enters Urban Challenge qualifying rounds
DARPA’s Urban Challenge competition heats up, and “Boss,” Carnegie Mellon University’s Tartan racing team’s modified Chevrolet Tahoe enters the qualifying rounds
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Air Force completes overhaul of global weather sensing system
USAF upgrades, improves global weather monitoring system, allowing “weather conditions almost anywhere to be factored into large-scale operations”
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Chertoff highlights DHS's approach to counter IEDs
IEDs are the signature weapon of the insurgency in Iraq, but they will soon find their way here; DHS secretary discusses the key points at which the IED threat may be countered; technology companies, investors should listen
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Researchers find three never-before-observed isotopes
Michigan State researchers find three never-before-observed isotopes of silicon, aluminum, and magnesium; discovery will allow design engineers to more accurately tailor future materials to applications’ needs
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A few good technologies
DHS’s S&T Directorate helps the IEEE in a conference aiming to explore next-generation technologies capable of deployment within three to five years
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Scientific exchanges in the age of terrorism
How do we reconcile heightened security measures adopted in the wake of 9/11 with the open and free international exchange of scientific experts and ideas? That is the question
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Canada to use UAVs to patrol the arctic circle
Canada plans on buying a fleet of UAV to patrol the arctic ice and water; move but the latest sign of countries bordering the arctic claiming stake to portions of it
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Massive sensor network to monitor Hudson River
The Hudson to become the world’s largest environmental-monitoring system; system may be used to monitor cities’ water systems
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Team MIT invited to race its modified Land Rover in Urban Challenge 2007
Land Rover donated a modified Land Rover LR3 to MIT, and Team MIT has been invited to second qualifying round of DARPA Urban Challenge 2007; final will be held 3 November
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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.