Has COVID set us up for a major heart disease epidemic? It’s happened before

Over the first half of the 20th century the world saw growing rates of heart disease mortality. From the 1920s to the 1960s more and more people were dying from heart attacks. It was described as an epidemic of heart disease. But in the mid-1960s heart… Continue reading Has COVID set us up for a major heart disease epidemic? It’s happened before

Devastating bird flu officially reaches Antarctica for the first time

It was only a matter of time, but highly pathogenic avian influence (HPAI) has officially found its way to bird populations in Antarctica, after dead migratory brown skua on Bird Island returned positive test results.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, … Continue reading Devastating bird flu officially reaches Antarctica for the first time

COVID-19 pandemic triggers largest drop in US life expectancy in decades

A new study from researchers at Princeton University and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, projects the COVID-19 pandemic to potentially generate the largest single-year decline in US life expectancy since the 1918 influenza pandemic…. Continue reading COVID-19 pandemic triggers largest drop in US life expectancy in decades

Thermal Imaging as Security Theater

Seems like thermal imaging is the security theater technology of today. These features are so tempting that thermal cameras are being installed at an increasing pace. They’re used in airports and other public transportation centers to screen travelers, increasingly used by companies to screen employees and by businesses to screen customers, and even used in health care facilities to screen… Continue reading Thermal Imaging as Security Theater

Contact Tracing COVID-19 Infections via Smartphone Apps

Google and Apple have announced a joint project to create a privacy-preserving COVID-19 contact tracing app. (Details, such as we have them, are here.) It’s similar to the app being developed at MIT, and similar to others being described and developed elsewhere. It’s nice seeing the privacy protections; they’re well thought out. I was going to write a long essay… Continue reading Contact Tracing COVID-19 Infections via Smartphone Apps

Contact Tracing COVID-19 Infections via Smartphone Apps

Google and Apple have announced a joint project to create a privacy-preserving COVID-19 contact tracing app. (Details, such as we have them, are here.) It’s similar to the app being developed at MIT, and similar to others being described and developed … Continue reading Contact Tracing COVID-19 Infections via Smartphone Apps

Coronavirus survives on surfaces for days, but what does that really mean?

A major study published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine reported the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 can survive on some surfaces for several days, and is even detectable in aerosols for several hours. This important researc… Continue reading Coronavirus survives on surfaces for days, but what does that really mean?

Emergency Surveillance During COVID-19 Crisis

Israel is using emergency surveillance powers to track people who may have COVID-19, joining China and Iran in using mass surveillance in this way. I believe pressure will increase to leverage existing corporate surveillance infrastructure for these purposes in the US and other countries. With that in mind, the EFF has some good thinking on how to balance public safety… Continue reading Emergency Surveillance During COVID-19 Crisis

Work-from-Home Security Advice

SANS has made freely available its "Work-from-Home Awareness Kit." When I think about how COVID-19’s security measures are affecting organizational networks, I see several interrelated problems: One, employees are working from their home networ… Continue reading Work-from-Home Security Advice