Short Takes – 11-29-24

Atlantic hurricane season races to finish within range of predicted number of named storms. NOAA.gov press release. Pull quote: “The Atlantic basin saw 18 named storms in 2024 (winds of 39 mph or greater). Eleven of those were hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater) and five intensified to major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater). Five hurricanes made landfall in the continental U.S., with two storms making landfall as major hurricanes. The Atlantic seasonal activity fell within the predicted ranges for named storms and hurricanes issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center in the 2024 August Hurricane Season Outlook. An average season produces 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.”

What’s next for NASA’s giant moon rocket? TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “Such a scenario could have a broad impact on NASA that reaches beyond just SLS. Scrapping the rocket could bring up wider discussions about NASA’s overall budget, currently set at $25.4 billion, the highest-funded space agency in the world. That money is used for a variety of science including astrophysics, astronomy, climate studies, and the exploration of the solar system.”

This startup is getting closer to bringing next-generation nuclear to the grid. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “The company’s molten salt is called Flibe, and it’s a specific mix of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride. One fun detail I learned from Laufer is that the mixture needs to be enriched in lithium-7 because that isotope absorbs fewer neutrons than lithium-6, allowing the reactor to run more efficiently. The new facility in Albuquerque will produce large quantities of high-purity Flibe enriched in lithium-7.”

The Dogs of Chernobyl Are Experiencing Rapid Evolution, Study Suggests. PopularMechanics.com article. Pull quote: “However, this study provides a template for further investigation into the effects of radiation on larger mammals, as the DNA of dogs roaming the Chernobyl Power Plant and nearby Chernobyl City can be compared to dogs living in non-irradiated areas. Despite a current lack of firm conclusions, the study has shown once again that an area that—by all rights—should be a wasteland has become an unparalleled scientific opportunity to understand radiation and its impact on natural evolution.”

The risk of a bird flu pandemic is rising. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “And once you combine that increased risk with an upcoming change in presidential administration that might leave US health agencies in the hands of a vaccine denier who promotes the consumption of raw milk, well … it’s not exactly a comforting thought.”

Management Implication Report: Cybersecurity Concerns Related to Drinking Water Systems.EPAOIR.gov report. Pull quote: “As part of our continued oversight of the EPA’s role as a sector risk management agency, passive assessment of cybersecurity vulnerabilities was conducted on drinking water systems with populations served of 50,000 people or greater. This consisted of a multilayered, passive assessment tool to scan the public-facing networks [emphasis added] of 1,062 drinking water systems across the United States. The results identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit to degrade functionality, cause loss or denial of service, or facilitate the theft of customer or proprietary information.”

FTC finds that smart-device makers fail to make clear how long their products will be supported. TechCrunch.com article. Pull quote: “FTC staff found that 161 of the 184 products surveyed did not disclose information about the device’s support duration or end date on the manufacturers’ web pages. And when staff conducted basic internet searches to track down support duration, they didn’t find the information for 124 of the devices.”