Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, October 16, 2023
Posted: 16th October 2023
An Aedes aegypti mosquito. Credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim via Wikimedia Commons. GNU Free Documentation License 1.2.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Dengue will soon pose a “major threat” to US, the WHO says
Climate change may soon deliver yet another unwelcome gift to new parts of the world: dengue, a disease so unpleasant to experience that its nickname is “breakbone fever,” writes Bulletin biosecurity editor Matt Field. Read more.
CLIMATE CHANGE
The condor was saved from extinction. Avian flu threatens to undo that work
In less than a month, nearly 20 percent of the Southwest California condor population in Arizona and Utah died from avian bird flu. Conservationists hope vaccinating condors will prevent the virus from wiping the species out. Read more.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Rage against the machine owners: Luddite lessons for the 21st century
In his new book, author Brian Merchant explains why the Luddite struggle can help us better understand how wealth and power can become concentrated in the hands of a few at the expense of many. Read more.
Join us for Conversations Before Midnight 2023
Following a keynote conversation with Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan, join in one of five virtual high-level discussions with world-renowned experts. This year’s topics include:
- How black holes affect our map of the universe.
- Pandemic Potential: What have we learned from Covid?
- Why is the climate so extreme this year?
- From Oppenheimer to today’s nuclear landscape.
- Pandora? Prometheus? What to make of recent breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence.
NUCLEAR RISK
Reimagining security in Oceania
Although nuclear and conventional deterrence are the main ways the world maintains peace today, alternatives exist. A striking example is the traditional Hawaiian approach to security that rejects militarization and prioritizes social, environmental, and climate justice. Read more.
IN THE NEWS
The US nuclear arsenal can deter both China and Russia
In this Foreign Affairs article that was co-authored by Bulletin Science and Security Board member Steve Fetter, experts argue that the US can avoid overreacting to the arrival of China as a second nuclear peer, generating an unnecessary and futile arms race, and increasing the probability of nuclear war. Read more.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Children are effectively the future of society. We wanted to make the information about the problem and potential ways of addressing it available to groups that want to get access to it.”
— Giri Viswanathan, “Climate change can have ‘lifelong impacts’ on young people’s mental health, report says,” CNN
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