The World Health Organization is meeting to decide how to deal with research on Smallpox "chimeras". These modern concoctions could be valuable for testing vaccines and treatments. But some fear they would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to the creation of new pathogens even worse than smallpox itself.
The National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. intelligence agency responsible for the U.S. spy satellite infrastructure, is in a financial and organizational crisis that could hamper U.S. ability to respond to emerging proliferation crises in North Korea and Iran according to this feature story.
In a new study, nanotechnology proponents suggest replacing human blood cells with specially programmed nanobots that would perform all of the same functions as natural blood cells as well as providing enhanced resistance to infection and eradication of vascular diseases.
The U.S. government has begun a massive data-mining research program, called Total Information Awareness (TIA), that would comb through vast amounts of information--purchase records, E-mail and phone logs, travel arrangements--that people generate in their daily lives, looking for telltale patterns of terrorist activity. One data mining expert noted that the goals of the project -- spotting suspicious patterns across multiple databases while minimizing false alarms and safeguarding individual privacy -- are on a similar scale to "putting a man on the moon."
Environmental groups and arms control advocates are raising questions about possible health effects of nanotech's tiny particles and the weapons potential of its tiny machines.
The U.S. military is developing a nuclear warhead that could feasibly have application in the war against terrorism. The Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP) is designed to destroy underground bunkers?often hundreds of feet deep?that may hide chemical and biological weapons labs and are out of reach of modern conventional weapons but critics warn that it makes the use and possession of nuclear weapons more acceptable.
Genetic researchers and biologists debate whether or not to openly publish research that might assist terrorists in developing biological weapons.
An excellent coverage of some of the ethical and social implications of research into brain-machine interfaces. The author takes a look at its potential for mind-control or intelligence augmentation, i.e. making humans into cyborgs.
Dana Hawkins takes a critical look at the surge in biometric security mechanisms.
In the past few years, important advances in computer science, artificial intelligence, biomechanics, and material science have once again raised hopes of reaching the holy grail of robotics. In fact, progress toward a fully autonomous, intelligent robot has been so convincing that any number of technofuturists are worrying publicly about the perils of robotics.