ADVERSARIAL AIAiding Evaluation of Adversarial AI Defenses Published 4 January 2022 There are many inherent weaknesses that underlie existing machine learning (ML) models, opening the technology up to spoofing, corruption, and other forms of deception. Evaluation testbed, datasets, tools developed on GARD program were released to jump-start community and encourage creation of more robust defenses

OUR PICKSLog4j Flaw Attack Levels Remain High | Spotting Extremists | Spies & Actors, and more Published 4 January 2022 ·  Winnipeg Professor Developing Tool Kit to Help Teachers Spot Burgeoning Extremism in Students ·  Hate Crimes Are Soaring. Extremists Have a New Recruitment Tool: Video Games. ·  Hackers Breached Florida Health Care System, Potentially Exposing Data

CLIMATE CHALLENGESDecember in Texas Hottest on Record in More Than 130 Years Published 4 January 2022 The state climatologist says last month was the warmest December since 1889. From Dallas through Abilene to Del Rio, temperatures averaged 5 to 9 degrees above normal. Last month Texas experienced its warmest December on record since 1889, said John Nielsen-Gammon, a

NEUROTECHNOLOGYThe Big Promises and Potentially Bigger Consequences of Neurotechnology By Elise Thomas Published 3 January 2022 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

NUCLEAR POWERGermany Closes Three of Its Six Operating Nuclear Power Plants Published 3 January 2022 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

SURVEILLANCEIn 2021, the Police Took a Page Out of the NSA’s Playbook: 2021 in Review By Jennifer Lynch Published 3 January 2022 Dragnet searches were once thought to be just the province of the NSA, but they are now easier than ever for domestic law enforcement to conduct as well. With increasing frequency, law enforcement

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

COASTAL CHALLENGESAntarctica’s “Doomsday” Glacier: How Its Collapse Could Trigger Global Floods and Swallow Islands By Ella Gilbert Published 3 January 2022 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

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