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Stretchy spider silks can be springs or rubber
Spider silk is stronger than steel and nylon, and more extensible than Kevlar; it would be ideal for personal protective gear for soldiers and law enforcement, and medical applications; “would be ideal” — because we do not yet know how to spin artificial silk; Canadian scientists have interesting ideas
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U.S. Army to expand Land Warrior to an entire brigade
Land Warrior is a modular fighting system that uses state-of-the-art computer, communications, and global positioning technologies to link soldiers digitally on the battlefield; it has proved itself in Iraq
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Microwave: Nondestructive imaging technology of the future?
Microwaves on a chip may replace X-rays for medical imaging and security
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Pentagon wants laser attack warnings for satellites
The U.S. economy and military capabilities are dependent on satellites for communication and information gathering; growing anti-satellite warfare capabilities — for example, by China — lead Pentagon to seek a measure of protection for space-based assets
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Cheap carbon trap cleans up power station emissions
Sequestering CO2 is a good way to fight global warming, but only about 10 percent of the gas produced in the process of burning fossil fuels is CO2; most of the rest is nitrogen, which is not a greenhouse gas; there is a new, inexpensive way to separate the two
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IAEA: Iran evasive about its nuclear program
Iran’s march toward the bomb continues unabated; the U.S. intelligence community may have concluded that Iran had “halted” its nuclear weapons program in 2003, but a UN atomic agency says indications are to the contrary
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Torrefaction treatment for biomass
Torrefaction is increasingly seen as a desirable treatment for biomass because it creates a solid product which is easier to store, transport, and mill than raw biomass
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Megawatt tidal turbine completed
U.K. maritime energy specialist completes installation of 1.2 MW tidal energy system off the shore of Northern Ireland; system to provide clean electricity equivalent to that used by 1,000 homes
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Turning buses into mobile sensing platforms
Modern buses could be used as mobile sensing platforms, sending out live information that can be used to control traffic and detect road hazards, according to European researchers
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New grants to create fabrics which render toxic chemicals harmless
New fabrics made of functional nanofibers would decompose toxic industrial chemicals into harmless byproducts; potential applications include safety gear for soldiers and first responders —and filtration systems for buildings and vehicles
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Super-sensitive spray-on explosive detector
A new explosive detection system: A spray detects the presence of just a billionth of a gram of explosive, and shows the difference between nitrate esters, such as trinitroglycerin, and nitroaromatic explosives, such as TNT
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Nanotechnology-based biosensor
NASA develops nanotechnology-based biosensor that can detect trace amounts of specific bacteria, viruses, and parasites; New York-based Early Warning, Inc. will initially market the sensor to water treatment facilities, food and beverage companies, industrial plants, hospitals, and airlines
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Boeing Hummingbird breaks heavy UAV endurance record
Boeing’s unmanned rotorcraft breaks endurance record: it flies for nearly 19 hours, carrying a 300-pound internal payload at altitudes up to 15,000 feet, and landing with more than 90 minutes worth of fuel in reserve
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"Fibrous" steel withstands extremely cold temperatures
Steel is very strong, except that in cold temperatures it becomes brittle; new method of making steel withstand cold temperatures could make steel structures in Arctic areas, like ships or oil rigs, cheaper to construct
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Boeing fires high-energy laser aboard advanced tactical laser aircraft
Boeing’s air-borne laser will destroy, damage, or disable targets with little to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations
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The long view
AI Has Crossed a Threshold – What Claude Mythos Means for the Future of Cybersecurity
The limit of what artificial intelligence can achieve, known as frontier AI, has crossed another threshold. AI can now plan and execute sophisticated cyber operations with minimal guidance at speeds far beyond human capability.
Artificial Intelligence Is Facing a Crisis of Control—and the Industry Knows It
Washington appears to be years away from consensus on the expanding security risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence (AI). Concrete international agreements also do not yet exist. There is a tenuous potential path forward to avoid a disaster, but it will require out-of-the-box thinking, intense determination, and unprecedented cooperation.
Pick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins
A summary of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense’s “Pick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins” at the Atlantic Council.
Expert Believes Norwegian Minerals Could Make Europe Less Dependent on China
At the Fen Complex in southern Norway lies Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth elements, according to a report from Rare Earths Norway. But this is not a ‘quick-fix,’ according experts.
Helping MTA in Combating Climate Threats
NYU Tandon School research team developed computer model that quickly tests hundreds of resilience strategies to determine the best ways to defend subways against coastal storm surge flooding.