Fort Detrick Researchers Banned from Working with Anthrax, Ebola and Smallpox, “Over Fears Contaminated Waste Could Leak Out of the Facility”
August 11th, 2019Via: Independent:
America’s main biological warfare lab has been ordered to stop all research into the deadliest viruses and pathogens over fears contaminated waste could leak out of the facility.
Fort Detrick, in Maryland, has been the epicentre of the US Army’s bioweapons research since the beginning of the Cold War.
But last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – the government’s public health body – stripped the base of its license to handle highly restricted “select agents”, which includes Ebola, smallpox and anthrax.
The unusual move follows an inspection by the CDC at Fort Detrick which found several problems with new procedures used to decontaminate waste water.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN DEAD
August 10th, 2019Update: Epstein Was First “Suicide” in Metropolitan Correctional Center in 21 Years
Via: NY Post:
Jeffrey Epstein’s shocking death occurred at an ultra-secure federal lock-up where suicide is supposedly next to impossible.
Yet Epstein, 66, apparently managed to hang himself in his cell in the Special Housing Unit on the 9th floor of the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
…
Suicide at the jail, which serves mainly as a holding facility for about 765 men and women awaiting trial for federal crimes of all levels, is rare.
A review of published stories found only one such death in the past 21 years, the 1998 suicide of South Philadelphia drug kingpin Louis Turra, who reportedly hanged himself.
A handful of suicide attempts were also reported.
But life in the specialized units often involves inmates being watched by cameras in their cells and checked by guards almost constantly.
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Update: Prisoner Check Protocol Not Followed Last Night
Via: Reuters:
At the MCC, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all MCC prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed overnight, the source said.
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Via: Daily Mail:
Jeffrey Epstein has hanged himself inside his New York City jail cell.
The billionaire pedophile was found in cardiac arrest shortly before 7am on Saturday at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan.
The 66-year-old was rushed to nearby New York Downtown Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In a statement, Metropolitan Correctional Center told DailyMail.com that the FBI is now launching an investigation into Epstein’s death.
Epstein was awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking and was being held at the high-security complex without bail.
HET Electric Motor Massively Boosts Power, Torque and Efficiency, Reduces Weight and Complexity
August 10th, 2019Via: New Atlas:
A Texas-based startup has raised US$4.5 million in seed funding to develop and commercialize a remarkable electric motor technology. The father/son team claims the design can massively reduce the size and complexity of electric powertrains while also significantly boosting efficiency and doubling the torque output.
Porsche Taycan: 30 Consecutive 0-124 MPH Launches
August 9th, 2019Via: Electrek:
Porsche has been pushing the idea that the Taycan is going to be the first performance all-electric car with repeatable power, and to prove it, they let a YouTuber do 30 consecutive 0 to 124 mph (200 km/h) launches.
The German automaker has previously mentioned that unlike Tesla’s performance vehicles, the Taycan is going to be able to maintain continuous higher power output for long periods of time.
That’s how Porsche is trying to differentiate itself from Tesla’s performance vehicles, which can beat Porsche on several metrics, but if the performance is pushed for an extended period of time, the vehicle starts limiting the power output.
DARPA: OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) Program
August 9th, 2019Coming to a favela near you!
Via: The Verge:
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is experimenting with using a swarm of autonomous drones and ground robots to assist with military missions. In a video of a recent test, DARPA showed how its robots analyzed two city blocks to find, surround, and secure a mock city building.
DARPA conducted its test back in June in Georgia, featuring both drones and ground-based robots. The demonstration was part of DARPA’s OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program, which is designed to eventually accompany small infantry units as they work in dense urban environments, and could eventually scale up to 250 drones and ground robots.
Rice University Team Uses Carbon Nanotube Films to Increase Solar Cell Efficiency
August 9th, 2019Via: Rice University:
Rice University scientists are designing arrays of aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes to channel mid-infrared radiation (aka heat) and greatly raise the efficiency of solar energy systems.
…
Naik said adding the emitters to standard solar cells could boost their efficiency from the current peak of about 22%. “By squeezing all the wasted thermal energy into a small spectral region, we can turn it into electricity very efficiently,” he said. “The theoretical prediction is that we can get 80% efficiency.”
Nanotube films suit the task because they stand up to temperatures as high as 1,700 degrees Celsius (3,092 degrees Fahrenheit). Naik’s team built proof-of-concept devices that allowed them to operate at up to 700 C (1,292 F) and confirm their narrow-band output. To make them, the team patterned arrays of submicron-scale cavities into the chip-sized films.
