Experts say that the recent disclosure that a large explosion in North Korea was not a nuclear test shows that the world's system for detecting clandestine nuclear tests is working, but it could be improved if more countries signed a treaty that proposes outlawing all such weapons testing.
The United States is ill prepared to deal with the long term aftermath of a 'dirty-bomb' terrorist attack, say analysts. They warn that existing clean-up laws and regulations covering radioactive materials were not designed with dirty bombs in mind, and give conflicting recommendations.
Researchers have unveiled a new technique that could transform reproductive cloning into a safe, standardized technique for assisted reproduction. They discussed an extra step that could eliminate many objections to the controversial technique.
With increasing fear about nanotechnology's effects on the environment, a US research center will work to determine both its positive and negative potential.
Seismologists are using advanced digital seismic arrays and Global Positioning System sensors to help intelligence officials listen for the construction of underground weapons stores and terrorist havens.
Just as the US government has called for a spending review of its neutrino-detection programmes, two teams of scientists raise hopes that these programmes won't be futile after all. Their modelling studies show that if very-high-energy neutrinos are indeed out there, we should be able to see them.
Exploding meteors bombarding the Earth from space could be mistaken for nuclear bomb tests, say seismologists of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. This could present problems for monitoring the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which aims to halt the testing of all nuclear weapons.
New research suggests that there are only a limited number of geological environments suitable for hiding a nuclear test from seismic instruments and the international community.