PERSPECTIVE: NUCLEAR POWERMacron Supports Nuclear in Carbon-Neutrality Push Published 10 February 2022 France will build at least six new nuclear reactors in the decades to come, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, placing nuclear power at the heart of his country’s drive for carbon neutrality by 2050. France will build at least six new nuclear reactors

CLIMATE CHALLENGESComputing Carbon Storage Published 10 February 2022 The road to a stabilized climate is challenging and contentious. A number of solutions will be needed to enable a fast, equitable transition away from fossil fuels: among them the development of sustainable energy sources, greener materials, and methods to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. The road to

WATER SECURITYWater Resources Depletion Near Large Urban Areas Published 10 February 2022 Researchers analyzed the spatial distribution of water resources depletion in connection with proximity to large urban areas and defined a model that might prove fundamental to mitigate the impact of urbanization on the ecosystem. The depletion of water resources (e.g. rivers and lakes) is more rapid and

TRUTH DECAYBattling Disinformation Published 8 February 2022 Counterspeech is a strategy to oppose hate speech and falsehoods online. It works by flooding a post that is hateful or misleading with comments that are positive or that reinforce the facts. Citizens are the drivers of counterspeech and can even form special groups to coordinate their efforts. One

DISINFORMATIONU.S. Mired in “Heightened Threat Environment”: DHS By Jeff Seldin Published 8 February 2022 DHS, in its updated National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin released Monday, says that the prevalence of conspiracy theories and bad or misleading information, online and in social media forums, is keeping the United States in a state of heightened alert when

POST-DISASTER TRAUMASSurvivors of Weather-Related Disasters May Suffer Accelerated Aging Published 8 February 2022 What is the toll on the long-term health of the population of the stress caused by major natural disasters? And could exposure to extreme weather events accelerate the aging process? A new study offers sobering insights. When Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico

TRAVEL SAFETYFog Detection Software Helps Keep Travelers Safe Published 8 February 2022 Fog and low stratus clouds over airports can create dangerous travel conditions that result in costly delays and disrupted travel plans. A new fog detection software will help. Fog and low stratus clouds over airports can create dangerous travel conditions that result in costly

SURVEILLANCEBroad, and Likely Unauthorized, Use of Pegasus Spyware by Israel’s Police Shocks Israel Published 7 February 2022 Since 2015, Israel’s police has employed the intrusive Pegasus spyware to spy on businesspeople, journalists and editors, senior managers of government ministries and agencies, leaders of protest movements, and more – and it appears that in many, if

SOFTWARE SECURITYAutomated Approach to Extract Security Policies from Software Published 7 February 2022 Researchers are exploring how a new automated approach could prevent software security vulnerabilities. The researchers sought to develop a deep learning model that could teach software how to extract security policies automatically. A team of UTSA researchers is exploring how a new automated approach

EXTREMISMHow Radio Programming Can Fight Violent Extremism in West Africa Published 7 February 2022 A new study shows the potential of storytelling and narratives to address violent extremism. Radio dramas can increase intentions to collaborate with the police, increase prioritization of violent extremism as an important issue to be addressed by the government, and reduce