Short Takes – 6-6-24

NIST taps Analygence to help fix vulnerability database backlog. NextGov.com article. Pull quote: “The logjam first surfaced in February without a clear explanation. NIST said at that time it would shift staff around and potentially engage the private sector for help on the matter. The agency is notably set to take an 8% budget cut for next year while being tasked to work on critical emerging tech and national security research.”

WHO confirms first death from bird flu strain not seen before in humans. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The strain [H5N2] is different from the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, which has caused an outbreak among livestock in the U.S. and has infected three dairy farm workers.”

Boeing Carries NASA Astronauts to Orbit in ‘Milestone’ Starliner Flight. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “The first trip of Starliner, a 15-foot-wide capsule, with astronauts on board comes four years and six days after SpaceX, the other company that NASA has hired to provide astronaut rides, launched its first mission with astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing is now set to also provide that service, but a series of costly delays repeatedly kept astronauts from flying the company’s vehicle earlier. SpaceX, once seen as an upstart, has flown 13 crews to orbit in total.”

Boeing’s astronaut capsule arrives at the space station after thruster trouble. SeattleTimes.com article. Pull quote: “The Starliner capsule already had one small helium leak when it rocketed into orbit with two NASA astronauts Wednesday. Boeing and NASA managers were confident they could manage the propulsion system despite the problem and that more leaks were unlikely. But just hours into the flight, two more leaks cropped up and a third was discovered after docking.”

Huge amounts of bird-flu virus found in raw milk of infected cows. Nature.com article. Pull quote: “Data collected by Lakdawala and her colleagues support her worries: infectious virus can persist in milk droplets and on milking machines for hours, they found. On the basis of these data, she urges farms to consider disinfecting equipment between uses, installing proper ventilation and offering protective equipment, such as face shields, to farm workers to prevent further spread.”

SEC Cyber Disclosures Delayed Several Times Since December. WSJ.com article (free). Pull quote: “On a number of occasions, the Justice Department has delayed companies’ disclosures because making the attacks public would create substantial risks and raise national-security concerns, said Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security. Olsen was speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live: Cybersecurity conference here Thursday.”

New ‘FLiRT’ COVID Variants Could Be Driving an Uptick in Cases. Here’s How to Avoid Them. ScientificAmerican.com article. Pull quote: “Summers with COVID have typically been less severe than winter surges. Cases have peaked during summer in the Northern Hemisphere, however. These peaks have been associated with the emergence of new variants, the waning of immunity from vaccines, increased travel and less social distancing. This week public health experts in the U.S. are expected to decide on a new fall vaccine that could help protect against novel variants. “The writing is kind of on the wall to see a summer increase in cases this year,” Chin-Hong says. Whether or not there’s a full-blown COVID wave, “some people are going to get sick, unfortunately, and that is preventable.””

NASA Refuses Hubble Rescue Mission and Trims the Space Telescope’s Science. ScientificAmerican.com article.  Pull quote: “During the press conference, Clampin made it clear that NASA’s reticence remains unchanged. “After exploring the current commercial capabilities, we are not going to pursue a reboost right now,” he said. “While the reboost is an option for the future, we believe we need to do some additional work to determine whether the long-term science return will outweigh the short-term science risk.... For the time being, we are stepping back.””