News
Researchers discover immune signaling pathway for control of Yellow Fever Virus infection
Researchers at Princeton University recently found a critical role for a new immune signaling pathway in controlling infection by the flavivirus Yellow Fever Virus (YFV). "An improved understanding of the complex mechanisms regulating YFV-17D attenuation will provide insights into key... Read More »
Raytheon’s Air and Missile Defense Radar completes second successful test
Raytheon Company’s AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense Radar successfully completed its second live-target flight test at the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. The system acquired and maintained the long-range missile target track from launch through flight. The test... Read More »
Smuggling attempts in Port of Nogales net CBP nearly $950,000 in heroin, methamphetamine
In two foiled attempts to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into the United States, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Nogales seized nearly $950,000 worth of heroin and methamphetamine this week. The smuggling methods varied, of course. In one case, a 45-year-old... Read More »NIST, Michigan State researchers develop algorithm to automate fingerprint identification process
An algorithm that automatically determines how much useful information is contained in latent crime scene fingerprints was recently developed by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Michigan State University. During the crime scene discovery process, the... Read More »
NIH awards $112,000 grant to help advance proposed Ebola virus vaccine candidate
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently awarded a grant worth $112,000 to researchers at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UH) to expand its studies of a proposed Ebola virus disease (EVD) vaccine candidate. According to UH, the... Read More »Number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has surpassed 500,000, WHO says
The number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has surpassed more than 500,000 during 2017, with approximately 2,000 patients succumbing to the virus’ lethal effects since the outbreak began, according to a recent release from the World Health Organization (WHO). "Yemen’s health workers are... Read More »
FDA issues Emergency Use Authorization for multiplex Zika test
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the CII-ArboViroPlex rRT-PCR Test. The test is the first multiplex assay that simultaneously tests for the presence of Zika virus, all serotypes of dengue virus, chikungunya virus and West Nile... Read More »
TSA screens record number of passengers
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reached a new record for passengers and crew screened in a month in July, surpassing the previous record set in June. TSA officers screened 72,117,046 passengers and crew at airports in July, including approximately 2 million at Ronald Reagan... Read More »NSF grant provides Mississippi State University $3.11 million for cybersecurity scholarship
Students studying cybersecurity at Mississippi State University (MSU) received help from the National Science Foundation (NSF) this week with the announcement of a $3.11 million award to expand its CyberCorps Scholarship program. “Cybersecurity is an increasingly important component of our... Read More »
Motorola Solutions announces new communications technology for first responders
Motorola Solutions recently announced its next-generation of mission-critical, broadband-based solutions for first responders to use in public safety scenarios at the 2017 Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) show in Denver, Colorado. According to Bruce Brda, executive... Read More »
Seqirus facility delivers four-fold increase in seasonal influenza vaccine output in two years
Seqirus recently announced that its cell-based manufacturing technology at its facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina has delivered a four-fold increase in seasonal influenza vaccine output in just a period of two years. “With a global influenza pandemic remaining a real and constant... Read More »NIAID awards $2.5 million funding to Soligenix for the development of ricin vaccine
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently exercised an option with Soligenix, Inc. to fund its good manufacturing practices-compliant ricin vaccine, called RiVax, bulk drug substance and finished drug product manufacturing in order to conduct future preclinical... Read More »Researchers develop nanotechnology test for Zika virus
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis recently developed a test that uses nanotechnology to quickly detect the Zika virus in blood. Current Zika test requires the refrigeration of a blood sample in order to shop it to a medical center or laboratory. The recently developed test’s... Read More »
US Muslims with radical opinions more likely to feel depressed, alienated
U.S. Muslims with positive opinions about ISIS and suicide bombing are more likely to experience isolation, social rejection, and depression, according to a recent National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) study. The project began in 2012, and the... Read More »
US agencies join Turkish counterparts for training in combating nuclear smuggling
Representatives of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) worked with the Turkish National Police last month to provide radiation detection systems and training. Their goal was to enhance capabilities to detect smuggled nuclear and... Read More »
Homeland Security directorate funds new web-based tools to prepare for livestock disease outbreaks
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has two new tools at their disposal for predicting cattle shipments and preparing for disease outbreaks among them. With department funding, the two new web-based tools include the U.S. Animal Movement Model... Read More »
Academic research institutions need to build resilience against all types of disasters, according to a National Academies report
The research community involved with academic biomedicine should improve its abilities to mitigate and recover from disasters, according to a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. According to the report, the results of various disasters, ranging from... Read More »
