Crime & punishmentUnreliable Witness Testimony Biggest Cause of Miscarriages of Justice Published 30 April 2021 Unreliable witness testimony has been the biggest cause of miscarriages of justice over the past half century, a major new study suggests. The research also suggests that regulations governing the powers of police have been effective in reducing wrongful convictions

Cybersecurity educationUtah State University’s Seth Manesse Wins First Individual CyberForce Competition Published 29 April 2021 After a tough, day-long contest, Seth Manesse from Utah State University won the sixth CyberForce Competition. Each CyberForce Competition presents a real-world scenario in which participants must defend cyber-physical infrastructure against threats modeled on those faced by the energy sector

TerrorismFrance Arrests Seven Former Red Brigades Members Published 28 April 2021 French police on Wednesday arrested seven Italian nationals who members of the leftist Red Brigades terrorist group which terrorized Italy in the 1970s and 1980s. One of the group’s more spectacular crimes was the kidnapping and murder of a former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro.

Conspiracy theoryQAnon Poses a Threat to U.S. National Security: Report Published 28 April 2021 The QAnon movement poses a threat to U.S. national security, concludes a new report by the Soufan Center. Although commonly perceived as a domestic movement within the U.S., the data suggests that foreign states are utilizing the QAnon conspiracy theory to

ForensicsUnlocking Unique Chemical Signatures in Tires Published 28 April 2021 Skid marks left by cars are often analyzed for their impression patterns, but they often don’t provide enough information to identify a specific vehicle. A new approach could provide law enforcement new tools to track down those who flee a crime scene. Skid marks left by

Shoe scanningScanning People with Their Shoes On Published 28 April 2021 Taking shoes off for scanning at airports is one of the most inconvenient parts of flying and one that can slow the security screening process. But one day soon, even those without a “pre-check” status may be able to keep their shoes on, step

BiosensorsNew Biosensor Detect Toxins and More Published 28 April 2021 A new device is not quite the Star Trek “tricorder” medical scanner, but it’s a step in the right direction. The Portable EnGineered Analytic Sensor with aUtomated Sampling (PEGASUS) is a miniaturized waveguide-based optical sensor that can detect toxins, bacterial signatures, viral signatures, biothreats, white

Flood plainsHomes in Floodplains Are Overvalued by Nearly $44 Billion Published 28 April 2021 Analysis of sales data and flood risk data over two decades indicates that housing markets fail to fully account for information about flood risk. The findings suggest that policies to improve risk communication could influence market outcomes. Buyer beware: Single-family homes in

Cybersecurity educationUtah State University’s Seth Manesse Wins First Individual CyberForce Competition Published 29 April 2021 After a tough, day-long contest, Seth Manesse from Utah State University won the sixth CyberForce Competition. Each CyberForce Competition presents a real-world scenario in which participants must defend cyber-physical infrastructure against threats modeled on those faced by the energy sector

Crime & punishmentUnreliable Witness Testimony Biggest Cause of Miscarriages of Justice Published 29 April 2021 Unreliable witness testimony has been the biggest cause of miscarriages of justice over the past half century, a major new study suggests. The research also suggests that regulations governing the powers of police have been effective in reducing wrongful convictions