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Ambient blue light resets tired workers' body clocks
Tedious work during the “wrong” hours of the body’s biological clock — think truckers who drive through the night, or security officers monitoring CCTV screens during the graveyard shift — often leads to drowsiness; falling asleep behind the wheel or in front of a security monitoring screen can lead to catastrophes; researchers develop a way to “fool” the brain to think it is morning
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UCSD researchers develop tiny explosive sensor
Sensor works by monitoring the variability of electrical conductivity through thin films of metal phthalocyanines; “The detection capability of this tiny electronic sensor is comparable to current instruments, which are large, bulky and cost thousands of dollars each,” says William Trogler, UCSD professor of chemistry and biochemistry
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FIRST robotics competition comes back to UC Davis
Robotic competition among high-school students aims to promote and reward students’ engagement in innovation and engineering, and encourage youngsters to become curious and interested in science and mathematics
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Scottish university to auction off AI software predicting future trends
Scottish university tries a new approach: One of its researchers developed artificial intelligence software which predicts the future, and the school will auction it off at an IP auction in San Francisco next month
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Six-inch, bat-like UAV to assist in urban combat
U.S. Army awards $10 million to Wolverines researchers to develop a six inch, bat-like UAV to be used in urban combat; UAV would gather data from sights, sounds, and smells in urban combat zones
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Growth of facial recognition biometrics, II
Some twenty states already use facial recognition in their DMVs, and more states are planning to do so; the federal government incorporates facial recognition in some of its important initiatives; privacy advocates are concerned that the technology is becoming too pervasive
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ORECon raises $24 million
Innovative U.K. wave energy company raises $24 million in VC investment
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Benefits and risks of close science-defense collaboration
This week was National Science and Engineering week in the United Kingdom — and the London events and exhibit emphasized the contribution scientists and engineers make to the defense of the kingdom; a venerable engineering magazine says we should be just a bit cautious here lest we turn the battlefield of the future into a publicly funded industrial testing ground, where commercial pressure would overwhelm the sober considerations of defense decision makers
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Age-old communication problem solved using quantum entanglement
One of the major problems in communication is known as the Byzantine agreement: Messages between three different parties are subject to faulty information; researchers succeeded in overcoming the qutrit difficulties by setting up a system that creates four-qubit entangled states
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Converting CO2 into fuel
Scientists suggest mimicking the photosynthetic system of green plants to address the twin needs of readily available fuel and a clean environment: Reacting carbon dioxide with water, two of the major components used to extinguish fire, and turning them into a fuel
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European consortium to make RFID tags more affordable
To make RFID more popular, there is a need to make them cheaper; a team of major technology companies is confident that the cost will be reduced once the tags can be printed because electrically conductive and semiconducting plastics can be used in high-volume printing processes
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With biological warfare, real-time detection is key
The largest improvements in any biowarfare identification system’s performance will come in the form of smaller packages, more automated measurement, and faster measurement
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New nonlethal weapons uses light flashes to disorient adversary
As the debate over nonlethal weapons continue — are they more humane because they do not kill? Are they instruments of torture? — DHS funds the development of flash-light-based system which incapacitates by flashing LED lights at several specific frequencies
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Beyond fingerprinting: Alternative biometric technologies advance
As more organizations turn to biometric technology to help them perform their missions, they show interest in a variety of technologies — vein architecture, retinal scan, facial recognition, and more; these are good times for innovative biometric companies
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Invention turns trash into ethanol
Two University of Maryland researchers develop a process which turns trash into ethanol; the researchers found that a Chesapeake Bay marsh grass bacterium has an enzyme that could quickly break down plant materials into sugar, which can then be converted to biofuel
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More headlines
The long view
U.S. Reliance on Chinese Drones: A Sector for the Next CHIPS Act?
More and more lawmakers from both parties are beginning to pay attention to the issue of drones and national security. Different bills seek to regulate federal agency procurement and use of certain foreign-made unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), or drones. Annie I. Antón and Olivia C. Mauger write that “Building on the bipartisan consensus to enact the 2022 Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science (CHIPS) Act, there is a compelling case that UASs should be a next sector for similar action.”
Helping the U.S. Fast-track Hypersonic Conventional Weapons
Hypersonic weapons have been a top priority for modernizing the armed forces, with ultrafast, long-range and maneuverable munitions being touted as a revolutionary advance in modern warfare. The U.S. has fast-tracked their development and announced plans to field the first conventional hypersonic missile battery this year. Sandia National Lab is helping the U.S. achieve this goal.
Quantum Cryptography Applications
The development of quantum computing means that the use of classic cryptography for secure communications is in danger of becoming obsolete. Quantum cryptography, on the other hand, uses the laws of quantum mechanics to ensure total security. One example of this is quantum key distribution, which enables two parties to secure a message via a random secret key.
Using Quantum Physics to Secure Wireless Devices
From access cards and key fobs to Bluetooth speakers, the security of communication between wireless devices is critical to maintaining privacy and preventing theft. Unfortunately, these tools are not foolproof and information on how to hack, clone and bypass these systems is becoming easier to find.
Enhanced Community Safety by Reimagining Gunshot Detection
A new gunshot detection system delivers new capabilities that significantly improve the response and management of outdoor shootings. The portable system employs two methods of detection for increased accuracy and reduced false positives.
Using AI to Find Rare Minerals
A machine learning model can predict the locations of minerals on Earth—and potentially other planets—by taking advantage of patterns in mineral associations.
U.S. Should Begin Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors: Report
New and advanced types of nuclear reactors could play an important role in helping the U.S. meet its long-term climate goals, but a range of technical, regulatory, economic, and societal challenges must first be overcome.
U.S. Should Begin Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors: Report
New and advanced types of nuclear reactors could play an important role in helping the U.S. meet its long-term climate goals, but a range of technical, regulatory, economic, and societal challenges must first be overcome.