defense
Public’s budget priorities differ dramatically from House and Obama
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — When it comes to the federal budget, the public is on a different page than either the House of Representatives or the Obama Administration — with a different set of priorities and a greater willingness to cut spending and …
Improved behavioral health needed to respond to rising number of suicides among US Armed Forces
U.S. military officials should improve efforts to identify those at-risk and improve both the quality and access to behavioral health treatment in response to a sharp rise in suicide among members of nation’s armed forces, according to a new RAND Co…
Study shows that defensive military alliances enhance peace
Countries that enter into defense pacts with other nations are less likely to be attacked, according to new research from Rice University. And those countries are not more likely to attack others.
The study, “Defense Pacts: A Prescription for Peac…
Virus component helps improve gene expression without harming plant
COLLEGE STATION — A virus that normally deforms or kills plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants isn’t all bad: A gene within the virus has been found useful for allowing foreign genes to be introduced into a plant without harmful effects, acco…
US nuclear safety claim is a ‘dangerous fantasy’
London, UK (November 1, 2010) — In April 2010, the US government adopted a new nuclear strategy that depends on the conclusion that the current missile defense systems will reliably protect the continental United States in the extreme circumstan…
New research shows how disease-causing parasite gets around human innate immunity
Athens, Ga. — Trypanosomes are parasites responsible for many human and animal diseases, primarily in tropical climates. One disease these parasites cause, African sleeping sickness, results from the bite of infected tsetse flies, putting over 60 …
Macrophages: The ‘defense’ cells that help throughout the body
Westminster, Colo. (August 26, 2010) — The term “macrophage” conjures images of a hungry white blood cell gobbling invading bacteria. However, macrophages do much more than that: Not only do they act as antimicrobial warriors, they also play cri…
Octopus mimics flatfish and flaunts it
Paul the Octopus — the eight-legged oracle who made international headlines with his amazingly accurate football forecasting — isn’t the only talented cephalopod in the sea. The Indonesian mimic octopus, which can impersonate flatfish and sea sn…
WMD in Wrong Hands is ‘Greatest Security Risk’ This Decade
Weapons of mass destruction in the wrong hands is the “greatest security risk of this decade,” said deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz during a symposium at the third annual Conference on Counterproliferation May 13. The United States will continue to have a requirement for a “robust WMD elimination capability” even after the discovery and the destruction of Iraq’s WMD capabilities, he noted.
DoD Bolsters Service Members’ Post-Deployment Health Assessment Process
Thousands of active duty and reserve U.S. service members deployed overseas for Operation Iraqi Freedom will undergo an enhanced post-deployment health assessment process. The new health evaluation process was approved mid-April and is being implemented now to provide added safeguards for the health of deployed service members, Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, told Pentagon reporters April 29.