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First conviction under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996
Chinese-born software engineer sentenced for stealing industrial and military secrets on behalf of the PRC; first conviction under a 1996 law for misappropriating a trade secret with the intent to benefit a foreign government
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Genetically modified mosquitoes to fight malaria
Malaria kills three million people around the arodl each year; current methods of combatting the disease do not work; scientists examine the potential of genetically modifies mosquitoes for stopping the killer disease
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Investing in biodefense companies, II
Billions of dollars are being spent on finding vaccines and treatments for possible bioterror attacks; investment analyst says that these billions of dollars in government spending notwithstanding, when considering an investment in a company doing R&D in the bioterror field, you should consider its non-terror-related biotechnology efforts, and the quality of its management team
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New satallite images identification technology
Researchers offer the first computerized method that can analyze a single photograph and determine where in the world the image likely was taken
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New biofueled diesel engine developed
U.K. company develops 100 percent-biofueled diesel engine which could help provide electricity to remote communities in the developing world; engine can run on pure biofuel with no additives — but also on a variety of vegetable oils which have not been converted to conventional biofuels
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Universal biosensor would detect disease, bioterror attack, pollution
A consortium of U.K. research institutions, in collaboration with a Chinese University, work on developing a universal biosensor which would help in many types of detection — from home diagnosis of disease to chemical plant monitoring, anti-bioterrorism, and pandemic outbreak
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PG&E in 106 MW combined solar-thermal-biofuel hybrid power
Pacific Gas and Electricity to build a combined solar-thermal-biofuel hybrid power plant in California which will deliver a total of 700 gigawatt hours (GWh) annually of renewable electricity to PG&E customers throughout northern and central parts of the state
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iRobot to commercialize endurance record-holding undersea robot
iRobot licenses endurance record-holder Seaglider from the University of Washington; Seaglider can operate at sea for months at a time in challenging conditions
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New mercury detector developed
University of Massachusetts researcher develops new mercury detector which detects minute quantities of mercury even in the presence of other metals
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OMG helps UAVs see as human pilots do
Northrop Grumman tests Oxford Metrics Group’s software which make UAVs “see” things the way a human pilot would
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U.S. remains the dominant leader in science and technology worldwide
Perceptions to the contrary notwithstanding, the United States remains the world’s undisputed leader in science and technology; the key factor enabling U.S. science and engineering workforce to grow: inflow of foreign students, scientists, and engineers
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New compression technique makes VoIP vulnerable to eavesdropping
New VoIP compression technique, called variable bit rate compression, produces different size packets of data for different sounds; simply measuring the size of packets — without even decoding them — can identify whole words and phrases with a high rate of accuracy
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Smiths Detection in $25 million TSA contract
The Transportation Security Administration awards Smiths Detection a $25 million follow-on contract for the company’s Advanced Threat Identification X-Ray (aTiX) systems
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Millenium Technology Prizes awarded
Prestigious technology innovation prize awarded to five recipients; amng the winners: new DNA fingerprinting technology which has revolutionized forensic science, helping identify criminals and free innocent parties worldwide
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WiMAX patent alliance formed to promote the standard
WiMAX has so far failed to deliver on the promise inerent in it; six WiMAX big hitters create a patent alliance which will allow for quicker and smoother adoption of the technology
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More headlines
The long view
Autonomous Vehicle Technology Vulnerable to Road Object Spoofing and Vanishing Attacks
Researchers have demonstrated the potentially hazardous vulnerabilities associated with the technology called LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, many autonomous vehicles use to navigate streets, roads and highways. The researchers have shown how to use lasers to fool LiDAR into “seeing” objects that are not present and missing those that are – deficiencies that can cause unwarranted and unsafe braking or collisions.
Tantalizing Method to Study Cyberdeterrence
Tantalus is unlike most war games because it is experimental instead of experiential — the immersive game differs by overlapping scientific rigor and quantitative assessment methods with the experimental sciences, and experimental war gaming provides insightful data for real-world cyberattacks.
Prototype Self-Service Screening System Unveiled
TSA and DHS S&T unveiled a prototype checkpoint technology, the self-service screening system, at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV. The aim is to provide a near self-sufficient passenger screening process while enabling passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information and allow for the passenger self-resolution of those alarms.
Falling Space Debris: How High Is the Risk I'll Get Hit?
An International Space Station battery fell back to Earth and, luckily, splashed down harmlessly in the Atlantic. Should we have worried? Space debris reenters our atmosphere every week.
Testing Cutting-Edge Counter-Drone Technology
Drones have many positive applications, bad actors can use them for nefarious purposes. Two recent field demonstrations brought government, academia, and industry together to evaluate innovative counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
Strengthening the Grid’s ‘Backbone’ with Hydropower
Argonne-led studies investigate how hydropower could help add more clean energy to the grid, how it generates value as grids add more renewable energy, and how liner technology can improve hydropower efficiency.
The Tech Apocalypse Panic is Driven by AI Boosters, Military Tacticians, and Movies
From popular films like a War Games or The Terminator to a U.S. State Department-commissioned report on the security risk of weaponized AI, there has been a tremendous amount of hand wringing and nervousness about how so-called artificial intelligence might end up destroying the world. There is one easy way to avoid a lot of this and prevent a self-inflicted doomsday: don’t give computers the capability to launch devastating weapons.
The Tech Apocalypse Panic is Driven by AI Boosters, Military Tacticians, and Movies
From popular films like a War Games or The Terminator to a U.S. State Department-commissioned report on the security risk of weaponized AI, there has been a tremendous amount of hand wringing and nervousness about how so-called artificial intelligence might end up destroying the world. There is one easy way to avoid a lot of this and prevent a self-inflicted doomsday: don’t give computers the capability to launch devastating weapons.