Critical U.S. Election Systems Have Been Left Exposed Online Despite Official Denials
August 9th, 2019You can easily secure America’s e-voting systems tomorrow. Use paper
Via: Vice:
The top voting machine company in the country insists that its election systems are never connected to the internet. But researchers found 35 of the systems have been connected to the internet for months and possibly years, including in some swing states.
Apple Offers $1 Million for iOS Zero Clicks Kernel Hack
August 8th, 2019Via: Forbes:
Apple has massively increased the amount it’s offering hackers for finding vulnerabilities in iPhones and Macs, up to $1 million. It’s by far the highest bug bounty on offer from any major tech company.
That’s up from $200,000, and in the fall the program will be open to all researchers. Previously only those on the company’s invite-only bug bounty program were eligible to receive rewards.
As Forbes reported on Monday, Apple is also launching a Mac bug bounty, which was confirmed Thursday, but it’s also extending it to watchOS and its Apple TV operating system. The announcements came in Las Vegas at the Black Hat conference, where Apple’s head of security engineering Ivan Krsti? gave a talk on iOS and macOS security.
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The full $1 million will go to researchers who can find a hack of the kernel—the core of iOS—with zero clicks required by the iPhone owner. Another $500,000 will be given to those who can find a “network attack requiring no user interaction.” There’s also a 50% bonus for hackers who can find weaknesses in software before it’s released.
Apple is increasing those rewards in the face of an increasingly profitable private market where hackers sell the same information to governments for vast sums.
Amazon Delivery Robots Are Officially on the Streets of California
August 8th, 2019Via: zdnet:
Amazon has officially rolled out its last-mile delivery robots in a Southern California testbed. Called Scout, the delivery robot is designed to autonomously ferry parcels from urban distribution points to Amazon Prime customers, removing the need for vans and cars in last-mile delivery.
Amazon has previously tested its delivery robots in Washington State, but this marks the first California deployment. The robots, deployed in the Irvine area, will drive during daytime hours. Though designed to operate autonomously, the test robots will be accompanied by humans to ensure nothing goes wrong. So-called “Scout Ambassadors” will also be gauging public reaction to the robots, which is a big X-factor in plans to deploy autonomous mobile robots on city streets.
Severodvinsk, Russia: “Drink Iodine, 44 Drops Per Glass of Water”
August 8th, 2019Update: Is Putin Covering Up a Nuclear Disaster?
Via: Daily Mail:
Suspicions are growing today that Russia has suffered another nuclear accident after ambulances covered in protective film were seen transporting six people with serious radiation poisoning in a mystery explosion at a military base.
Alarming footage also shows men in protective clothing loading casualties into the vehicles in the wake of a blast at the Nyonoksa weapons testing site in the sub-Arctic Arkhangelsk region yesterday.
Earlier the clothes of the victims and the medics who first treated them were destroyed, it was reported, before causalities were transferred for treatment at the Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre in Moscow.
Moscow has thrown a veil of secrecy over the explosion, which killed two and left six injured on Thursday.
Radiation levels are said to have temporarily soared 20 times above the normal level in Severodvinsk, a city 18 miles away, sparking ‘panic’ and ‘hysteria’ and a rush to buy iodine from pharmacies.
Today, reports surfaced in Russia claiming the spike in radiation may have been caused when one of Vladimir Putin’s top secret Zircon hypersonic missiles exploded during tests.
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Ahh. Iodine for the rocket engine explosion, eh?
*wink*
Via: BBC:
A rocket engine explosion on a naval test range in northern Russia has killed two people and injured six, the defence ministry told Russian media.
The victims of the explosion in Arkhangelsk region were civilian specialists while military and civilian personnel are among the injured.
The ministry said radiation levels were normal but the city of Severodvinsk registered a “brief spike” in levels.
An area of the White Sea nearby has reportedly been closed for a month.
But the deputy head of Archangelsk port, Sergei Kozub, told the BBC the closure was planned before the accident.
Radiation levels peaked between 11:50 and 12:30 (08:50-09:30 GMT) before falling and normalising by 14:00, the city administration in Severodvinsk said on its website, without reporting how significant the spike had been.
It is unclear what could have caused radiation levels to rise.
Local people were reportedly urged to take precautions against radiation. No increase in ambulance call-outs was recorded, the administration added.
A woman in Severodvinsk named only Alina told Russian news site lenta.ru: “I work in the hospital where they’re bringing the injured.
“They advise everyone to close their windows and drink iodine, 44 drops per glass of water.”
