Sarcasm detectorSarcasm Detector for Online Communications Published 7 May 2021 Sentiment analysis – the process of identifying positive, negative, or neutral emotion – across online communications has become a growing focus for both commercial and defense communities. Sentiment can be an important signal for online information operations to identify topics of concern or the possible

Human traffickingTurning Technology against Human Traffickers By Kylie Foy Published 7 May 2021 Last October, the White House released the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking. The plan was motivated, in part, by a greater understanding of the pervasiveness of the crime. This increasing awareness has also motivated MIT Lincoln Laboratory to harness its

PandemicsHow Can Scientists Predict a COVID-19 Outbreak? There Is an App for That Published 7 May 2021 A mobile app that uses crowd-sourced data on COVID-19 symptoms can accurately identify where local coronavirus outbreaks will appear, according to scientists who developed the app. “COVID Control” using self-reported virus symptom information could predict next outbreak. A mobile

EarthquakesEarthquake Early Warnings Launched in Washington Published 7 May 2021 When the Big One hits, the first thing Washington residents notice may not be the ground shaking, but their phone issuing a warning. This week, the ShakeAlert early warning system was activated in Washington state, and it will send earthquake early warnings throughout the state. When

CybersecurityComplex Passwords Aren’t Always Best Published 7 May 2021 Research shows increasingly complex website password restrictions often leave users frustrated and lead to poor password security. “Our results confirm that the tougher the constraints of creating the passwords the safer users feel with their information,” said one expert. “However, the results show that a large

Grid reliabilityImproving Grid Reliability in the Face of Extreme Events Published 7 May 2021 The nation’s power grid remains vulnerable to disruption from extreme events including wildfires, severe storms, and cyberattacks. Variable generation resources and load volatility also present operational challenges to grid stability. To mitigate disruptions before they snowball, grid planners and operators must

Water securityTriggering Rain Where Water Is Scarce Published 7 May 2021 A new method to trigger rain where water is scarce is being tested in the UAE, using drones. The drones carry an electric charge that is released into a cloud, giving cloud droplets the jolt they need to clump together and fall as rain. A

ARGUMENT: Countering violent extremismTwenty Years After 9/11, the U.S. Needs a Better Strategy to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism Published 5 May 2021 With his announcement to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of 9/11, President Joe Biden is delivering on his promise to bring an end to the “forever wars”

ExtremismUnderstanding 21st-Century Militant Anti-Fascism Published 5 May 2021 Anti-fascist militancy has existed for as long as fascism has, but militant anti-fascism is still largely neglected across both academic and policy-practitioner communities.A new study says that there is a need for a more robust, evidence-based understanding of the antifa phenomenon, especially in a context where militant

ARGUMENT: Liberal CassandrasThe Liberals Who Can’t Quit Lockdown Published 5 May 2021 Among the relieved Americans going back out to restaurants and planning their summer-wedding travel is a different group, Emma Green writes: liberals who aren’t quite ready to let go of pandemic restrictions. “For this subset, diligence against COVID-19 remains an expression of political