EarthquakesU.S. Most Widely Felt Earthquake: 10 Years On Published 20 August 2021 Ten years ago, millions of people throughout the eastern U.S. felt shaking from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake near Mineral, Virginia. No lives were lost, and it was not the strongest earthquake to have occurred in the eastern U.S., let alone the western U.S.,

EarthquakesOptical Fibers Detect Earthquakes Published 20 August 2021 Optical fibers, the underground optical cables that transmit a lot of information at a time, are familiar to us. But few would associate optical fibers with earthquake detection. Recently, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) successfully developed a

Water securityTracking Water Storage: Improving Water Management During Floods, Droughts Published 20 August 2021 Researchers have created a balance sheet for water across the United States – tracking total water storage in 14 of the country’s major aquifers over 15 years. With longer-term droughts and intermittent intense flooding expected in the future, particularly in the

AfghanistanTaliban Return to Power: Fears of Al-Qaeda Resurgence Published 19 August 2021 The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan is stoking renewed fear of a resurgence in terrorism from al-Qaeda and other jihadi groups. The group has retained close ties with the Taliban, raising the prospect that it will once again be offered a safe

AfghanistanTaliban to Gain Control over $1 trillion Mineral Wealth By Nik Martin Published 19 August 2021 To date, the Taliban have profited from the opium and heroin trade. Now the Islamist group effectively rules a country with valuable resources that China needs to grow its economy. Afghanistan’s mineral riches will also bolster China’s dominance in

China watchChinese Hackers Used Cyber-Disguising Technology against Israel: Report By Forest Cong Published 19 August 2021 Beginning in January 2019, UNC215, a Chinese government digital spy group, had hacked into Israeli government networks after using remote desktop protocols (RDPs) to steal credentials from trusted third parties. A major cybersecurity firm says it believes Beijing-backed hackers carried out

VaccinesCOVID Vaccine Protection Waning Against Infection — but Not Hospitalization By Mary Van Beusekom Published 19 August 2021 One study of 2-dose vaccination with Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines found significantly diminishing efficacy against infection in nursing home residents, while two other studies showed sustained protection against coronavirus-related hospitalizations but declining coverage against new adult cases.

AfghanistanTaliban to Gain Control over $1 trillion Mineral Wealth By Nik Martin Published 19 August 2021 To date, the Taliban have profited from the opium and heroin trade. Now the Islamist group effectively rules a country with valuable resources that China needs to grow its economy. Afghanistan’s mineral riches will also bolster China’s dominance in

China watchChinese Hackers Used Cyber-Disguising Technology against Israel: Report By Forest Cong Published 19 August 2021 Beginning in January 2019, UNC215, a Chinese government digital spy group, had hacked into Israeli government networks after using remote desktop protocols (RDPs) to steal credentials from trusted third parties. A major cybersecurity firm says it believes Beijing-backed hackers carried out

Public healthWhat the “Lyme Wars” Can Teach Us about COVID-19 and How to Find Common Ground in the School Reopening Debate By Abigail A. Dumes Published 19 August 2021 As schools reopen, concerns over a delta-driven surge in cases, vaccine ineligibility for children younger than 12 and varying opinions about mask use in school settings