Science Daily May 21, 2019 A team of researchers in the US (Raytheon, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, UC San Francisco, industry) is working on FELIX https://www.iarpa.gov/index.php/research-programs/felix (Finding Engineering-Linked Indicators) sponsored by IARPA. The program aims to develop a suite of tools for the agnostic detection of engineered biological organisms, ranging from viruses, bacteria, insects, animals and plants that are either purposefully or accidentally developed and/or released with the potential to cause harm. Ideally, the tools will expand the quality and amount of information available to distinguish engineered organisms from natural organisms, i.e., natural variation from intentional […]
Tag Archives: WMD
Catalyst renders nerve agents harmless
Phys.org April 22, 2019 Commonly used filtration method as protection against chemical agents is limited in, because once a filter reaches its capacity, it needs to be regenerated, removed, or replaced. A team of researchers in the US (Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Virginia Tech, Emory University, Kennesaw State University) sought to decompose the nerve agent Sarin and its simulant, dimethyl chlorophosphate (DMCP) into non lethal chemicals using zirconium polytungstate. To identify why a catalyst works they hypothesized that the isolated zirconium atoms were the active sites for this catalyst and they isolated […]
Radioactive material detected remotely using laser-induced electron avalanche breakdown
Phys.org March 22, 2019 Researchers at the University of Maryland present a proof-of-principle demonstration of a remote detection scheme using mid-infrared laser–induced avalanche breakdown of air. They observed on-off breakdown sensitivity to the presence of an external radioactive source. They correlated the shift of the temporal onset of avalanche to the degree of seed ionization from the source. They present scaling of the interaction with laser intensity, verify observed trends with numerical simulations, and discuss the use of mid-IR laser–driven electron avalanche breakdown to detect radioactive material at range. The method could be used to scan trucks and shipping containers […]
Chilling New Research Shows How Dire a Smallpox Bioterror Attack Could Actually Get
Science Alert February 21, 2019 To investigate what this kind of hypothetical threat might look, an international team of researchers (Australia, Fiji, USA- USINDOPACOM, Emory University, New Zealand, UK, Western Samoa, Tonga, industry) recently led a complex international simulation of such an attack, called Exercise Mataika to simulate a worst-case, large scale bioterrorist attack. The aim was to determine the duration and magnitude of the epidemic under different scenarios and scenarios where the current stockpile of vaccine is adequate. In a worst-case scenario, at the peak of the epidemic worldwide, it showed that only 50 percent of smallpox cases are […]
Rethinking Ebola Vaccine Stockpile as Outbreak Threatens Mega-Cities
Global Biodefense December 20, 2018 The nature of Ebola outbreaks is changing as the virus finds its way out of rural villages into populous urban settings. Outbreak response experts at the WHO and GAVI are already talking to the leading Ebola vaccine manufacturer, Merck, to reassess just how much larger global stocks need to be. Besides Merk’s vaccine, another potential vaccine being developed by Johnson & Johnson could also eventually become part of the stockpile, global health officials say… read more.
Color-changing fabric warns military about chemical agents
Eurekalert December 11, 2018 A team of researchers in the US (University of Cincinnati, University of Florida) is working with a polymer called Nafion which has unique structural properties that provide for electrical insulation and gas separation, while also promoting the passage of ions but at the same time, it hinders the transport of gases, like oxygen. The idea is to incorporate the naturally flexible Nafion membrane into a soldier’s clothes to detect chemical agents in the air while preventing them from interacting with the skin. Nafion could react with chemical warfare agents to form benign products when applied to […]
Countries convene to update chemical weapons prohibitions
Chemical and Engineering News November 16, 2018 According to researchers in the UK, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) must decide how best to evolve to prevent the reemergence of chemical weapons in a period of rapid scientific change and unstable international security. Among the key issues facing OPCW going forward are the development and use of riot-control agents, such as tear gas, and delivery systems for such agents. The nature of law-enforcement activities allowed under the treaty must be clarified. They also advocate for strengthening OPCW’s Technical Secretariat to better monitor science and technology advances and forecast […]
Nanobot pumps destroy nerve agents
Eurekalert August 21, 2018 When enzymes catalyze a reaction, they move. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have shown that if enzymes are anchored to a surface and given their reactant, they end up pumping the fluid surrounding them. An enzyme, called organophosphorus acid anhydrolase, can destroy nerve agents. The researchers immobilized this enzyme on a gel that also contained an antidote. The enzyme actively pumps in the organosphosphate compound and destroys nerve agent, and at the same time pumps out an antidote. The system requires no external power source. The nanobot pumps might someday be incorporated into protective clothing for […]