Short Takes – 9-26-23

Space Force chief says commercial satellites may need defending. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “In a modern war, "there are going to be commercial entities, commercial organizations, commercial capabilities and assets that get caught up in the conflicts," Saltzman said. "Space is no different than sea lanes. It’s no different than civilian airliner traffic in Europe right now. The US has a long history of saying we’re going to protect the things that we need to be successful. So it would stand to reason that that same philosophy would extend into space, and I have no reason to believe that that will be different.””

CISA Releases Hardware Bill of Materials Framework (HBOM) for Supply Chain Risk Management. CISA.gov press release. Pull quote: ““The HBOM Framework [link added] offers a consistent and repeatable way for vendors and purchasers to communicate about hardware components, enabling effective risk assessment and mitigation in the supply chain. With standardized naming, comprehensive information, and clear guidance, organizations can safeguard against economic and security risks, enhancing overall resilience,” said CISA National Risk Management Center Assistant Director and ICT SCRM Task Force Co-Chair Mona Harrington. “By enhancing transparency and traceability through HBOM, stakeholders can identify and address potential risks within the supply chain, ensuring that the digital landscape remains robust and secure against emerging threats and challenges.””

Potential link found between Merck antiviral and mutated COVID strains. TheHill.com article. A little geeky, requires more study. Pull quote: ““Importantly, the divergence of the molnupiravir mutation spectrum from standard SARS-CoV-2 mutational dynamics might allow the virus to explore the fitness of distinctive parts of the possible genomic landscape to those it is already widely exploring in the general population,” the study stated.”

COVID drug molnupiravir may be driving the virus to mutate — should we worry? LiveScience.com article. A more nuanced look. Pull quote: “"We have yet to see evidence of more fit sequences arising from molnupiravir" — meaning viruses that can more easily spread and multiply — "but this work certainly provides pause for thought and should weigh heavily in considerations around future use of the drug, necessitating at the very least mitigations of the risks of this effect, alongside real world data on the effectiveness of the drug," Aris Katzourakis, a professor of evolution and genomics at the University of Oxford who was not involved in the research, told Live Science in an email.”

Cybersecurity Labeling for Internet of Things. Federal Register FCC comment extension. Summary: “In this document, the Federal Communications Commission extends the comment and reply comment periods of the Notice of the Proposed Rulemaking [link added to my blog post on NPRM, removed from paywall) (NPRM) in PS Docket No. 23–239 that was released on August 10, 2023. This document also corrects a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) link in the summary of the NPRM that was published in the Federal Register on August 25, 2023.” New comment deadline November 10^th, 2023.

A Laser Fusion Breakthrough Gets a Bigger Burst of Energy. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “Siegfried Glenzer, a scientist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, Calif., who led the initial fusion experiments at the Livermore facility years ago, said of the July advance, “The fact that the gain has gone up on the last shot is encouraging news and shows that the current implosions are not yet fully optimized.””

The Beekeepers Who Don’t Want You to Buy More Bees. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “Honey bees, it turns out, are a commercially managed animal — essentially livestock, like cows — and large beekeeping operations are remarkably adept at replacing colonies that die. In the United States, about one million hives are trucked each year to places like California, where honey bees pollinate almonds and other crops, Mr. Black said. It’s a major industry.”

Senate Reaches Spending Deal to Head Off Government Shutdown. NYTimes.com article. Pull quote: “The Senate proposal would meet stiff resistance from House Republicans because it includes assistance for Ukraine that many of them oppose and maintains federal funding at current levels. Many House Republicans are demanding steep cuts in even an interim funding plan. As a result, Mr. McCarthy would need Democratic votes to pass it, and leaning on Democrats would stir a backlash from his own party.”