USB devices make computers vulnerable to data leakage, according to study
A test of more than 50 different computers linked with USB hubs, the most common medium to connect external devices to computers, revealed that more than 90 percent of the computers leaked information to the USB device, according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of... Read More »
Researchers develop fast, inexpensive diagnostic test for Zika virus
A new proof-of-concept test for Zika virus that can quickly produce results in a matter of minutes has recently been developed by researchers from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Contemporary Zika virus tests involves... Read More »
CBP Air and Marine Operations names new director for Texas center
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations recently announced the selection of William Allen Durham as the new director of the National Air Security Operations Center in Corpus Christi, Texas (NASOC – Corpus Christi). As director of the center, Durham will lead the... Read More »
Progress made in DOD long-term biometric and forensic capabilities, additional actions still needed, GAO says
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has made progress in establishing long-term deployable biometrics and forensics capabilities, but further actions are needed, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). For its report, GAO was tasked by the House Armed... Read More »
Researchers work to control H5N8 avian influenza outbreak in the Congo
Using highly specific nuclear-derived techniques, a H5N8 avian influenza outbreak was recently identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and quickly put under control in the country’s Lake Albert region, according to scientists involved with the response efforts. “This is the... Read More »Oral cholera vaccine more effective for adults, less effective for children under five, according to Johns Hopkins study
Cholera vaccines provide substantial protection for adults, but provide significantly less protection for children under age five, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, which was published in a recent... Read More »
Tobacco leads to development of new Zika vaccine
Since the onset of the Zika virus in 2015, experts have been researching ways to combat its spread, but now, Arizona State University may have a plant-based vaccine ready to meet the challenge. The effort is different than existing efforts in that it appears to be more potent, safer and even... Read More »Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to recognize Reis for contributions to nuclear security
Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC recently announced that it would recognize Victor Reis for his contributions to nuclear security with the John S. Foster Jr. Medal. Reis retired from his role as senior adviser in the Office of the Secretary and Undersecretaries at the U.S. Department... Read More »
CBP announces deployment of facial recognition technology at McCarran International Airport
Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced the deployment of facial recognition exit technology to Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport (LAS) for one daily flight from the United States to Guadalajara, Mexico. The decision follows the recent deployment of... Read More »
California CBP agents seize 1,500 pounds of narcotics, arrest 17 over weekend
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at various ports of entry in California recently intercepted shipments of illicit narcotics weighing more than 1,500 pounds and captured 17 fugitives over a series of incidents. In total, officers seized more than 1,000 pounds of... Read More »
Battelle, DHS work to enhance capabilities of the nation’s explosives-detection canine teams
A new initiative aimed at providing explosives-detection canine teams with the knowledge to better understand credibility gaps and provide vital education, testing and training throughout the country was recently announced by Battelle in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security... Read More »Seqirus announces major increase of influenza vaccine output
Global vaccine creator Seqirus recently announced a major milestone in the fight against pandemic threats in the United States, consisting of a four-fold increase in seasonal influenza vaccine creation over two years. “With a global influenza pandemic remaining a real and constant threat,... Read More »Officers seize $575,000 worth of counterfeit toy airplanes
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations officers recently seized 36,000 toy airplanes worth $575,000 that violated trademark laws and were headed for the Point of Entry (POE) in Ranier, Minnesota. Officers targeted the rail container containing the merchandise at the... Read More »
Center for Nonproliferation Studies, NTI launch database for Iranian missile tests since 1988
The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) recently published a database on the website of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) that details all of Iran’s missile and space launch vehicle (SLV) tests since 1988, which marked the end of the Iran-Iraq war. Specifically, the... Read More »Smiths Detection adapts three technologies for fentanyl identification
As dangerous opioids like fentanyl continue to be an increasing issue for law enforcement, Smiths Detection, Inc. (SDI) recently announced that it has adapted three of its technologies in order to detect and identify fentanyl to limit officers’ exposure to the drug on duty. Unlike more common... Read More »
Francis named special agent in charge of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit in Detroit
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently named Steve Francis as head of its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit based in Detroit, Michigan. “As a native of this region, I’m honored to serve my community in this new capacity,” Francis said. “I look forward to... Read More »
Raven’s Challenge highlights explosives preparedness for armed forces
The Raven’s Challenge gathered together technicians from public safety departments, the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and the Belgian army last week for an intense session of live-fire explosives preparation. The week-long training session took place at five locations throughout the country.... Read More »