http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/weapons_technology/ Read the latest developments in non-lethal weapons, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), nuclear weapons, chemical weaponry and more. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/weapons_technology/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161809.htm Seven years ago, Russian Security Forces employed a secret incapacitating chemical weapon in their attempt to free 800 hostages held in a Moscow theatre by armed Chechen fighters. Over 120 hostages were killed by the incapacitant and many more continue to suffer long term health problems. Despite reports of further Russian research and use of incapacitants, the international community has refused to address the dangers of the development and proliferation of such weapons, according to a new report. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106095640.htm SNM applauds the US House of Representatives for its passage of H.R. 3276 -- the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106095640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124723.htm Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. Researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient. Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007124723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924163526.htm Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have confirmed the production of the superheavy element 114, ten years after a group at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, first claimed to have made it. The search for 114 has long been a key part of the quest for nuclear science's hoped-for Island of Stability. Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090924163526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090907013804.htm Using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical analogue of a cheap waste material from plants, researchers have recovered uranium from the polluted waters from uranium mines. The same technology can also be used to clean up nuclear waste. Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090907013804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909111628.htm NIST researchers have developed a new reference material to use in calibrating and testing trace-explosives detectors like those used at airports. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090909111628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820083442.htm Chemists are preparing to play an important but often unheralded role in determining the success of one of the largest and most important scientific experiments in history — next year's initial attempts at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to produce the world's first controlled nuclear fusion reaction. If successful in taming the energy source of the sun, stars, and of the hydrogen bomb, scientists could develop a limitless new source of producing electricity for homes, factories, and businesses. Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820083442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165605.htm Composite materials such as fiberglass, which take on a mix of properties of their constituent compounds, have been around for decades. Now, a materials scientist is taking composites to the nanoscale, where entirely new properties, not found in any of the original compounds, can emerge. Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709140813.htm The withdrawal of Nevada's Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste repository has reopened the debate over how and where to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste. Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090709140813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624152828.htm A two-tiered scanning-protocol for inspecting all containers at international ports could be the most affordable approach to ensuring containers moving through the global transportation system are not carrying nuclear bombs, according to a new study. Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624152828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511090842.htm Scientists have developed a new polymer that reduces the amount of radioactive waste produced during routine operation of nuclear reactors.  Fri, 15 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511090842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm A material that is a hundred thousand times heavier than water and more dense than the core of the Sun is being produced at a university. The scientists working with this material are aiming for an energy process that is both more sustainable and less damaging to the environment than the nuclear power used today. Tue, 12 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511181356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507072826.htm Scientists have developed an inspection system on the basis of neutron radiation – detection of nuclear material is planned. Fri, 08 May 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507072826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080405.htm When Sweden's spent nuclear fuel is to be permanently stored, it will be protected by three different barriers. Even if all three barriers are damaged, the nuclear fuel will not dissolve into the groundwater, according to new research. Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408091617.htm In Prague, President Barack Obama called for a world without nuclear weapons. Today, scientists have released a report calling for fundamental changes to US nuclear war planning, a vital prerequisite if smaller nuclear arsenals are to be achieved. Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408091617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402163721.htm By using the amount of carbon 14 in the atmosphere from above-ground nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960, researchers have determined that cells in the human heart develop into adulthood. Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402163721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324151951.htm Radio frequency identification devices have widely been used for tracking for years; recently, scientists have developed a unique tracking technology that also monitors the environmental and physical conditions of containers of nuclear materials in storage and transportation. Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324151951.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324200927.htm Concerns that terrorists could produce a new and particularly dangerous form of the explosive responsible for airport security screening of passengers' shoes and restrictions on liquids in carryon baggage are unfounded, a group of scientists is reporting. Their study demonstrates that a new form of destructive terrorist material is unlikely. Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324200927.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325142511.htm Concerns about climate change and energy independence have led to renewed calls for the resurgence of nuclear power. Therefore, it is important to understand the level of and bases for public attitudes, both supporting and opposing nuclear power. Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325142511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302130224.htm Scientists in Washington state are reporting the surprise discovery of the oldest known sample of reactor-produced bomb-grade plutonium, a historic relic from the infancy of America's nuclear weapons program. Their research also represents the first demonstration of how radioactive sodium can be used as a tool in nuclear forensics. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302130224.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304114250.htm Engineers have developed a technique to "denature" plutonium created in large nuclear reactors, making it unsuitable for use in nuclear arms. By adding Americium (Am 241), a form of the basic synthetic element found in commercial smoke detectors and industrial gauges, plutonium can only be used for peaceful purposes. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304114250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220075314.htm Atomic nuclei are normally compact structures defined by a sharp border. About twenty-five years ago, it was discovered that there are exceptions to this picture: Certain exotic atomic nuclei contain particles that shear off from the central core and create a cloud, which surrounds the central core like a 'heiligenschein' or halo. Now, for the first time, scientists have succeeded in precisely measuring this one-neutron halo by means of a laser, and in evaluating the dimensions of the cloud. Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090220075314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218091930.htm During a research trip to Puerto Rico, an ecologist took samples from underwater nuclear bomb target USS Killen, expecting to find evidence of radioactive matter -- instead he found a link to cancer. Data revealed that the closer corals and marine life were to unexploded bombs from the World War II vessel and the surrounding target range, the higher the rates of carcinogenic materials. Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218091930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212112738.htm Researchers have developed a protein that binds to uranium selectively and tightly -- a simple, effective methods for the sensitive detection and effective treatment of uranium poisoning. Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212112738.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090204093810.htm President Barack Obama has made his intention of eliminating all nuclear weapons a tenet of his administration's foreign policy. A US theoretical physicist and arms-control expert explains what Obama needs to do to make that honorable intention a reality. Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090204093810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090122080930.htm Engineers have tested a new form of concrete designed to reduce the impact of bomb blasts in public areas. Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090122080930.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113174529.htm Scientists aim to re-energize a national discussion on the reduction of nuclear weapons stockpiles, and a commitment to fight proliferation and encourage disarmament efforts. Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113174529.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104317.htm Researchers have created a new tool called the "Dirty War Index" based on the laws of war, a tool which identifies rates of prohibited or highly undesirable ("dirty") war outcomes, such as torture, child injury and civilian death. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210171908.htm Biofuels, nuclear energy and coal are the worst choices for energy alternatives to petroleum products and wind, solar, geothermal, tides and waves are the best, according to results from the first quantitative, scientific evaluation of the proposed, major, energy-related solutions that assesses not only their potential for delivering energy for electricity and vehicles, but also their impacts on global warming, human health, energy security, water supply, space requirements, wildlife, water pollution, reliability and sustainability. Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210171908.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210122234.htm The United States must re-establish its global leadership in nuclear arms control while continuing to update its nuclear arsenal as necessary, but it should not add any new nuclear capabilities in the process, a joint working group of scientists and policy experts says in a study meant to inform decision making by the incoming Obama administration. Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210122234.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113140420.htm Electroshock weapons, such as stun guns and other similar devices that temporarily incapacitate a person by delivering a high-voltage, low-current electric shock, have helped law enforcement officers safely subdue dangerous or violent persons for years. Researchers at NIST are working toward a standard method for accurately assessing the electrical output of these devices, the results of which can be used in establishing baselines for future medical and safety studies. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113140420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103090906.htm By measuring 'inaudible' sounds, events like illegal nuclear tests can be detected. This 'infrasound' can also help us understand more about the upper atmosphere, according to new research. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103090906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081028132058.htm The terrorist has gone from being a political window breaker to a ruthless mass murderer, according to a recent analysis. The old understanding of terrorism imply a politically motivated crime where the target is logically connected to the political aim of the terrorist. Examples of terrorist acts are fights, window breaking, demonstrations, tear gas attacks and bomb attacks. Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081028132058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081020135225.htm Sandia scientists are helping train Iraqi scientists and technicians to clean up radioactively contaminated sites and safely dispose of the radioactive wastes as part of the Iraqi Nuclear Facility Dismantlement and Disposal Program. Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081020135225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016162236.htm Serious challenges remain in radioactivity readiness, according to a new study that finds emergency room doctors and nurses worry that hospitals are not adequately prepared to handle casualties from a radioactive 'dirty bomb.' Among the concerns is whether ER staffers, in a dirty bomb scenario, could protect themselves and give appropriate care, the study authors said. Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081016162236.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001130000.htm More than 20 years later, researchers from Case Western Reserve University traveled to Sweden and Poland to gain insight into the downward migration of Chernobyl-derived radionuclides in the soil. Among the team's findings was the fact that much more plutonium was found in the Swedish soil at a depth that corresponded with the nuclear explosion than that of Poland. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081001130000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080930105909.htm As more nations pursue nuclear power, the United States and Russia, along with other countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency, should redouble efforts to ensure a reliable supply of nuclear fuel so that countries seeking nuclear energy have less incentive to build their own facilities to enrich uranium and reprocess spent nuclear fuel, says a new report by the US National Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080930105909.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100148.htm It may be possible to dramatically reduce the radioactive waste isolation time -- from several million years to as little as 300 - 500 years. In order to decrease the isolation time for radioactive waste, first of all, the actinides - elements whose nuclei are heavier than uranium (i.e. curium, actinium) - must be removed from the waste by processing (transmutation) into short-lived nuclei. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902110625.htm US regulators have ignored expert safety advice in an attempt to cut corners and fast track the completion of a $4 billion nuclear fuel facility currently under construction near Aiken, South Carolina. The accusation is reported in The Chemical Engineer magazine, published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902110625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829091311.htm Radiation from the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, likely rearranged chromosomes in some survivors who later developed papillary thyroid cancer as adults, according to Japanese researchers. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829091311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821213606.htm A new recycling plant will soon recover uranium from the ashes of radioactive garbage to be recycled back into nuclear fuel using an efficient, environmentally friendly technology inspired by decaffeinated coffee. The technique's future may even hold the key to recycling the most dangerous forms of radioactive waste. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821213606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821164603.htm Sandia researchers identified that the form of bacillus anthracis mailed in the fall of 2001 to several news media offices and to two US senators was a non-weaponized form of the spores. Five people were killed. Sandia's information was crucial in ruling out state-sponsored terrorism. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821164603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710145731.htm Researchers have devised a technology that can distinguish mine collapses from other seismic activity. Using the large seismic disturbance associated with the Crandall Canyon mine collapse last August, scientists applied a method developed to detect underground nuclear weapons tests to quickly examine the seismic recordings of the event and determine whether that source was most likely from a collapse. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080710145731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609092056.htm Scientists are reporting successful laboratory and field tests of a new device that can sniff out the faintest traces of a wide range of chemical, biological, nuclear, and explosive threats - and illicit drugs - from the air in minutes with great accuracy. The ultra-sensitive detector, known as the single-particle aerosol mass spectrometry (SPAMS) system, could tighten security at airports, sports stadiums and other large-scale facilities. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609092056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421123231.htm Rising energy and environmental costs may prevent nuclear power from being a sustainable alternative energy source in the fight against global warming, according to a new study. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421123231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417105453.htm Newly published data from the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, the Soviet Union's primary nuclear weapons testing ground during the Cold War, can help today's atomic detectives fine-tune their monitoring of nuclear explosions around the world, according to new research. The treasure trove of data from Semipalatinsk are especially important in light of the fact that only three nuclear tests -- back-to-back tests in India and Pakistan in 1998 and a 2006 test in North Korea -- have been conducted since the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1996. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417105453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414115101.htm Advanced gas reactors offer more efficient operation, less waste disposal and other benefits over water-cooled reactor designs used in U.S. nuclear power plants. But creating fuel that burns efficiently and reliably in the higher temperatures of advanced gas reactors has been a challenge -- until now. Fuel fabricated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in cooperation with Idaho National Laboratory and the Babcock & Wilcox Company, has demonstrated the most successful performance ever for U.S. advanced gas reactor fuel. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414115101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408132133.htm Scientists have developed a new method for rapidly and safely destroying toxic agents such as chemical weapons and pesticides. When tested in solution, full destruction of all three tested agents was achieved in less than 30 seconds. Testing on contaminated surfaces showed virtually complete decontamination of the agents in 10 minutes -- the shortest of the time periods tested. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408132133.htm