PLANETARY SECURITYSimulation Models of Potential Asteroid Collisions Published 28 December 2021 An asteroid impact can be enough to ruin anyone’s day, but several small factors can make the difference between an out-of-this-world story and total annihilation. An asteroid impact can be enough to ruin anyone’s day, but several small factors can make the difference between an

WATER SECURITYRadioactive Contamination Is Creeping into Drinking Water Around the U.S. By Lynne Peeples Published 28 December 2021 As mining, fracking and other activities increase the levels of harmful isotopes in water supplies, health advocates call for tighter controls. This story is part of Ensia’s year-long investigation of drinking water contamination across the U.S. The series

OUR PICKSThe Most Dangerous Extremists | Terrorism & Surveillance, Searches, and Mental Illness | The Next Disaster Coming to the Great Plains, and more Published 28 December 2021 ·  World’s 20 Most Dangerous Extremists Revealed — Including UK-Based Anjem Choudary and Tommy Robinson ·  Tampa Terrorism Case Raises Questions of Surveillance, Searches, Mental Illness ·  Covid Lockdowns

CYBERSECURITYWhat Is Log4j? A Cybersecurity Expert Explains the Latest Internet Vulnerability, How Bad It Is and What’s at Stake By Santiago Torres-Arias Published 24 December 2021 Log4Shell, an internet vulnerability that affects millions of computers, involves an obscure but nearly ubiquitous piece of software, Log4j. So what is this humble piece of internet infrastructure, how

ARGUMENT: HYBRID DOMESTIC EXTREMISTSBlurry Ideologies and Strange Coalitions: The Evolving Landscape of Domestic Extremism Published 24 December 2021 Students of extremism and domestic terrorism have noticed an intriguing phenomenon: the convergence of far right and far left extremists and the breakdown of old ideological walls. Far-right extremists have valorized the Unabomber and praised the Taliban;

CYBERSECURITY EDUCATIONUTEP to Advance Cybersecurity Talent Pipeline with $4M Grant Published 24 December 2021 Award will support highly qualified computer science students, with an emphasis on Hispanic and female students. The University of Texas at El Paso will enhance the capacity of the regional and national cybersecurity workforce, thanks to a renewed commitment from the National

NUCLEAR POWERBelgium to Shut Down All Existing Nuclear Power Plants Published 24 December 2021 The Belgian government has said all of the country’s existing nuclear energy plants will close by 2025. However, Belgium will invest in future nuclear technology. Belgium’s government on Thursday said it would shut all of the country’s nuclear power plants over the next three years.

WATER SECURITY“In Defense of Water” Program Aims to Improve Water Security Published 24 December 2021 A new DOD-funded project — “In Defense of Water” – aims to help provide clean drinking water and protect the environment. The project will improve water security and efficiency at military and civilian installations to improve readiness and reduce operational

OUR PICKSSecurity Experts & the “Vulnerability of the Decade” | Covid Is Here for Good | How China Manipulates Facebook and Twitter, and more Published 24 December 2021 ·  Computer Security Experts Scramble to Fix “Vulnerability of the Decade” ·  Buying Influence: How China Manipulates Facebook and Twitter ·  Prominent Harvard Professor Found Guilty of Lying About

COASTAL CHALLENGESImproving Estimates of Population Exposed to Sea Level Rise: Not as Straightforward as It May Seem Published 24 December 2021 An analysis of data from 2015 finds that between 750 million and more than a billion people globally resided in the ≤ 10 meters low elevation coastal zone (LECZ), up from 521 million and 745