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New device locates people in danger
University of Pittsburgh researchers develop a tracking device that can pinpoint within a few feet the locations of people inside burning buildings or other structures where there is an emergency
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New ideas for deflecting Earth-threatening asteroids
As scientists use better equipment to make more accurate observations of space, they find more Earth-threatening objects loitering in Near Earth Orbit; a debate is growing as to the best method to deal with this threat
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Flow sensors based on hair structures of blind cavefish
Members of the fish species Astyanax fasciatus cannot see, but they sense their environment and the movement of water around them with gel-covered hairs that extend from their bodies; Yellow Jackets researchers develop sensors which mimic the blind fish’s sensors; these sensors could have a variety of underwater applications, such as port security, surveillance, early tsunami detection, autonomous oil rig inspection, autonomous underwater vehicle navigation, and marine research
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Video on beyond line-of-sight high-bandwidth connection possible
Boeing demonstrates that transmitting video on beyond line-of-sight high-bandwidth connection is possible
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Better bullet-proof vests with advanced fiber weaves
Manchester University researchers say that bullet-proof vests used to protect the lives of police officers could be further improved with advanced fiber weaves
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South Korea develops homemade stealth technology
While the United States keeps a close eye on work by Shina, Russia, and India on stealth technology, South Korea announces it has mastered the technology
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DARPA funds Phase 2 of human limb regeneration study
When you cut off a salamander’s leg, a blastema, or regeneration bud, appears at the stump and then grows into a new leg with muscles, nerves, etc. all complete; DARPA wants to see whether the same can be dome for human limbs
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U.S., Germany to collaborate in homeland security research
U.S., Germany sign a research and development collaboration agreement which will see secret U.S. laboratories open to German scientists
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V-1 engine design for hypersonic plane
DARPA offers a $3 million contract for an aerospace company to develop a hyperplane capable of speeds up to (Mach 6, around 7,500 km/h — relying on Continuous Explosion engine used by Hitler’s V-1 rockets
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Swimming pool game inspires robot detection
Researchers use the Marco Polo game to solve a complex problem — how to create a system that allows robots not only to “sense” a moving target, but intercept it
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World's first flying car debuts
Massachusetts-based Terrafugia flight-tests its Terrafugia Transition, the world’s first proper flying car (or “roadable aircraft” as the company prefers to call it)
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Killing mosquitoes dead with laser
They used to tell us that rather than kill mosquitoes, we should dry up the swamp; forget that: a new handheld laser can locate individual mosquitoes and kill them one by one
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New method for detecting explosives
American and Danish researchers discover method to detect explosives based on physical properties of vapors
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European Commission calls for single EU patent
EC says that the absence of a single Europe-wide patent law is hindering the growth of technology companies in the European Union
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Inventors: Reforming U.S. patent bill will have a chilling effect on innovation
There are those who argue that the current U.S. patent and copyright laws have a chilling effect on innovation and creativity; then there are those who argue that effort to reform these laws and limit damages U.S. inventors can claim from infringing companies will stifle innovation and creativity; the debate continues
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The long view
New Technology is Keeping the Skies Safe
DHS S&T Baggage, Cargo, and People Screening (BCP) Program develops state-of-the-art screening solutions to help secure airspace, communities, and borders
Factories First: Winning the Drone War Before It Starts
Wars are won by factories before they are won on the battlefield,Martin C. Feldmann writes, noting that the United States lacks the manufacturing depth for the coming drone age. Rectifying this situation “will take far more than procurement tweaks,” Feldmann writes. “It demands a national-level, wartime-scale industrial mobilization.”
How Artificial General Intelligence Could Affect the Rise and Fall of Nations
Visions for potential AGI futures: A new report from RAND aims to stimulate thinking among policymakers about possible impacts of the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) on geopolitics and the world order.
Keeping the Lights on with Nuclear Waste: Radiochemistry Transforms Nuclear Waste into Strategic Materials
How UNLV radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps –and making it safe.
Model Predicts Long-Term Effects of Nuclear Waste on Underground Disposal Systems
The simulations matched results from an underground lab experiment in Switzerland, suggesting modeling could be used to validate the safety of nuclear disposal sites.