Bulletin of the Atomic scientists

March 18, 2024

Senate passes bill to expand compensation for radiation victims. Will the House agree?

“As it stands, RECA is currently set to expire in June of this year,” writes a legislative representative at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. “If this happens, entire communities will lose crucial health coverage and cancer screenings, and many will never get the chance to apply for compensation.” Read more.

MATTHEW E. WALSH
How to better research the possible threats posed by AI-driven misuse of biology

Pretend ‘bad guys’ can help spot ways AI could be used to create biological threats. But only if done right. Read more.

PAVEL PODVIG
Preserving the nuclear test ban after Russia revoked its CTBT ratification

Russia, China, and the US have all declared a testing moratorium, and all insist that they do not conduct any experiments that would violate the CTBT ban on nuclear explosions. But all keep their test sites ready for a potential resumption of full-scale tests. Read more.

ULRICH KÜHN
Germany debates nuclear weapons, again. But now it’s different.

Germany relies on extended US nuclear deterrence for its security. Now, the prospect of Trump’s re-election could change this strategy. Read more.

IN MEMORIAM
Remembering Howard Hiatt’s contributions to science and global security

Bulletin Board of Sponsors member, Howard Hiatt, died on March 2nd, 2024 at 98 years of age. We commemorate his contributions to science and global security. Hiatt is most well-known for his involvement with the team that identified messenger RNA in the 1960s. Read more.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
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“UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations, estimates that one in six cultural heritage sites is threatened by climate change.”

—“Climate change is unearthing and erasing history all at once,” The Economist

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