There’s been a lot of press in the past few years about the potential impact of quantum technologies. The casual observer exposed to the more breathless sort of reporting could be forgiven for thinking that …
The beat Violence spikes in Rio Brazil’s Institute of Public Security has reported a sharp uptick in the incidence of ‘lethal violence’ in Rio de Janeiro. In the first five months of 2016, there were …
Sea state The US Coast Guard is still looking for a vendor to equip its Legend-class national security cutter with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Lacking the expertise to operate UAVs itself, the Coast Guard wants …
The Beat The riot will be tweeted It has long been held that social media can be used to detect disruptive events—like riots—before more conventional reportage. While companies like Dataminr have sold that idea to …
Synthetic biology is the stuff of dreams and nightmares. Oil-producing algae? Synthetic biology can help. Artificial life? Ask Craig Venter; he’s building his own. Poliovirus cooked up in a test tube? That’s nasty—but too late, …
Sea state After a tricky few weeks, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s cyber security resilience has been called into question after photos taken during a tour of the ship appeared to show computer screens running the out-dated …
Women as ‘partners for change’ On 9 June, Canada’s International Development Minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau, launched the country’s new Feminist International Assistance Policy, which puts gender equality at the centre of aid programming. It argues that …
The Beat America and guns: it’s complicated A comprehensive, 79-page publication from the Pew Research Centre aims to quantify ‘America’s complex relationship with guns’ (PDF). The highlights include findings that 30% of American adults own …
Sea State Just in time for President Modi’s visit to Washington, the Trump administration has agreed to sell 22 Guardian drones to India, in a deal that’s been described as a ‘game changer’ for US–India …
The Beat Crimes that make you say…huh? It’s a close race for the week’s kookiest crime. In California, three individuals were arrested for grand theft, after some US$300,000 worth of avocados were pilfered. ‘We take …
Sea State An Iranian ship came within 730m of three US Navy vessels (an amphibious assault ship, a guided-missile destroyer and a dry cargo ship) in the Strait of Hormuz last week. The Iranian vessel …
The Beat When gun research is silenced Gun science silence is a tongue-twister, but that’s no reason to keep quiet about it, Harvard Professor David Hemenway argues in Nature. While Research on gun-related violence can …