Border securityBiden Ends U.S.-Mexico Border Emergency Published 11 February 2021 President Joe Biden has rescinded a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and halted the diversion of more federal funds for constructing a wall along the boundary. Biden also ordered that “no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall” that ranked

Iran’s nukesIran Increasing Enrichment Capacity at Underground Natanz Facility Published 11 February 2021 According to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has begun enriching uranium with a second cascade of IR-2 centrifuges. The 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, permits Iran to enrich

CybersecurityMachine Learning Algorithm May Be Key to Timely, Inexpensive Cyberdefense Published 11 February 2021 Zero-day attacks can overwhelm traditional defenses, costing organizations money and resources. A machine learning algorithm may give organizations a powerful and cost-effective tool for defending against attacks on vulnerable computer networks and cyber-infrastructure, often called zero-day attacks, according to researchers. Attacks on

Cybersecurity educationQueen’s University Belfast Recognized for Its Cybersecurity Education Program Published 11 February 2021 Queen’s University Belfast has been named as one of the U.K.’s first Academic Centers of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE–CSE). The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – awarded the University silver recognition from the NCSC’s

GunsLess Gun Violence among Children in States with More Gun Laws Published 11 February 2021 Gun violence among children is lower in states with more gun laws, according to a new study. The study examined youth gun and weapon carrying data from 2005 and 2017 across several states. Gun violence among children is lower in states

Disaster responsePlanetSense: Stepping in When Disaster Strikes Published 11 February 2021 As Hurricane Dorian raged through the Bahamas, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory worked around the clock to aid recovery efforts for one of the Caribbean’s worst storms ever. The researchers helped direct that relief, churning out geographic data that guided decisions on everything

EarthquakesBetter Earthquake Recovery Published 11 February 2021 For the last century, seismic building codes and practices have primarily focused on saving lives by reducing the likelihood of significant damage or structural collapse. Recovery of critical functions provided by buildings and infrastructure have received less attention, however. As a result, many remain vulnerable to being knocked

Climate challengesErratic Weather Slows Down the Economy Published 11 February 2021 If temperature varies strongly from day to day, the economy grows less. Through these seemingly small variations climate change may have strong effects on economic growth. In a new study, researchers  juxtapose observed daily temperature changes with economic data from more than 1,500 regions

CoronavirusChina Probe: SARS-CoV-2 Jump from Go-Between Host Most Likely Scenario By Lisa Schnirring Published 9 February 2021 Representatives from China and an international joint mission team led by the World Health Organization (WHO) Monday in Wuhan detailed the results of a 2-week probe into the zoonotic source of the outbreaks, which didn’t reveal a definitive

CoronavirusHow China Is Controlling the COVID Origins Narrative — Silencing Critics and Locking Up Dissenters By John Garrick and Yan Bennett Published 9 February 2021 Just over a year has gone by since the novel coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and the world still has many questions about where and how