• U.K. to help IRAQ destroy legacy chemical weapons

    U.K. scientists will provide training which will support the Iraqi government’s efforts to dispose of remnants of the chemical weapons amassed during Saddam Hussein’s regime

  • Resolving mystery odor alarms

    In the post-9/11, security-conscious era, unidentified odor often cause the precautionary evacuation of buildings, airport terminals, and more; a New Jersey company offers an educational video on the problem of mystery odors – and offers odor identification services to help identify and resolve mystery odor complaints

  • New rapid diagnostic test for pathogens, contaminants developed

    Using nanoscale materials, researchers have developed a single-step method rapidly and accurately to detect viruses, bacteria, and chemical contaminants; the method could be used to detect pathogens and contaminants in biological mixtures such as food, blood, saliva, and urine

  • Bomb threat? There’s an app for that

    In the first chaotic moments after suspicion of a bomb threat, first responders have a myriad of questions, assessments, and decisions to make, all at once, and all the while the scene could be changing rapidly: Is the bomb real? How large is the potential blast radius? Where will we evacuate people? Are there any critical infrastructure or special-needs population centers in the vicinity? Any schools, hospitals nearby? What roads should be closed? Which roads should stay open for evacuees? There are many more questions, many more uncertainties; DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and its private sector partners have now developed a must-have app: the First Responder Support Tools (FiRST) for computers and smartphones

    • view counter

  • New method uses gunshot residue to determine caliber, type of weapon used in crime

    Researchers have developed a method to determine the caliber and type of weapon used in a crime by analyzing gunshot residue (GSR); using near-infrared (NIR) Raman microspectroscopy and advanced statistics, the new technique may play a pivotal role in law enforcement cases and forensic investigations

  • Saab shows new CBRN detection system

    Saab introduces a new concept in CBRN detection: a CBRN detection and warning system designed for use by non-specialists in the field

    • view counter

  • New DNA-based chemical sensor acts as an all-electronic nose

    Chemical sensors are very good at detecting a single substance or a class of chemicals, even at highly rarified concentrations; biological noses, however, are vastly more versatile and capable of discriminating subtle cues that would confound their engineered counterparts; even highly trained noses, however, do leave a certain ambiguity when relaying a signal

  • Smart gas sensors offer better chemical detection

    Smart chemical sensors can detect chemical weapon vapors or indicators of disease better than the current generation of detectors; they also consume less power, crucial for stretching battery life on the battlefield, down a mineshaft, or in isolated clinics

  • Naturally occurring enzyme to defend against chemical terrorism

    Today, protection against nerve agents relies primarily on physical barriers such as gas masks and protective suits that can easily be breached; following exposure, people are treated with drugs that help with the symptoms but do not eliminate the nerve agent; researchers hope to change this, relying on the principles of evolution to produce a more efficient version of an enzyme that occurs naturally in all of us

  • MRIGlobal awarded $9 million to evaluate detection gear

    Kansas City company in a $9 million contract with the U.S. Army to test and evaluate equipment to identify chemical, biological, and radiological hazards in the field

  • Researcher develops highly sensitive, nanomaterial gas detector

    A doctoral student at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has developed a new sensor to detect extremely small quantities of hazardous gas

  • Universal Detection unveils radiation detection smartphone app

    Last week Universal Detection Technology unveiled its first generation smartphone app designed to detect nuclear radiation levels on a variety of surfaces including food

  • New paper gas detectors developed

    Researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, have developed a quick and simple way to detect the presence of nerve gases

  • End of Utah’s chemical weapons stockpile signals end of federal grants

    As the last of Utah’s chemical weapons stockpile is destroyed, the millions of dollars that have flowed into the state from federal grants will begin to disappear along with thousands of jobs

  • New technology will allow miniaturization of chemical sensors

    A new measuring technology – based on measuring near-resonant nonlinear behaviors rather than measuring chemomechanically induced shifts in linear natural frequency – will allow a dramatic miniaturization of sensors; the miniaturization will make these sensors more suitable for first response, law enforcement, and military missions