Research
Sandia National Laboratories is pushing U.S. development of autonomous hypersonic aircraft, using a unique wind tunnel and advanced laser diagnostic technology to get there.
The goal is to advance aircraft past five times the speed of sound. It is a top national defense priority, and as such, a... Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is funding a broad research effort designed to assess elements surrounding the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
Officials said the CDC recently awarded contracts to Amy Pruden and Marc Edwards, professors in the Charles Edward Via, Jr. Department of... Read More »
Lockheed Martin’s modern Telephonics RDR-1700B -- an advanced radar system -- was successfully integrated onto a 74K aerostat this week, expanding the capabilities of the unmanned aircraft.
That aerostat floats, tethered, over a vast array of terrains, utilizing wide-area communications and... Read More »
A study published in Nature Medicine this week revealed that nearly half of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosed patients each year could potentially be cured with treatments shorter than those recommended.
Specifically, the study examined three TB trials previously thought to disprove the efficacy of... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is assisting the Departments of Defense and Energy in updating 10-year nuclear arsenal cost estimates and reporting them to Congress.
GAO officials said an essential element of the effort involves capturing fundamental programmatic changes in nuclear... Read More »
The possibility of early prenatal screening for and enhanced understanding of the link between Zika infection and fetal abnormalities may have grown, with a University of Southern California (USC) discovery of birth defect-associated biomarkers.
Publishing their findings in the Journal of... Read More »
Raytheon is pressing forward on a GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX) in time for the launch of GPS III next month, and initial test data indicates huge successes against cybersecurity threats and data corruption.
In all tests so far, the system has blocked the broadcast of... Read More »
A camera combined with machine learning is assisting Sandia National Laboratories and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) create more precise drone detection capability than possible with visuals alone.
Acoustic, radio or thermal detection of drones... Read More »
A report released last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases highlighted the importance of maintaining high measles vaccination coverage to protect those with compromised immune systems.
The report detailed a circumstance in which a 26-year-old man receiving leukemia treatment for leukemia went... Read More »
Though mosquitoes are the feared spreader of Zika virus in the Americas, researchers recently said that it is wild monkeys passing the disease to them, and guaranteeing its staying power.
Published in Scientific Reports, the collaborative effort from researchers of the University of Texas... Read More »
Researchers have found dogs working for the U.S. government are at an increased risk of Chagas disease, and the associated parasite is riddling them with heart disease.
At one time found only in Mexico, Central America and South America, Chagas has begun pressing forward into the United States,... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has opened submissions for its Biometric Technology Rally that will be held in the spring.
Biometric systems include fingerprint, iris or face recognition.
The rally challenges participants to develop... Read More »
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently met with waste management personnel to discuss safe, efficient disposal of high level radioactive waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuel.
The session at the IAEA in Vienna included a delegation from the International Association for... Read More »
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin is proceeding with a Missile Defense Agency contract to develop a Low Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD) missile interceptor, which utilizes a laser and beam control system to intercept hostile missiles.
Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will improve and mature... Read More »
Combating diseases such as Ebola, influenza, and a host of other global catastrophic biological risks could be addressed by 15 emerging technologies, many of which are easy to use, high-tech and low cost.
In “Technologies to Address Global Catastrophic Biological Risks,” the report issued... Read More »
A new study found that the immune response to three experimental Ebola vaccines last at least two and a half years, opening the door of possibility for further vaccine development -- far beyond Ebola’s limited scope.
Katie Ewer, the co-author of the study, said the findings could encourage... Read More »
Patients with compromised immune systems are highly vulnerable to infection, but a new study focused on mice at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine appears to have identified a cellular target that could improve vaccine efficacy.
The study is being conducted by Dr. Som... Read More »
A blog post written by Stephen Pike, managing director at UK-based Argon Electronics, recently examined the HazMat risks that accompany industrial chemical incidents.
Pike maintains chemical manufacturing facilities present potential hazards that, if not properly addressed, could place workers... Read More »
A drug currently under development for use against flu pandemics is at risk of being outpaced by the virus it is meant to prevent, according to researchers at Imperial College London and Public Health England.
In a study, the organizations found that two genetic mutations could bring the flu... Read More »
Recognizing the need for comprehensive cybersecurity programs, while also realizing the economic difficulties that hinder their development, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently formed a program to answer and address these issues.
S&T... Read More »
Achaogen recently announced that it would supply data from its discontinued LpxC inhibitor antibiotic research program to Pew’s Shared Platform for Antibiotic Research and Knowledge (SPARK).
"By sharing these data with the wider scientific community, Achaogen has demonstrated true leadership,... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories has developed a new sounding rocket program to carry experiments and prototypes of missile technology that could significantly cut research and development time for new weapons systems.
The High Operational Tempo Sounding Rocket Program, or HOT SHOT, was launched... Read More »
Robotic Research, LLC of Maryland gained a three-year, $9 million military contract last week for work on Autonomous Unmanned Systems Teaming and Collaboration (AUSTC) for a variety of missions.
Robotic Research has worked with the U.S. Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering... Read More »
Hurricanes are a devastating reality for the U.S. coastline, but the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working to reduce their threat through predictive and support technology.
The tools form several important roles in crisis response. For one,... Read More »
A genomic analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine this week revealed that an outbreak of Nigerian Lassa fever cases this year was not caused by any single virus strain or fueled by increased human-to-human transmission.
The analysis followed an unusual surge in Lassa fever... Read More »
SIGA Technologies announced this month that it has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases to study the post-exposure prophylactic use of TPOXX, a drug currently stockpiled by the U.S. government to treat smallpox outbreaks.
The Cooperative... Read More »
Operating on the knowledge that Ebola and malaria are both endemic to Central and West Africa, and that many people treated for Ebola have been found to be infected with malarial parasites as well, researchers from Texas Biomed and the University of Iowa are working to assess a connection between... Read More »
Even as tuberculosis (TB) becomes the most common infectious disease in the world, a new study by an international research team has determined that only around 25 percent of new cases of antibiotic-resistant strains are being detected.
Such a result marks a need for dramatic changes in... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen cybersecurity in healthcare systems and medical devices.
Together, the two agencies will seek to create greater coordination and cooperation on... Read More »
BAE Systems technology successfully demonstrated its ability to provide U.S. intelligence organizations with data from BAE Systems’ Geospatial eXploitation Products (GXP) Platform and access to geospatial imagery.
The technology, XTS Guard 5, was equipped with the GXP platform demonstrated... Read More »
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) officials have initiated the first Marburg vaccine in a Phase 1 adult clinical trial evaluating safety and immunogenicity.
“Given the recent deadly outbreak of Marburg virus in Uganda, there is a critical need to develop a safe and effective... Read More »
The opportunity for public health disasters is growing in the United States, fueled by falling vaccination rates reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week.
The data revealed that vaccinations are still common among children, but they are not as common as they were, or... Read More »
An international collection of scientists have developed a new vaccine with the potential to shield people from both Lassa fever and rabies, and the drug has proven successful in preclinical testing.
Known as LASSARAB, the vaccine utilizes a weakened rabies carrier injected with genetic material... Read More »
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced this week that a strategic partnership between the department and Johnson & Johnson will seek to advance efforts against chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear, disease, and antimicrobial threats in the United States.
The two... Read More »
One of the critical problems for getting pandemic vaccines out there is a bottleneck formed by the necessity of tests to determine their potency, but a new type of test -- VaxArray -- may bring immediacy to the system.
"With the 100th year anniversary since the 1918 influenza pandemic, there has... Read More »