FloodsHow Do Floods Become a Disaster? Published 16 August 2021 Since the 1990s, the number of fatalities from river floods has declined worldwide, but the amount of damage has risen sharply. Researchers attribute the decline in casualties to improved flood warning, technical protection measures and heightened hazard awareness. What are the causes, patterns and effects of

Climate challengesIt’s Official: July Was Earth’s Hottest Month on Record Published 16 August 2021 New global data show that July was the world’s hottest month ever recorded. The combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 1.67 degrees F (0.93 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees F (15.8 degrees C), making it

MigrationBiden Administration Struggling for Coherent Message on U.S.-Mexico Border: Critics By Rob Garver Published 13 August 2021 The president and his advisers have offered sometimes contradictory assessments of the seriousness of a surge of migrants overwhelming border officials, and have sent mixed messages to the migrants themselves about what would happen if they reached the

COVID-19 originsDebate over Origins of COVID-19 Continues Published 13 August 2021 At the end of the month, the U.S. intelligence community (IC) will submit a report to President Joe Biden offering the IC’s conclusions regarding the origins of COVID-1. The report is not likely to put an end to the debate, especially since China is

MigrationMigration Is Rising, but So Do Border Barriers By Gianna-Carina Grün Published 13 August 2021 The global population grew by a quarter over the past 20 years, but the numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers doubled in the same time frame. Today, one in 97 people is forcibly displaced. In 2015, it was one in 175.

Health securityMedicine Manufacturing Limits Poses Risk to U.S. Health Security By Jill Young Miller Published 13 August 2021 More than 80 percent of the active ingredients in medicines the U.S. Food and Drug Administration deems essential for public health have no U.S. manufacturing source. Essential medicines include antibiotics, antivirals, blood pressure pills, steroids and many

Chem-bio weaponsParasites Fight Chemical and Biological Weapons Published 13 August 2021 Harnessing parasites to help soldiers and first responders counter chemical and biological weapon attacks in war zones. Parasites could become part of the armor of military personnel and first responders to help them counter chemical and biological weapon attacks in war zones. Professor Alex Loukas’ and

Nuclear forensicsInternational Nuclear Forensics Group Examines Nuclear Security Challenges Published 13 August 2021 The Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) was established in 1995 when nuclear materials were being smuggled out of the former Soviet Union and into Europe. Last month the ITWG held its annual meeting virtually. Several Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists played key

MigrationBiden Administration Struggling for Coherent Message on U.S.-Mexico Border: Critics By Rob Garver Published 13 August 2021 The president and his advisers have offered sometimes contradictory assessments of the seriousness of a surge of migrants overwhelming border officials, and have sent mixed messages to the migrants themselves about what would happen if they reached the

MigrationMigration Is Rising, but So Do Border Barriers By Gianna-Carina Grün Published 13 August 2021 The global population grew by a quarter over the past 20 years, but the numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers doubled in the same time frame. Today, one in 97 people is forcibly displaced. In 2015, it was one in 175.