ROBOTICSAutonomous Air and Ground Vehicles Swarms Take Flight in Final Field Experiment Published 30 December 2021 DARPA’s OFFSET program envisions future small-unit infantry forces employing large-scale teams of unmanned air and/or ground robots to accomplish diverse missions in complex urban environments. OFFSET specifically focused on advancements in collaborative swarm autonomy and human-swarm teaming capabilities. Researchers, roboticists,

ARGUMENT: MILITARY TECHNOLOGYAre New and Emerging Technologies Game-Changers for Smaller Powers? Published 30 December 2021 We are now entering into what is usually referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, which is characterized by the fusion of technologies and platforms in the form of a “system of systems.” Michael Claesson and Zebulon Carlander write that

COVID RESPONSESocial Capital and COVID-19 Response Published 30 December 2021 Social capital measures how well connected we are to our families, communities, workplaces and religious groups. Researchers found that early in the COVID-19 pandemic, high levels of social capital were associated with a slower spread of the virus. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign electrical and computer engineering professor Lav Varshney is

NUCLEAR POWERGermany Closes Three of Its Six Operating Nuclear Power Plants Published 31 December 2021 The shutdowns of three plants take place as Europe faces one of its worst-ever energy crises and as support for nuclear as a low carbon energy is, once again, on the rise. Germany is to shut down three nuclear power plants

NEUROTECHNOLOGYThe Big Promises and Potentially Bigger Consequences of Neurotechnology By Elise Thomas Published 31 December 2021 Neurotechnology is an umbrella term for a range of technologies which interact directly with the brain or nervous system. This can include systems which passively scan, map or interpret brain activity, or systems which actively influence the state of

COASTAL CHALLENGESAntarctica’s “Doomsday” Glacier: How Its Collapse Could Trigger Global Floods and Swallow Islands By Ella Gilbert Published 31 December 2021 Driven by global warming, sea level has risen around 20cm since 1900, an amount which is already forcing coastal communities out of their homes and exacerbating environmental problems such as flooding, saltwater contamination and

TERRORISMFollow the Money: Bringing IS Extremists to Justice By Cathrin Schaer Published 30 December 2021 Financing terror, chemical weapons, forensics and digital archives: The ex-German prosecutor now heading the UN’s special team on crimes of the “Islamic State” explains where the search for justice will focus. Who profited from the rise of the extremist group known

FORENSICSMeet the Maggot: How This Flesh-Loving, Butt-Breathing Marvel Helps Us Solve Murders By Michelle Harvey Published 30 December 2021 Not all superheroes wear capes – some live in rubbish bins, garbage dumps and on dead bodies. Maggots, the humble little legless larvae, are actually nature’s antibacterial soldiers. Their ability to survive and thrive in decomposing

COVID RESPONSESocial Capital and COVID-19 Response Published 30 December 2021 Social capital measures how well connected we are to our families, communities, workplaces and religious groups. Researchers found that early in the COVID-19 pandemic, high levels of social capital were associated with a slower spread of the virus. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign electrical and computer engineering professor Lav Varshney is

GEOENGINEERINGWhat Are the Geopolitical Risks of Manipulating the Climate? By Doug Irving Published 30 December 2021 It would only take one country—watching its crops shrivel or its water run dry—deciding to take a chance to set in motion a global geoengineering climate experiment, and technologies which could, for example, block the sun’s rays or siphon